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+
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+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <title>
+      The Wandering Jew, by Eugene Sue
+    </title>
+    <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" />
+    <style type="text/css">
+    <!--
+    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%;}
+    .indent5   { margin-left: 5%;}
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+    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
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+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    .pagenum   {display:inline; font-size: 100%; font-style:normal;
+               margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
+               text-align: right;}
+    .side      { float: left; font-size: 75%; width: 25%; padding-left: 0.8em;
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+               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: 1 }
+    pre        { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+    -->
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+  </head>
+  <body>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wandering Jew, Complete, by Eugene Sue
+
+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: The Wandering Jew, Complete
+
+Author: Eugene Sue
+
+Illustrators: A. Ferdinandus and Gustave Dore
+
+Release Date: September 2, 2006 [EBook #3350]
+Last Updated: August 22, 2016
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WANDERING JEW, COMPLETE ***
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+    <h1>
+      THE WANDERING JEW
+    </h1>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      By Eugene Sue
+    </h2>
+<h3>
+Illustrations by A. Ferdinandus and Gustave Dore
+</h3>
+<p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+<div class="mynote">
+The images in this file are of absolute format: they do not reduce in size for Tablets, Smart Phones, PDAs and small computer screens; on small screens the larger images may run off the side and not be completely visible. A different version of this ebook with the images made relative to the screen size is available on <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3350/old/files/relative.htm"><i>CLICKING HERE</i></a>.
+</div>
+<p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br /> <br />
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10007m.jpg" alt="10007m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10007.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10009m.jpg" alt="10009m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10009.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10011m.jpg" alt="10011m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10011.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10023m.jpg" alt="10023m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10023.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <h4>
+      A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR OF THE WANDERING JEW: EUGENE SUE <br /><br />
+      (1804-1857)
+    </h4>
+    <p>
+      Time and again physicians and seamen have made noteworthy reputations as
+      novelists. But it is rare in the annals of literature that a man trained
+      in both professions should have gained his greatest fame as a writer of
+      novels. Eugene Sue began his career as a physician and surgeon, and then
+      spent six years in the French Navy. In 1830, when he returned to France,
+      he inherited his father&rsquo;s rich estate and was free to follow his
+      inclination to write. His first novel, &ldquo;Plick et Plock&rdquo;, met with an
+      unexpected success, and he at once foreswore the arts of healing and
+      navigation for the precarious life of a man of letters. With varying
+      success he produced books from his inexhaustible store of personal
+      experiences as a doctor and sailor. In 1837, he wrote an authoritative
+      work on the French Navy, &ldquo;Histoire de la marine Francaise&rdquo;.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More and more the novel appealed to his imagination and suited his gifts.
+      His themes ranged from the fabulous to the strictly historical, and he
+      became popular as a writer of romance and fictionized fact. His plays,
+      however, were persistent failures. When he published &ldquo;The Mysteries of
+      Paris&rdquo;, his national fame was assured, and with the writing of &ldquo;The
+      Wandering Jew&rdquo; he achieved world-wide renown. Then, at the height of his
+      literary career, Eugene Sue was driven into exile after Louis Napoleon
+      overthrew the Constitutional Government in a coup d&rsquo;etat and had himself
+      officially proclaimed Emperor Napoleon III. The author of &ldquo;The Wandering
+      Jew&rdquo; died in banishment five years later.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        <br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>THE WANDERING JEW.</b> </a><br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <b>BOOK I.</b> </a><b>THE TRANSGRESSION.</b>
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_PROL"> PROLOGUE. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> THE LAND&rsquo;S END </a>OF TWO WORLDS. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a>MOROK. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a>THE TRAVELLERS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a>THE ARRIVAL. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a>MOROK and DAGOBERT <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a>ROSE AND BLANCHE. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. </a>THE SECRET. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. </a>THE TRAVELER. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. </a>EXTRACTS FROM GENERAL SIMON&rsquo;S
+        DIARY. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a>THE CAGES.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a>THE SURPRISE. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a>JOVIAL and DEATH. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a>THE BURGOMASTER. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII. </a>THE JUDGEMENT. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV. </a>THE DECISION. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV. </a>THE DESPATCHES. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI. </a>THE ORDERS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2H_4_0021"> <b>BOOK II.</b> </a><b>INTERVAL&mdash;THE
+        WANDERING JEW&rsquo;S SENTENCE.</b> <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0022">
+        INTERVAL. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER
+        XVII. </a>THE AJOUPA. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII.
+        </a>THE TATTOOING <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX. </a>THE
+        SMUGGLER <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX. </a>M. JOSHUA
+        VAN DAEL. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI. </a>THE RUINS
+        OF TCHANDI. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII. </a>THE
+        AMBUSCADE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII. </a>M.
+        RODIN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV. </a>THE TEMPEST
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV. </a>THE SHIPWRECK.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI. </a>THE DEPARTURE FOR
+        PARIS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII. </a>DAGOBERT&rsquo;S
+        WIFE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER XXVIII. </a>THE SISTER
+        OF THE BACCHANAL QUEEN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER
+        XXIX. </a>AGRICOLA BAUDOIN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0030"> CHAPTER
+        XXX. </a>THE RETURN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER XXXI.
+        </a>AGRICOLA AND MOTHER BUNCH. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0032">
+        CHAPTER XXXII. </a>THE AWAKENING. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0033">
+        CHAPTER XXXIII. </a>THE PAVILION. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0034">
+        CHAPTER XXXIV. </a>ADRIENNE AT HER TOILET. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0035"> CHAPTER XXXV. </a>THE INTERVIEW. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2H_4_0042"> <b>BOOK III.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0036"> CHAPTER XXXVI. </a>A FEMALE JESUIT. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0037"> CHAPTER XXXVII. </a>THE PLOT. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0038"> CHAPTER XXXVIII. </a>ADRIENNE&rsquo;S ENEMIES. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0039"> CHAPTER XXXIX. </a>THE SKIRMISH. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0040"> CHAPTER XL. </a>THE REVOLT <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0041"> CHAPTER XLI. </a>TREACHERY. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0042"> CHAPTER XLII. </a>THE SNARE. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0043"> CHAPTER XLIII. </a>A FALSE FRIEND. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0044"> CHAPTER XLIV. </a>THE MINISTER&rsquo;S CABINET. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0045"> CHAPTER XLV. </a>THE VISIT. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0046"> CHAPTER XLVI. </a>PRESENTIMENTS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0047"> CHAPTER XLVII. </a>THE LETTER. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0048"> CHAPTER XLVIII. </a>THE CONFESSIONAL <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0049"> CHAPTER XLIX. </a>MY LORD AND SPOIL-SPORT. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0050"> CHAPTER L. </a>APPEARANCES. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0051"> CHAPTER LI. </a>THE CONVENT. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0052"> CHAPTER LII. </a>THE INFLUENCE OF A CONFESSOR.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0053"> CHAPTER LIII. </a>THE EXAMINATION.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0061"> <b>BOOK IV.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_PART2"> PART SECOND. </a>THE CHASTISEMENT.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_PROL2"> PROLOGUE. </a>THE BIRD&rsquo;S-EYE VIEW OF
+        TWO WORLDS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0054"> CHAPTER I. </a>THE
+        MASQUERADE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0055"> CHAPTER II. </a>THE
+        CONTRAST. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0056"> CHAPTER III. </a>THE
+        CAROUSE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0057"> CHAPTER IV. </a>THE
+        FAREWELL <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0058"> CHAPTER V. </a>FLORINE.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0059"> CHAPTER VI. </a>MOTHER
+        SAINTE-PERPETUE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0060"> CHAPTER VII. </a>THE
+        TEMPTATION. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0061"> CHAPTER VIII. </a>MOTHER
+        BUNCH AND MDLLE DE CARDOVILLE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0062">
+        CHAPTER IX. </a>THE ENCOUNTERS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0063">
+        CHAPTER X. </a>THE MEETING. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0064"> CHAPTER
+        XI. </a>DISCOVERIES. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0065"> CHAPTER XII.
+        </a>THE PENAL CODE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0066"> CHAPTER XIII.
+        </a>BURGLARY. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0077"> <b>BOOK V.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0067"> CHAPTER XIV. </a>THE EVE OF A GREAT
+        DAY. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0068"> CHAPTER XV. </a>THE THUG. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0069"> CHAPTER XVI. </a>THE TWO BROTHERS OF THE GOOD
+        WORK. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0070"> CHAPTER XVII. </a>THE HOUSE IN
+        THE RUE SAINT-FRANCOIS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0071"> CHAPTER
+        XVIII. </a>DEBIT AND CREDIT. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0072"> CHAPTER
+        XIX. </a>THE HEIR <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0073"> CHAPTER XX. </a>THE
+        RUPTURE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0074"> CHAPTER XXI. </a>THE
+        CHANGE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0075"> CHAPTER XXII. </a>THE RED
+        ROOM. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0076"> CHAPTER XXIII. </a>THE
+        TESTAMENT. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0077"> CHAPTER XXIV. </a>THE
+        LAST STROKE OF NOON. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0078"> CHAPTER XXV.
+        </a>THE DEED OF GIFT. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0090"> <b>BOOK VI.</b>
+        </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_PART2B"> PART SECOND. </a>THE
+        CHASTISEMENT. (Concluded.) <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0079"> CHAPTER
+        XXVI. </a>A GOOD GENIUS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0080"> CHAPTER
+        XXVII. </a>THE FIRST LAST, AND THE LAST FIRST. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0081"> CHAPTER XXVIII. </a>THE STRANGER. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0082"> CHAPTER XXIX. </a>THE DEN. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0083"> CHAPTER XXX. </a>AN UNEXPECTED VISIT. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0084"> CHAPTER XXXI. </a>FRIENDLY SERVICES. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0085"> CHAPTER XXXII. </a>THE ADVICE. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0086"> CHAPTER XXXIII. </a>THE ACCUSER. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0087"> CHAPTER XXXIV. </a>FATHER D&rsquo;AIGRIGNY&rsquo;S SECRETARY.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0088"> CHAPTER XXXV. </a>SYMPATHY. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0089"> CHAPTER XXXVI. </a>SUSPICIONS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0090"> CHAPTER XXXVII. </a>EXCUSES. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0091"> CHAPTER XXXVIII. </a>REVELATIONS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0092"> CHAPTER XXXIX. </a>PIERRE SIMON. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2H_4_0106"> <b>BOOK VII.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0093"> CHAPTER XL. </a>THE EAST INDIAN IN PARIS. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0094"> CHAPTER XLI. </a>RISING. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0095"> CHAPTER XLII. </a>DOUBTS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0096"> CHAPTER XLIII. </a>THE LETTER. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0097"> CHAPTER XLIV. </a>ADRIENNE AND DJALMA. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0098"> CHAPTER XLV. </a>THE CONSULTATION. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0099"> CHAPTER XLVI. </a>MOTHER BUNCH&rsquo;S DIARY. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0100"> CHAPTER XLVII. </a>THE DIARY CONTINUED. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0101"> CHAPTER XLVIII. </a>THE DISCOVERY. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0102"> CHAPTER XLIX. </a>THE TRYSTING-PLACE OF THE
+        WOLVES. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0103"> CHAPTER L. </a>THE COMMON
+        DWELLING-HOUSE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0104"> CHAPTER LI. </a>THE
+        SECRET. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0105"> CHAPTER LII. </a>REVELATIONS.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0120"> <b>BOOK VIII.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_PART3"> PART THIRD.</a>THE REDEMPTION. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0106"> CHAPTER I. </a>THE WANDERING JEW&rsquo;S
+        CHASTISEMENT. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0107"> CHAPTER II. </a>THE
+        DESCENDANTS OF THE WANDERING JEW. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0108">
+        CHAPTER III. </a>THE ATTACK. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0109"> CHAPTER
+        IV. </a>THE WOLVES AND THE DEVOURERS. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0110">
+        CHAPTER V. </a>THE RETURN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0111"> CHAPTER
+        VI. </a>THE GO-BETWEEN. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0112"> CHAPTER VII.
+        </a>ANOTHER SECRET. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0113"> CHAPTER VIII.
+        </a>THE CONFESSION. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0114"> CHAPTER IX. </a>LOVE.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0115"> CHAPTER X. </a>THE EXECUTION. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0116"> CHAPTER XI. </a>THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0117"> CHAPTER XII. </a>BEHIND THE SCENES. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0118"> CHAPTER XIII. </a>UP WITH THE CURTAIN. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0119"> CHAPTER XIV. </a>DEATH. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2H_4_0137"> <b>BOOK IX.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0120"> CHAPTER XV. </a>THE CONSTANT WANDERER. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0121"> CHAPTER XVI. </a>THE LUNCHEON. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0122"> CHAPTER XVII. </a>RENDERING THE ACCOUNT. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0123"> CHAPTER XVIII. </a>THE SQUARE OF NOTRE DAME.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0124"> CHAPTER XIX. </a>THE CHOLERA
+        MASQUERADE.(39) <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0125"> CHAPTER XX. </a>THE
+        DEFIANCE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0126"> CHAPTER XXI. </a>BRANDY TO
+        THE RESCUE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0127"> CHAPTER XXII. </a>MEMORIES.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0128"> CHAPTER XXIII. </a>THE POISONER.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0129"> CHAPTER XXIV. </a>IN THE CATHEDRAL.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0130"> CHAPTER XXV. </a>THE MURDERERS.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0131"> CHAPTER XXVI. </a>THE PATIENT. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0132"> CHAPTER XXVII. </a>THE LURE. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0133"> CHAPTER XXVIII. </a>GOOD NEWS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0134"> CHAPTER XXIX. </a>THE OPERATION. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0135"> CHAPTER XXX. </a>THE TORTURE. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0136"> CHAPTER XXXI. </a>VICE AND VIRTUE. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0137"> CHAPTER XXXII. </a>SUICIDE. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2H_4_0156"> <b>BOOK X.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0138"> CHAPTER XXXIII. </a>CONFESSIONS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0139"> CHAPTER XXXIV. </a>MORE CONFESSIONS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0140"> CHAPTER XXXV. </a>THE RIVALS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0141"> CHAPTER XXXVI. </a>THE INTERVIEW. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0142"> CHAPTER XXXVII. </a>SOOTHING WORDS. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0143"> CHAPTER XXXVIII. </a>THE TWO CARRIAGES. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0144"> CHAPTER XXXIX. </a>THE APPOINTMENT. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0145"> CHAPTER XL. </a>ANXIETY. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0146"> CHAPTER XLI. </a>ADRIENNE AND DJALMA. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0147"> CHAPTER XLII. </a>"THE IMITATION.&rdquo; <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0148"> CHAPTER XLIII. </a>PRAYER. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0149"> CHAPTER XLIV. </a>REMEMBRANCES. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0150"> CHAPTER XLV. </a>THE BLOCKHEAD <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0151"> CHAPTER XLVI. </a>THE ANONYMOUS LETTERS. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0152"> CHAPTER XLVII. </a>THE GOLDEN CITY. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0153"> CHAPTER XLVIII. </a>THE STUNG LION. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0154"> CHAPTER XLIX. </a>THE TEST. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2H_4_0174"> <b>BOOK XI.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2H_EPIL"> EPILOGUE. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0155"> CHAPTER L. </a>THE RUINS OF THE ABBEY OF ST. JOHN
+        THE BAPTIST. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0156"> CHAPTER LI. </a>THE
+        CALVARY. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0157"> CHAPTER LII. </a>THE
+        COUNCIL. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0158"> CHAPTER LIII. </a>HAPPINESS.
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0159"> CHAPTER LIV. </a>DUTY. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0160"> CHAPTER LV. </a>THE IMPROVISED HOSPITAL <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0161"> CHAPTER LVI. </a>HYDROPHOBIA. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0162"> CHAPTER LVII. </a>THE GUARDIAN ANGEL. <br /><br />
+        <a href="#link2HCH0163"> CHAPTER LVIII. </a>RUIN. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0164"> CHAPTER LIX. </a>MEMORIES. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0165"> CHAPTER LX. </a>THE ORDEAL. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0166"> CHAPTER LXI. </a>AMBITION. <br /><br /> <a
+        href="#link2HCH0167"> CHAPTER LXII. </a>TO A SOCIUS, A SOCIUS AND A
+        HALF. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0168"> CHAPTER LXIII. </a>FARINGHEA&rsquo;S
+        AFFECTION. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0169"> CHAPTER LXIV. </a>AN
+        EVENING AT SAINTE-COLOMBE&rsquo;S. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0170"> CHAPTER
+        LXV. </a>THE NUPTIAL BED. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0171"> CHAPTER
+        LXVI. </a>A DUEL TO THE DEATH. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0172">
+        CHAPTER LXVII. </a>A MESSAGE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0173">
+        CHAPTER LXVIII. </a>THE FIRST OF JUNE. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2H_EPIL2">
+        <b>EPILOGUE.</b> </a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0174">
+        CHAPTER I. </a>FOUR YEARS AFTER. <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0175">
+        CHAPTER II. </a>THE REDEMPTION. <br /><br />
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      THE WANDERING JEW.
+    </h1>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      First Part.&mdash;The Transgression.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_PROL" id="link2H_PROL">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Prologue.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      The Land&rsquo;s End of Two Worlds.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he Arctic Ocean encircles with a belt of eternal ice the desert confines
+      of Siberia and North America&mdash;the uttermost limits of the Old and New
+      worlds, separated by the narrow, channel, known as Behring&rsquo;s Straits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The last days of September have arrived.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The equinox has brought with it darkness and Northern storms, and night
+      will quickly close the short and dismal polar day. The sky of a dull and
+      leaden blue is faintly lighted by a sun without warmth, whose white disk,
+      scarcely seen above the horizon, pales before the dazzling, brilliancy of
+      the snow that covers, as far as the eyes can reach, the boundless steppes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the North, this desert is bounded by a ragged coast, bristling with
+      huge black rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the base of this Titanic mass lied enchained the petrified ocean, whose
+      spell-bound waves appear fired as vast ranges of ice mountains, their blue
+      peaks fading away in the far-off frost smoke, or snow vapor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Between the twin-peaks of Cape East, the termination of Siberia, the
+      sullen sea is seen to drive tall icebergs across a streak of dead green.
+      There lies Behring&rsquo;s Straits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Opposite, and towering over the channel, rise the granite masses of Cape
+      Prince of Wales, the headland of North America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These lonely latitudes do not belong to the habitable world; for the
+      piercing cold shivers the stones, splits the trees, and causes the earth
+      to burst asunder, which, throwing forth showers of icy spangles seems
+      capable of enduring this solitude of frost and tempest, of famine and
+      death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And yet, strange to say, footprints may be traced on the snow, covering
+      these headlands on either side of Behring&rsquo;s Straits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the American shore, the footprints are small and light, thus betraying
+      the passage of a woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She has been hastening up the rocky peak, whence the drifts of Siberia are
+      visible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the latter ground, footprints larger and deeper betoken the passing of
+      a man. He also was on his way to the Straits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would seem that this man and woman had arrived here from opposite
+      directions, in hope of catching a glimpse of one another, across the arm
+      of the sea dividing the two worlds&mdash;the Old and the New.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More strange still! the man and the woman have crossed the solitudes
+      during a terrific storm! Black pines, the growth of centuries, pointing
+      their bent heads in different parts of the solitude like crosses in a
+      churchyard, have been uprooted, rent, and hurled aside by the blasts!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yet the two travellers face this furious tempest, which has plucked up
+      trees, and pounded the frozen masses into splinters, with the roar of
+      thunder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They face it, without for one single instant deviating from the straight
+      line hitherto followed by them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Who then are these two beings who advance thus calmly amidst the storms
+      and convulsions of nature?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Is it by chance, or design, or destiny, that the seven nails in the sole
+      of the man&rsquo;s shoe form a cross&mdash;thus:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+               *
+            * * *
+               *
+               *
+               *
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Everywhere he leaves this impress behind him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the smooth and polished snow, these footmarks seem imprinted by a foot
+      of brass on a marble floor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Night without twilight has soon succeeded day&mdash;a night of foreboding
+      gloom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The brilliant reflection of the snow renders the white steppes still
+      visible beneath the azure darkness of the sky; and the pale stars glimmer
+      on the obscure and frozen dome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Solemn silence reigns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, towards the Straits, a faint light appears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At first, a gentle, bluish light, such as precedes moonrise; it increases
+      in brightness, and assumes a ruddy hue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Darkness thickens in every other direction; the white wilds of the desert
+      are now scarcely visible under the black vault of the firmament.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Strange and confused noises are heard amidst this obscurity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They sound like the flight of large night&mdash;birds&mdash;now flapping
+      now-heavily skimming over the steppes-now descending.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But no cry is heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This silent terror heralds the approach of one of those imposing phenomena
+      that awe alike the most ferocious and the most harmless, of animated
+      beings. An Aurora Borealis (magnificent sight!) common in the polar
+      regions, suddenly beams forth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A half circle of dazzling whiteness becomes visible in the horizon.
+      Immense columns of light stream forth from this dazzling centre, rising to
+      a great height, illuminating earth, sea, and sky. Then a brilliant
+      reflection, like the blaze of a conflagration, steals over the snow of the
+      desert, purples the summits of the mountains of ice, and imparts a dark
+      red hue to the black rocks of both continents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After attaining this magnificent brilliancy, the Northern Lights fade away
+      gradually, and their vivid glow is lost in a luminous fog.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then, by a wondrous mirage an effect very common in high latitudes,
+      the American Coast, though separated from Siberia by a broad arm of the
+      sea, loomed so close that a bridge might seemingly be thrown from one
+      world to other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then human forms appeared in the transparent azure haze overspreading both
+      forelands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the Siberian Cape, a man on his knees, stretched his arms towards
+      America, with an expression of inconceivable despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the American promontory, a young and handsome woman replied to the
+      man&rsquo;s despairing gesture by pointing to heaven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some seconds, these two tall figures stood out, pale and shadowy, in
+      the farewell gleams of the Aurora.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the fog thickens, and all is lost in the darkness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whence came the two beings, who met thus amidst polar glaciers, at the
+      extremities of the Old and New worlds?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Who were the two creatures, brought near for a moment by a deceitful
+      mirage, but who seemed eternally separated?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I. MOROK.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      The month of October, 1831, draws to its close.
+    </h3>
+      <p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>
+      hough it is still day, a brass lamp, with four burners, illumines the
+      cracked walls of a large loft, whose solitary window is closed against
+      outer light. A ladder, with its top rungs coming up through an open trap
+      leads to it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here and there at random on the floor lie iron chains, spiked collars,
+      saw-toothed snaffles, muzzles bristling with nails, and long iron rods set
+      in wooden handles. In one corner stands a portable furnace, such as
+      tinkers use to melt their spelter; charcoal and dry chips fill it, so that
+      a spark would suffice to kindle this furnace in a minute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not far from this collection of ugly instruments, putting one in mind of a
+      torturer&rsquo;s kit of tools, there are some articles of defence and offence of
+      a bygone age. A coat of mail, with links so flexible, close, and light,
+      that it resembles steel tissue, hangs from a box beside iron cuishes and
+      arm-pieces, in good condition, even to being properly fitted with straps.
+      A mace, and two long three-cornered-headed pikes, with ash handles,
+      strong, and light at the same time; spotted with lately-shed blood,
+      complete the armory, modernized somewhat by the presence of two Tyrolese
+      rifles, loaded and primed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Along with this arsenal of murderous weapons and out-of-date instruments,
+      is strangely mingled a collection of very different objects, being small
+      glass-lidded boxes, full of rosaries, chaplets, medals, AGNUS DEI, holy
+      water bottles, framed pictures of saints, etc., not to forget a goodly
+      number of those chapbooks, struck off in Friburg on coarse bluish paper,
+      in which you can hear about miracles of our own time, or &ldquo;Jesus Christ&rsquo;s
+      Letter to a true believer,&rdquo; containing awful predictions, as for the years
+      1831 and &lsquo;32, about impious revolutionary France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of those canvas daubs, with which strolling showmen adorn their
+      booths, hangs from a rafter, no doubt to prevent its being spoilt by too
+      long rolling up. It bore the following legend:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+ &ldquo;THE DOWNRIGHT TRUE AND MOST MEMORABLE CONVERSION OF IGNATIUS MOROK,
+ KNOWN AS THE PROPHET, HAPPENING IN FRIBURG, 1828TH YEAR OF GRACE.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      This picture, of a size larger than natural, of gaudy color, and in bad
+      taste, is divided into three parts, each presenting an important phase in
+      the life of the convert, surnamed &ldquo;The Prophet.&rdquo; In the first, behold a
+      long-bearded man, the hair almost white, with uncouth face, and clad in
+      reindeer skin, like the Siberian savage. His black foreskin cap is topped
+      with a raven&rsquo;s head; his features express terror. Bent forward in his
+      sledge, which half-a-dozen huge tawny dogs draw over the snow, he is
+      fleeing from the pursuit of a pack of foxes, wolves, and big bears, whose
+      gaping jaws, and formidable teeth, seem quite capable of devouring man,
+      sledge, and dogs, a hundred times over. Beneath this section, reads:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+ &ldquo;IN 1810, MOROK, THE IDOLATER, FLED FROM WILD BEASTS.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      In the second picture, Morok, decently clad in a catechumen&rsquo;s white gown
+      kneels, with clasped hands, to a man who wears a white neckcloth, and
+      flowing black robe. In a corner, a tall angel, of repulsive aspect, holds
+      a trumpet in one hand, and flourishes a flaming sword with the other,
+      while the words which follow flow out of his mouth, in red letters on a
+      black ground:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+ &ldquo;MOROK, THE IDOLATER, FLED FROM WILD BEASTS; BUT WILD BEASTS WILL FLEE
+ FROM IGNATIUS MOROK, CONVERTED AND BAPTIZED IN FRIBURG.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      Thus, in the last compartment, the new convert proudly, boastfully, and
+      triumphantly parades himself in a flowing robe of blue; head up, left arm
+      akimbo, right hand outstretched, he seems to scare the wits out of a
+      multitude of lions, tigers, hyenas, and bears, who, with sheathed claws,
+      and masked teeth, crouch at his feet, awestricken, and submissive.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Under this, is the concluding moral:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+ &ldquo;IGNATIUS MOROK BEING CONVERTED, WILD BEASTS CROUCH BEFORE HIM.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      Not far from this canvas are several parcels of halfpenny books, likewise
+      from the Friburg press, which relate by what an astounding miracle Morok,
+      the Idolater, acquired a supernatural power almost divine, the moment he
+      was converted&mdash;a power which the wildest animal could not resist, and
+      which was testified to every day by the lion tamer&rsquo;s performances, &ldquo;given
+      less to display his courage than to show his praise unto the Lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Through the trap-door which opens into the loft, reek up puffs of a rank,
+      sour, penetrating odor. From time to time are heard sonorous growls and
+      deep breathings, followed by a dull sound, as of great bodies stretching
+      themselves heavily along the floor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A man is alone in this loft. It is Morok, the tamer of wild beasts,
+      surnamed the Prophet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He is forty years old, of middle height, with lank limbs, and an
+      exceedingly spare frame; he is wrapped in a long, blood-red pelisse, lined
+      with black fur; his complexion, fair by nature is bronzed by the wandering
+      life he has led from childhood; his hair, of that dead yellow peculiar to
+      certain races of the Polar countries, falls straight and stiff down his
+      shoulders; and his thin, sharp, hooked nose, and prominent cheek-bones,
+      surmount a long beard, bleached almost to whiteness. Peculiarly marking
+      the physiognomy of this man is the wide open eye, with its tawny pupil
+      ever encircled by a rim of white. This fixed, extraordinary look,
+      exercises a real fascination over animals&mdash;which, however, does not
+      prevent the Prophet from also employing, to tame them, the terrible
+      arsenal around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seated at a table, he has just opened the false bottom of a box, filled
+      with chaplets and other toys, for the use of the devout. Beneath this
+      false bottom, secured by a secret lock, are several sealed envelopes, with
+      no other address than a number, combined with a letter of the alphabet.
+      The Prophet takes one of these packets, conceals it in the pocket of his
+      pelisse, and, closing the secret fastening of the false bottom, replaces
+      the box upon a shelf.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This scene occurs about four o&rsquo;clock in the afternoon, in the White
+      Falcon, the only hostelry in the little village of Mockern, situated near
+      Leipsic, as you come from the north towards France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a few moments, the loft is shaken by a hoarse roaring from below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Judas! be quiet!&rdquo; exclaims the Prophet, in a menacing tone, as he turns
+      his head towards the trap door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another deep growl is heard, formidable as distant thunder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lie down, Cain!&rdquo; cries Morok, starting from his seat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A third roar, of inexpressible ferocity, bursts suddenly on the ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Death! Will you have done,&rdquo; cries the Prophet, rushing towards the trap
+      door, and addressing a third invisible animal, which bears this ghastly
+      name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding the habitual authority of his voice&mdash;notwithstanding
+      his reiterated threats&mdash;the brute-tamer cannot obtain silence: on the
+      contrary, the barking of several dogs is soon added to the roaring of the
+      wild beasts. Morok seizes a pike, and approaches the ladder; he is about
+      to descend, when he sees some one issuing from the aperture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The new-comer has a brown, sun-burnt face; he wears a gray hat, bell
+      crowned and broad-brimmed, with a short jacket, and wide trousers of green
+      cloth; his dusty leathern gaiters show that he has walked some distance; a
+      game-bag is fastened by straps to his back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The devil take the brutes!&rdquo; cried he, as he set foot on the floor; &ldquo;one
+      would think they&rsquo;d forgotten me in three days. Judas thrust his paw
+      through the bars of his cage, and Death danced like a fury. They don&rsquo;t
+      know me any more, it seems?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was said in German. Morok answered in the same language, but with a
+      slightly foreign accent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good or bad news, Karl?&rdquo; he inquired, with some uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good news.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve met them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yesterday; two leagues from Wittenberg.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heaven be praised!&rdquo; cried Morok, clasping his hands with intense
+      satisfaction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, of course, &lsquo;tis the direct road from Russia to France, &lsquo;twas a
+      thousand to one that we should find them somewhere between Wittenberg and
+      Leipsic.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the description?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very close: two young girls in mourning; horse, white; the old man has
+      long moustache, blue forage-cap; gray topcoat and a Siberian dog at his
+      heels.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where did you leave them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A league hence. They will be here within the hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And in this inn&mdash;since it is the only one in the village,&rdquo; said
+      Morok, with a pensive air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And night drawing on,&rdquo; added Karl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did you get the old man to talk?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Him!&mdash;you don&rsquo;t suppose it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go, and try yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for what reason?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible&mdash;why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know all about it. Yesterday, as if I had fallen in with them
+      by chance, I followed them to the place where they stopped for the night.
+      I spoke in German to the tall old man, accosting him, as is usual with
+      wayfarers, &lsquo;Good-day, and a pleasant journey, comrade!&rsquo; But, for an
+      answer, he looked askant at me, and pointed with, the end of his stick to
+      the other side of the road.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is a Frenchman, and, perhaps, does not understand German.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He speaks it, at least as well as you; for at the inn I heard him ask the
+      host for whatever he and the young girls wanted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And did you not again attempt to engage him in conversation?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once only; but I met with such a rough reception, that for fear of making
+      mischief, I did not try again. Besides, between ourselves, I can tell you
+      this man has a devilish ugly look; believe me, in spite of his gray
+      moustache, he looks so vigorous and resolute, though with no more flesh on
+      him than a carcass, that I don&rsquo;t know whether he or my mate Giant Goliath,
+      would have the best of it in a struggle. I know not your plans: only take
+      care, master&mdash;take care!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My black panther of Java was also very vigorous and very vicious,&rdquo; said
+      Morok, with a grim, disdainful, smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, Death? Yes; in truth; and she is vigorous and vicious as ever. Only
+      to you she is almost mild.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And thus I will break this tall old man; notwithstanding his strength and
+      surliness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Humph! humph! be on your guard, master. You are clever, you are as brave
+      as any one; but, believe me, you will never make a lamb out of the old
+      wolf that will be here presently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does not my lion, Cain&mdash;does not my tiger, Judas, crouch in terror
+      before me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I believe you there&mdash;because you have means&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because I have faith: that is all&mdash;and it is all,&rdquo; said Morok,
+      imperiously interrupting Karl, and accompanying these words with such a
+      look, that the other hung his head and was silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why should not he whom the Lord upholds in his struggle with wild beasts,
+      be also upheld in his struggle with men, when those men are perverse and
+      impious?&rdquo; added the Prophet, with a triumphant, inspired air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether from belief in his master&rsquo;s conviction, or from inability to
+      engage in a controversy with him on so delicate a subject, Karl answered
+      the Prophet, humbly: &ldquo;you are wiser than I am, master; what you do must be
+      well done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did you follow this old man and these two young girls all day long?&rdquo;
+       resumed the Prophet, after a moment&rsquo;s silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but at a distance. As I know the country well, I sometimes cut
+      across a valley, sometimes over a hill, keeping my eye upon the road,
+      where they were always to be seen. The last time I saw them, I was hid
+      behind the water-mill by the potteries. As they were on the highway for
+      this place, and night was drawing on, I quickened my pace to get here
+      before them, and be the bearer of what you call good news.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good&mdash;yes&mdash;very good: and you shall be rewarded; for if
+      these people had escaped me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet started, and did not conclude the sentence. The expression of
+      his face, and the tones of his voice, indicated the importance of the
+      intelligence which had just been brought him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In truth,&rdquo; rejoined Karl, &ldquo;it may be worth attending to; for that Russian
+      courier, all plastered with lace, who came, without slacking bridle, from
+      St. Petersburg to Leipsic, only to see you, rode so fast, perhaps, for the
+      purpose&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok abruptly interrupted Karl, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you that the arrival of the courier had anything to do with
+      these travellers? You are mistaken; you should only know what I choose to
+      tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, master, forgive me, and let&rsquo;s say no more about it. So! I will get
+      rid of my game-bag, and go help Goliath to feed the brutes, for their
+      supper time draws near, if it is not already past. Does our big giant grow
+      lazy, master?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Goliath is gone out; he must not know that you are returned; above all,
+      the tall old man and the maidens must not see you here&mdash;it would make
+      them suspect something.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where do you wish me to go, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Into the loft, at the end of the stable, and wait my orders; you may this
+      night have to set out for Leipsic.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please; I have some provisions left in my pouch, and can sup in
+      the loft whilst I rest myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Master, remember what I told you. Beware of that old fellow with the gray
+      moustache; I think he&rsquo;s devilish tough; I&rsquo;m up to these things&mdash;he&rsquo;s
+      an ugly customer&mdash;be on your guard!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be quite easy! I am always on my guard,&rdquo; said Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then good luck to you, master!&rdquo;&mdash;and Karl, having reached the
+      ladder, suddenly disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After making a friendly farewell gesture to his servant, the Prophet
+      walked up and down for some time, with an air of deep meditation; then,
+      approaching the box which contained the papers, he took out a pretty long
+      letter, and read it over and over with profound attention. From time to
+      time he rose and went to the closed window, which looked upon the inner
+      court of the inn, and appealed to listen anxiously; for he waited with
+      impatience the arrival of the three persons whose approach had just been
+      announced to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II. THE TRAVELLERS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hile the above scene was passing in the White Falcon at Mockern, the
+      three persons whose arrival Morok was so anxiously expecting, travelled on
+      leisurely in the midst of smiling meadows, bounded on one side by a river,
+      the current of which turned a mill; and on the other by the highway
+      leading to the village, which was situated on an eminence, at about a
+      league&rsquo;s distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sky was beautifully serene; the bubbling of the river, beaten by the
+      mill-wheel and sparkling with foam, alone broke upon the silence of an
+      evening profoundly calm. Thick willows, bending over the river, covered it
+      with their green transparent shadow; whilst, further on, the stream
+      reflected so splendidly the blue heavens and the glowing tints of the
+      west, that, but for the hills which rose between it and the sky, the gold
+      and azure of the water would have mingled in one dazzling sheet with the
+      gold and azure of the firmament. The tall reeds on the bank bent their
+      black velvet heads beneath the light breath of the breeze that rises at
+      the close of day&mdash;for the sun was gradually sinking behind a broad
+      streak of purple clouds, fringed with fire. The tinkling bells of a flock
+      of sheep sounded from afar in the clear and sonorous air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Along a path trodden in the grass of the meadow, two girls, almost
+      children&mdash;for they had but just completed their fifteenth year&mdash;were
+      riding on a white horse of medium size, seated upon a large saddle with a
+      back to it, which easily took them both in, for their figures were slight
+      and delicate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A man of tall stature, with a sun-burnt face, and long gray moustache, was
+      leading the horse by the bridle, and ever and anon turned towards the
+      girls, with an air of solicitude at once respectful and paternal. He
+      leaned upon a long staff; his still robust shoulders carried a soldier&rsquo;s
+      knapsack; his dusty shoes, and step that began to drag a little, showed
+      that he had walked a long way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of those dogs which the tribes of Northern Siberia harness to their
+      sledges&mdash;a sturdy animal, nearly of the size, form, and hairy coat of
+      the wolf&mdash;followed closely in the steps of the leader of this little
+      caravan, never quitting, as it is commonly said, the heels of his master.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10033m.jpg" alt="10033m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10033.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Nothing could be more charming than the group formed by the girls. One
+      held with her left hand the flowing reins, and with her right encircled
+      the waist of her sleeping sister, whose head reposed on her shoulder. Each
+      step of the horse gave a graceful swaying to these pliant forms, and swung
+      their little feet, which rested on a wooden ledge in lieu of a stirrup.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These twin sisters, by a sweet maternal caprice, had been called Rose and
+      Blanche; they were now orphans, as might be seen by their sad mourning
+      vestments, already much worn. Extremely, like in feature, and of the same
+      size, it was necessary to be in the constant habit of seeing them, to
+      distinguish one from the other. The portrait of her who slept not, might
+      serve them for both of them; the only difference at the moment being, that
+      Rose was awake and discharging for that day the duties of elder sister&mdash;duties
+      thus divided between then, according to the fancy of their guide, who,
+      being an old soldier of the empire, and a martinet, had judged fit thus to
+      alternate obedience and command between the orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Greuze would have been inspired by the sight of those sweet faces, coifed
+      in close caps of black velvet, from beneath which strayed a profusion of
+      thick ringlets of a light chestnut color, floating down their necks and
+      shoulders, and setting, as in a frame, their round, firm, rosy, satin like
+      cheeks. A carnation, bathed in dew, is of no richer softness than their
+      blooming lips; the wood violet&rsquo;s tender blue would appear dark beside the
+      limpid azure of their large eyes, in which are depicted the sweetness of
+      their characters, and the innocence of their age; a pure and white
+      forehead, small nose, dimpled chin, complete these graceful countenances,
+      which present a delightful blending of candor and gentleness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      You should have seen them too, when, on the threatening of rain or storm,
+      the old soldier carefully wrapped them both in a large pelisse of reindeer
+      fur, and pulled over their heads the ample hood of this impervious
+      garment; then nothing could be more lovely than those fresh and smiling
+      little faces, sheltered beneath the dark-colored cowl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But now the evening was fine and calm; the heavy cloak hung in folds about
+      the knees of the sisters, and the hood rested on the back of their saddle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose, still encircling with her right arm the waist of her sleeping
+      sister, contemplated her with an expression of ineffable tenderness, akin
+      to maternal; for Rose was the eldest for the day, and an elder sister is
+      almost a mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not only, did the orphans idolize each other; but, by a psychological
+      phenomenon, frequent with twins, they were almost always simultaneously
+      affected; the emotion of one was reflected instantly in the countenance of
+      the other; the same cause would make both of them start or blush, so
+      closely did their young hearts beat in unison; all ingenuous joys, all
+      bitter griefs were mutually felt, and shared in a moment between them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In their infancy, simultaneously attacked by a severe illness, like two
+      flowers on the same steam, they had drooped, grown pale, and languished
+      together; but together also had they again found the pure, fresh hues of
+      health.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Need it be said, that those mysterious, indissoluble links which united
+      the twins, could not have been broken without striking a mortal blow at
+      the existence of the poor children?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus the sweet birds called love-birds, only living in pairs, as if
+      endowed with a common life, pine, despond, and die, when parted by a
+      barbarous hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The guide of the orphans, a man of about fifty-five, distinguished by his
+      military air and gait, preserved the immortal type of the warriors of the
+      republic and the empire&mdash;some heroic of the people, who became, in
+      one campaign, the first soldiers in the world&mdash;to prove what the
+      people can do, have done, and will renew, when the rulers of their choice
+      place in them confidence, strength, and their hope.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This soldier, guide of the sisters, and formerly a horse-grenadier of the
+      Imperial Guard, had been nicknamed Dagobert. His grave, stern countenance
+      was strongly marked; his long, gray, and thick moustache completely
+      concealed his upper lip, and united with a large imperial, which almost
+      covered his chin; his meagre cheeks, brick-colored, and tanned as
+      parchment, were carefully shaven; thick eyebrows, still black, overhung
+      and shaded his light blue eyes; gold ear-rings reached down to his
+      white-edged military stock; his topcoat, of coarse gray cloth, was
+      confined at the waist by a leathern belt; and a blue foraging cap, with a
+      red tuft falling on his left shoulder, covered his bald head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Once endowed with the strength of Hercules, and having still the heart of
+      a lion&mdash;kind and patient, because he was courageous and strong&mdash;Dagobert,
+      notwithstanding his rough exterior, evinced for his orphan charges an
+      exquisite solicitude, a watchful kindness, and a tenderness almost
+      maternal. Yes, motherly; for the heroism of affection dwells alike in the
+      mother&rsquo;s heart and the soldiers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stoically calm, and repressing all emotion, the unchangeable coolness of
+      Dagobert never failed him; and, though few were less given to drollery, he
+      was now and then highly comic, by reason of the imperturbable gravity with
+      which he did everything.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From time to time, as they journeyed on, Dagobert would turn to bestow a
+      caress or friendly word on the good white home upon which the orphans were
+      mounted. Its furrowed sides and long teeth betrayed a venerable age. Two
+      deep scars, one on the flank and the other on the chest, proved that his
+      horse had been present in hot battles; nor was it without an act of pride
+      that he sometimes shook his old military bridle, the brass stud of which
+      was still adorned with an embossed eagle. His pace was regular, careful,
+      and steady; his coat sleek, and his bulk moderate; the abundant foam,
+      which covered his bit, bore witness to that health which horses acquire by
+      the constant, but not excessive, labor of a long journey, performed by
+      short stages. Although he had been more than six months on the road, this
+      excellent animal carried the orphans, with a tolerably heavy portmanteau
+      fastened to the saddle, as freely as on the day they started.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If we have spoken of the excessive length of the horse&rsquo;s teeth&mdash;the
+      unquestionable evidence of great age&mdash;it is chiefly because he often
+      displayed them, for the sole purpose of acting up to his name (he was
+      called Jovial), by playing a mischievous trick, of which the dog was the
+      victim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This latter, who, doubtless for the sake of contrast, was called
+      Spoil-sport (Rabat-joie), being always at his master&rsquo;s heels, found
+      himself within the reach of Jovial, who from time to time nipped him
+      delicately by the nape of the neck, lifted him from the ground, and
+      carried him thus for a moment. The dog, protected by his thick coat, and
+      no doubt long accustomed to the practical jokes of his companion,
+      submitted to all this with stoical complacency; save that, when he thought
+      the jest had lasted long enough, he would turn his head and growl. Jovial
+      understood him at the first hint, and hastened to set him down again. At
+      other times, just to avoid monotony, Jovial would gently bite the knapsack
+      of the soldier, who seemed, as well as the dog, to be perfectly accustomed
+      to his pleasantries.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These details will give a notion of the excellent understanding that
+      existed between the twin sisters, the old soldier, the horse, and the dog.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The little caravan proceeded on its ways anxious to reach, before night,
+      the village of Mockern, which was now visible on the summit of a hill.
+      Ever and anon, Dagobert looked around him, and seemed to be gathering up
+      old recollections; by degrees, his countenance became clouded, and when he
+      was at a little distance from the mill, the noise of which had arrested
+      his attention, he stopped, and drew his long moustache several times
+      between his finger and thumb, the only sign which revealed in him any
+      strong and concentrated feeling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jovial, having stopped short behind his master, Blanche, awakened suddenly
+      by the shock, raised her head; her first look sought her sister, on whom
+      she smiled sweetly; then both exchanged glances of surprise, on seeing
+      Dagobert motionless, with his hands clasped and resting on his long staff,
+      apparently affected by some painful and deep emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans just chanced to be at the foot of a little mound, the summit
+      of which was buried in the thick foliage of a huge oak, planted half way
+      down the slope. Perceiving that Dagobert continued motionless and absorbed
+      in thought, Rose leaned over her saddle, and, placing her little white
+      hand on the shoulder of their guide, whose back was turned towards her,
+      said to him, in a soft voice, &ldquo;Whatever is the matter with you, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The veteran turned; to the great astonishment of the sisters, they
+      perceived a large tear, which traced its humid furrow down his tanned
+      cheek, and lost itself in his thick moustache.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You weeping&mdash;you!&rdquo; cried Rose and Blanche together, deeply moved.
+      &ldquo;Tell us, we beseech, what is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moments hesitation, the soldier brushed his horny hand across his
+      eyes, and said to the orphans in a faltering voice, whilst he pointed to
+      the old oak beside them: &ldquo;I shall make you sad, my poor children: and yet
+      what I&rsquo;m going to tell you has something sacred in it. Well, eighteen
+      years ago, on the eve of the great battle of Leipsic, I carried your
+      father to this very tree. He had two sabre-cuts on the head, a musket ball
+      in his shoulder; and it was here that he and I&mdash;who had got two
+      thrust of a lance for my share&mdash;were taken prisoners; and by whom,
+      worse luck?&mdash;why, a renegado! By a Frenchman&mdash;an emigrant
+      marquis, then colonel in the service of Russia&mdash;and who afterwards&mdash;but
+      one day you shall know all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The veteran paused; then, pointing with his staff to the village of
+      Mockern, he added: &ldquo;Yes, yes, I can recognize the spot. Yonder are the
+      heights where your brave father&mdash;who commanded us, and the Poles of
+      the Guard&mdash;overthrew the Russian Cuirassiers, after having carried
+      the battery. Ah, my children!&rdquo; continued the soldier, with the utmost
+      simplicity, &ldquo;I wish you had, seen your brave father, at the head of our
+      brigade of horse, rushing on in a desperate charge in the thick of a
+      shower of shells!&mdash;There was nothing like it&mdash;not a soul so
+      grand as he!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst Dagobert thus expressed, in his own way, his regrets and
+      recollections, the two orphans&mdash;by a spontaneous movement, glided
+      gently from the horse, and holding each other by the hand, went together
+      to kneel at the foot of the old oak. And there, closely pressed in each
+      other&rsquo;s arms, they began to weep; whilst the soldier, standing behind
+      them, with his hands crossed on his long staff, rested his bald front upon
+      it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come you must not fret,&rdquo; said he softly, when, after a pause of a
+      few minutes, he saw tears run down the blooming cheeks of Rose and
+      Blanche, still on their knees. &ldquo;Perhaps we may find General Simon in
+      Paris,&rdquo; added he; &ldquo;I will explain all that to you this evening at the inn.
+      I purposely waited for this day, to tell you many things about your
+      father; it was an idea of mine, because this day is a sort of
+      anniversary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We weep because we think also of our mother,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of our mother, whom we shall only see again in heaven,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier raised the orphans, took each by the hand, and gazing from one
+      to the other with ineffable affection, rendered still the more touching by
+      the contrast of his rude features, &ldquo;You must not give way thus, my
+      children,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;it is true your mother was the best of women. When
+      she lived in Poland, they called her the Pearl of Warsaw&mdash;it ought to
+      have been the Pearl of the Whole World&mdash;for in the whole world you
+      could not have found her match. No&mdash;no!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The voice of Dagobert faltered; he paused, and drew his long gray
+      moustache between finger and thumb, as was his habit. &ldquo;Listen, my girls,&rdquo;
+       he resumed, when he had mastered his emotion; &ldquo;your mother could give you
+      none but the best advice, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what instructions did she give you before she died? To think often
+      of her, but without grieving?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true; she told us than our Father in heaven, always good to poor
+      mothers whose children are left on earth, would permit her to hear us from
+      above,&rdquo; said Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that her eyes would be ever fixed upon us,&rdquo; added Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the two, by a spontaneous impulse, replete with the most touching
+      grace, joined hands, raised their innocent looks to heaven, and exclaimed,
+      with that beautiful faith natural to their age: &ldquo;Is it not so, mother?&mdash;thou
+      seest us?&mdash;thou hearest us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since your mother sees and hears you,&rdquo; said Dagobert, much moved, &ldquo;do not
+      grieve her by fretting. She forbade you to do so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Dagobert. We will not cry any more.&rdquo;&mdash;And the orphans
+      dried their eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, in the opinion of the devout, would have passed for a very
+      heathen. In Spain, he had found pleasure in cutting down those monks of
+      all orders and colors, who, bearing crucifix in one hand, and poniard in
+      the other, fought not for liberty&mdash;the Inquisition had strangled her
+      centuries ago&mdash;but, for their monstrous privileges. Yet, in forty
+      years, Dagobert had witnessed so many sublime and awful scenes&mdash;he
+      had been so many times face to face with death&mdash;that the instinct of
+      natural religion, common to every simple, honest heart, had always
+      remained uppermost in his soul. Therefore, though he did not share in the
+      consoling faith of the two sisters, he would have held as criminal any
+      attempt to weaken its influence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing them this downcast, he thus resumed: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s right, my pretty ones:
+      I prefer to hear you chat as you did this morning and yesterday&mdash;laughing
+      at times, and answering me when I speak, instead of being so much
+      engrossed with your own talk. Yes, yes, my little ladies! you seem to have
+      had famous secrets together these last two days&mdash;so, much the better,
+      if it amuses you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sisters colored, and exchanged a subdued smile, which contrasted with
+      the tears that yet filled their eyes, and Rose said to the soldier, with a
+      little embarrassment. &ldquo;No, I assure you, Dagobert, we talk of nothing in
+      particular.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well; I don&rsquo;t wish to know it. Come, rest yourselves, a few moments
+      more, and then we must start again; for it grows late, and we have to
+      reach Mockern before night, so that we may be early on the road
+      to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have we still a long, long way to go?&rdquo; asked Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, to reach Paris? Yes, my children; some hundred days&rsquo; march. We
+      don&rsquo;t travel quick, but we get on; and we travel cheap, because we have a
+      light purse. A closet for you, a straw mattress and a blanket at your door
+      for me, with Spoil-sport on my feet, and a clean litter for old Jovial,
+      these are our whole traveling expenses. I say nothing about food, because
+      you two together don&rsquo;t eat more than a mouse, and I have learnt in Egypt
+      and Spain to be hungry only when it suits.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not forgetting that, to save still more, you do all the cooking for us,
+      and will not even let us assist.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to think, good Dagobert, that you wash almost every evening at our
+      resting-place. As if it were not for us to&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You!&rdquo; said the soldier, interrupting Blanche, &ldquo;I, allow you to chap your
+      pretty little hands in soap-suds! Pooh! don&rsquo;t a soldier on a campaign
+      always wash his own linen? Clumsy as you see me, I was the best
+      washerwoman in my squadron&mdash;and what a hand at ironing! Not to make a
+      brag of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;you can iron well&mdash;very well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only sometimes, there will be a little singe,&rdquo; said Rose, smiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hah! when the iron is too hot. Zounds! I may bring it as near my cheek as
+      I please; my skin is so tough that I don&rsquo;t feel the heat,&rdquo; said Dagobert,
+      with imperturbable gravity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are only jesting, good Dagobert!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, children, if you think that I know my trade as a washerwoman, let
+      me continue to have your custom: it is cheaper; and, on a journey, poor
+      people like us should save where we can, for we must, at all events, keep
+      enough to reach Paris. Once there, our papers and the medal you wear will
+      do the rest&mdash;I hope so, at least.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This medal is sacred to us; mother gave it to us on her death-bed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore, take great care that you do not lose it: see, from time to
+      time, that you have it safe.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here it is,&rdquo; said Blanche, as she drew from her bosom a small bronze
+      medal, which she wore suspended from her neck by a chain of the same
+      material. The medal bore on its faces the following inscriptions:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                 Victim
+                  of
+               L. C. D. J.
+               Pray for me!
+                   &mdash;&mdash;
+                  Paris
+            February the, 13th, 1682.
+
+                At Paris.
+            Rue Saint Francois, No. 3,
+            In a century and a half
+               you will be.
+            February the 13th, 1832.
+                   &mdash;&mdash;
+                PRAY FOR ME!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What does it mean, Dagobert?&rdquo; resumed Blanche, as she examined the
+      mournful inscriptions. &ldquo;Mother was not able to tell us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will discuss all that this evening; at the place where we sleep,&rdquo;
+       answered Dagobert. &ldquo;It grows late, let us be moving. Put up the medal
+      carefully, and away!&mdash;We have yet nearly an hour&rsquo;s march to arrive at
+      quarters. Come, my poor pets, once more look at the mound where your brave
+      father fell&mdash;and then&mdash;to horse! to horse!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans gave a last pious glance at the spot which had recalled to
+      their guide such painful recollections, and, with his aid, remounted
+      Jovial.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This venerable animal had not for one moment dreamed of moving; but, with
+      the consummate forethought of a veteran, he had made the best use of his
+      time, by taking from that foreign soil a large contribution of green and
+      tender grass, before the somewhat envious eyes of Spoil-sport, who had
+      comfortably established himself in the meadow, with his snout protruding
+      between his fore-paws. On the signal of departure, the dog resumed his
+      post behind his master, and Dagobert, trying the ground with the end of
+      his long staff, led the horse carefully along by the bridle, for the
+      meadow was growing more and more marshy; indeed, after advancing a few
+      steps, he was obliged to turn off to the left, in order to regain the
+      high-road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On reaching Mockern, Dagobert asked for the least expensive inn, and was
+      told there was only one in the village&mdash;the White Falcon.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10041m.jpg" alt="10041m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10041.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us go then to the White Falcon,&rdquo; observed the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III. THE ARRIVAL.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>lready had Morok several times opened with impatience the window shutters
+      of the loft, to look out upon the inn-yard, watching for the arrival of
+      the orphans and the soldier. Not seeing them, he began once more to walk
+      slowly up and down, with his head bent forward, and his arms folded on his
+      bosom, meditating on the best means to carry out the plan he had
+      conceived. The ideas which possessed his mind, were, doubtless, of a
+      painful character, for his countenance grew even more gloomy than usual.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his ferocious appearance, he was by no means deficient in
+      intelligence. The courage displayed in his taming exercises (which he
+      gravely attributed to his recent conversion), a solemn and mystical style
+      of speech, and a hypocritical affectation of austerity, had given him a
+      species of influence over the people he visited in his travels. Long
+      before his conversion, as may well be supposed, Morok had been familiar
+      with the habits of wild beasts. In fact born in the north of Siberia, he
+      had been, from his boyhood, one of the boldest hunters of bears and
+      reindeer; later, in 1810, he had abandoned this profession, to serve as
+      guide to a Russian engineer, who was charged with an exploring expedition
+      to the Polar regions. He afterwards followed him to St. Petersburg, and
+      there, after some vicissitudes of fortune, Morok became one of the
+      imperial couriers&mdash;these iron automata, that the least caprice of the
+      despot hurls in a frail sledge through the immensity of the empire, from
+      Persia to the Frozen Sea. For these men, who travel night and day, with
+      the rapidity of lightning there are neither seasons nor obstacles,
+      fatigues nor danger; living projectiles, they must either be broken to
+      pieces, or reach the intended mark. One may conceive the boldness, the
+      vigor, and the resignation, of men accustomed to such a life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is useless to relate here, by what series of singular circumstances
+      Morok was induced to exchange his rough pursuit for another profession,
+      and at last to enter, as catechumen, a religious house at Friburg; after
+      which, being duly and properly converted, he began his nomadic excursions,
+      with his menagerie of unknown origin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok continued to walk up and down the loft. Night had come. The three
+      persons whose arrival he so impatiently expected had not yet made their
+      appearance. His walk became more and more nervous and irregular.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On a sudden he stopped abruptly; leaned his head towards the window; and
+      listened. His ear was quick as a savage&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are here!&rdquo; he exclaimed and his fox like eye shone with diabolic
+      joy. He had caught the sound of footsteps&mdash;a man&rsquo;s and a horse&rsquo;s.
+      Hastening to the window-shutter of the loft, he opened it cautiously, and
+      saw the two young girls on horseback, and the old soldier who served them
+      as a guide, enter the inn-yard together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The night had set in, dark and cloudy; a high wind made the lights flicker
+      in the lanterns which were used to receive the new guests. But the
+      description given to Morok had been so exact, that it was impossible to
+      mistake them. Sure of his prey, he closed the window. Having remained in
+      meditation for another quarter of an hour&mdash;for the purpose, no doubt,
+      of thoroughly digesting his projects&mdash;he leaned over the aperture,
+      from which projected the ladder, and called, &ldquo;Goliath!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Master!&rdquo; replied a hoarse voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come up to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here I am&mdash;just come from the slaughter-house with the meat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The steps of the ladder creaked as an enormous head appeared on a level
+      with the floor. The new-comer, who was more than six feet high, and gifted
+      with herculean proportions, had been well-named Goliath. He was hideous.
+      His squinting eyes were deep set beneath a low and projecting forehead;
+      his reddish hair and beard, thick and coarse as horse-hair, gave his
+      features a stamp of bestial ferocity; between his broad jaws, armed with
+      teeth which resembled fangs, he held by one corner a piece of raw beef
+      weighing ten or twelve pounds, finding it, no doubt, easier to carry in
+      that fashion, whilst he used his hands to ascend the ladder, which bent
+      beneath his weight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length the whole of this tall and huge body issued from the aperture.
+      Judging by his bull-neck, the astonishing breadth of his chest and
+      shoulders, and the vast bulk of his arms and legs, this giant need not
+      have feared to wrestle single-handed with a bear. He wore an old pair of
+      blue trousers with red stripes, faced with tanned sheep&rsquo;s-skin, and a
+      vest, or rather cuirass, of thick leather, which was here and there
+      slashed by the sharp claws of the animals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When he was fairly on the floor, Goliath unclasped his fangs, opened his
+      mouth, and let fall the great piece of beef, licking his blood-stained
+      lips with greediness. Like many other mountebanks, this species of monster
+      had began by eating raw meat at the fairs for the amusement of the public.
+      Thence having gradually acquired a taste for this barbarous food, and
+      uniting pleasure with profit, he engaged himself to perform the prelude to
+      the exercises of Morok, by devouring, in the presence of the crowd,
+      several pounds of raw flesh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My share and Death&rsquo;s are below stairs, and here are those of Cain and
+      Judas,&rdquo; said Goliath, pointing to the chunk of beef. &ldquo;Where is the
+      cleaver, that I may cut it in two?&mdash;No preference here&mdash;beast or
+      man&mdash;every gullet must have it&rsquo;s own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, rolling up one of the sleeves of his vest, he exhibited a fore-arm
+      hairy as skin of a wolf, and knotted with veins as large as one&rsquo;s thumb.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, master, where&rsquo;s the cleaver?&rdquo;&mdash;He again began, as he cast
+      round his eyes in search of that instrument. But instead of replying to
+      this inquiry, the Prophet put many questions to his disciple.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Were you below when just now some new travellers arrived at the inn?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master; I was coming from the slaughter-house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who are these travellers?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two young lasses mounted on a white horse, and an old fellow with a big
+      moustache. But the cleaver?&mdash;my beasts are hungry and so am I&mdash;the
+      cleaver!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know where they have lodged these travellers?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The host took them to the far end of the court-yard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The building, which overlooks the fields?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master&mdash;but the cleaver&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A burst of frightful roaring shook the loft, and interrupted Goliath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hark to them!&rdquo; he exclaimed; &ldquo;hunger has driven the beasts wild. If I
+      could roar, I should do as they do. I have never seen Judas and Cain as
+      they are to-night; they leap in their cages as if they&rsquo;d knock all to
+      pieces. As for Death, her eyes shine more than usual like candles&mdash;poor
+      Death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So these girls are lodged in the building at the end of the court-yard,&rdquo;
+       resumed Morok, without attending to the observations of Goliath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;but in the devil&rsquo;s name, where is the cleaver? Since Karl
+      went away I have to do all the work, and that makes our meals very late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did the old man remain with the young girls?&rdquo; asked Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Goliath, amazed that, notwithstanding his importunities, his master should
+      still appear to neglect the animals&rsquo; supper, regarded the Prophet with an
+      increase of stupid astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Answer, you brute!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I am a brute, I have a brute&rsquo;s strength,&rdquo; said Goliath, in a surly
+      tone, &ldquo;and brute against brute, I have not always come the worst off.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask if the old man remained with the girls,&rdquo; repeated Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then&mdash;no!&rdquo; returned the giant. &ldquo;The old man, after leading his
+      horse to the stable, asked for a tub and some water, took his stand under
+      the porch&mdash;and there&mdash;by the light of a lantern&mdash;he is
+      washing out clothes. A man with a gray moustache!&mdash;paddling in
+      soap-suds like a washerwoman&mdash;it&rsquo;s as if I were to feed canaries!&rdquo;
+       added Goliath, shrugging his shoulders with disdain. &ldquo;But now I&rsquo;ve
+      answered you, master, let me attend to the beasts&rsquo; supper,&rdquo;&mdash;and,
+      looking round for something, he added, &ldquo;where is the cleaver?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment of thoughtful silence, the Prophet said to Goliath, &ldquo;You
+      will give no food to the beasts this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At first the giant could not understand these words, the idea was so
+      incomprehensible to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is your pleasure, master?&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I forbid you to give any food to the beasts this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Goliath did not answer, but he opened wide his squinting eyes, folded his
+      hands, and drew back a couple of steps.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, dost hear me?&rdquo; said Morok, with impatience. &ldquo;Is it plain enough?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not feed? when our meat is there, and supper is already three hours after
+      time!&rdquo; cried Goliath, with ever-increasing amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Obey, and hold your tongue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must wish something bad to happen this evening. Hunger makes the
+      beasts furious&mdash;and me also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll drive &lsquo;em mad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How, so much the better?&mdash;But&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is enough!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, devil take me, I am as hungry as the beasts!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eat then&mdash;who prevents it? Your supper is ready, as you devour it
+      raw.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never eat without my beasts, nor they without me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you again, that, if you dare give any food to the beasts&mdash;I
+      will turn you away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Goliath uttered a low growl as hoarse as a bear&rsquo;s, and looked at the
+      Prophet with a mixture of anger and stupefaction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok, having given his orders, walked up and down the loft, appearing to
+      reflect. Then, addressing himself to Goliath, who was still plunged in
+      deep perplexity, he said to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you remember the burgomaster&rsquo;s, where I went to get my passport
+      signed?&mdash;To-day his wife bought some books and a chaplet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered the giant shortly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go and ask his servant if I may be sure to find the burgomaster early
+      to-morrow morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I may, perhaps, have something important to communicate; at all events,
+      say that I beg him not to leave home without seeing me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good! but may I feed the beasts before I go to the burgomaster&rsquo;s?&mdash;only
+      the panther, who is most hungry? Come, master; only poor Death? just a
+      little morsel to satisfy her; Cain and I and Judas can wait.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the panther, above all, that I forbid you to feed. Yes, her, above
+      all the rest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By the horns of the devil!&rdquo; cried Goliath, &ldquo;what is the matter with you
+      to-day? I can make nothing of it. It is a pity that Karl&rsquo;s not here; he,
+      being cunning, would help me to understand why you prevent the beasts from
+      eating when they are hungry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have no need to understand it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will not Karl soon come back?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has already come back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Off again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can be going on here? There is something in the wind. Karl goes, and
+      returns, and goes again, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are not talking of Karl, but of you; though hungry as a wolf you are
+      cunning as a fox, and, when it suits you, as cunning as Karl.&rdquo; And,
+      changing on the sudden his tone and manner, Morok slapped the giant
+      cordially on the shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! am I cunning?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The proof is, that there are ten florins to earn to-night&mdash;and you
+      will be keen enough to earn them, I am sure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, on those terms, yes&mdash;I am awake,&rdquo; said the giant, smiling with
+      a stupid, self-satisfied air. &ldquo;What must I do for ten florins?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it hard work?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see. Begin by going to the burgomaster&rsquo;s&mdash;but first light
+      the fire in that stove.&rdquo; He pointed to it with his finger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master,&rdquo; said Goliath, somewhat consoled for the delay of his supper
+      by the hope of gaining ten florins.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Put that iron bar in the stove,&rdquo; added the Prophet, &ldquo;to make it red-hot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will leave it there; go to the burgomaster&rsquo;s, and return here to wait
+      for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will keep the fire up in the stove.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok took a step away, but recollecting himself, he resumed: &ldquo;You say the
+      old man is busy washing under the porch?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forget nothing: the iron bar in the fire&mdash;the burgomaster&mdash;and
+      return here to wait my orders.&rdquo; So saying, Morok descended by the
+      trap-door and disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV. MOROK and DAGOBERT
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">G</span>oliath had not been mistaken, for Dagobert was washing with that
+      imperturbable gravity with which he did everything else.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When we remember the habits of a soldier a-field, we need not be
+      astonished at this apparent eccentricity. Dagobert only thought of sparing
+      the scanty purse of the orphans, and of saving them all care and trouble;
+      so every evening when they came to a halt he devoted himself to all sorts
+      of feminine occupations. But he was not now serving his apprenticeship in
+      these matters; many times, during his campaigns, he had industriously
+      repaired the damage and disorder which a day of battle always brings to
+      the garments of the soldier; for it is not enough to receive a sabre-cut&mdash;the
+      soldier has also to mend his uniform; for the stroke which grazes the skin
+      makes likewise a corresponding fissure in the cloth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Therefore, in the evening or on the morrow of a hard-fought engagement,
+      you will see the best soldiers (always distinguished by their fine
+      military appearance) take from their cartridge-box or knapsack a
+      housewife, furnished with needles, thread, scissors, buttons, and other
+      such gear, and apply themselves to all kinds of mending and darning, with
+      a zeal that the most industrious workwoman might envy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We could not find a better opportunity to explain the name of Dagobert,
+      given to Francis Baudoin (the guide of the orphans) at a time when he was
+      considered one of the handsomest and bravest horse-grenadiers of the
+      Imperial Guard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They had been fighting hard all day, without any decisive advantage. In
+      the evening, the company to which our hero belonged was sent as outliers
+      to occupy the ruins of a deserted village. Videttes being posted, half the
+      troopers remained in saddle, whilst the others, having picketed their
+      horses, were able to take a little rest. Our hero had charged valiantly
+      that day without receiving any wound&mdash;for he counted as a mere
+      memento the deep scratch on his thigh, which a kaiserlitz had inflicted in
+      awkwardly attempting an upward thrust with the bayonet.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10049m.jpg" alt="10049m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10049.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You donkey! my new breeches!&rdquo; the grenadier had exclaimed, when he saw
+      the wide yawning rent, which he instantly avenged by running the Austrian
+      through, with a thrust scientifically administered. For, if he showed a
+      stoical indifference on the subject of injury to his skin, it was not so
+      with regard to the ripping up of his best parade uniform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He undertook, therefore, the same evening, at the bivouac, to repair this
+      accident. Selecting his best needle and thread from the stores of his
+      housewife, and arming his finger with a thimble, he began to play the
+      tailor by the light of the watch-fire, having first drawn off his
+      cavalry-boots, and also (if it must be confessed) the injured garment
+      itself, which he turned the wrong side out the better to conceal the
+      stitches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This partial undress was certainly a breach of discipline: but the
+      captain, as he went his round, could not forbear laughing at the sight of
+      the veteran soldier, who, gravely seated, in a squatting position, with
+      his grenadier cap on, his regimental coat on his back, his boots by his
+      side, and his galligaskins in his lap, was sewing with all the coolness of
+      a tailor upon his own shop-board.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, a musket-shot is heard, and the videttes fall back upon the
+      detachment, calling to arms. &ldquo;To horse!&rdquo; cries the captain, in a voice of
+      thunder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a moment, the troopers are in their saddles, the unfortunate clothes
+      mender having to lead the first rank; there is no time to turn the unlucky
+      garment, so he slips it on, as well as he can, wrong side out, and leaps
+      upon his horse, without even stopping to put on his boots.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A party of Cossacks, profiting by the cover of a neighboring wood, had
+      attempted to surprise the detachment: the fight was bloody, and our hero
+      foamed with rage, for he set much value on his equipments, and the day had
+      been fatal to him. Thinking of his torn clothes and lost boots, he hacked
+      away with more fury than ever; a bright moon illumined the scene of
+      action, and his comrades were able to appreciate the brilliant valor of
+      our grenadier, who killed two Cossacks, and took an officer prisoner, with
+      his own hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After this skirmish, in which the detachment had maintained its position,
+      the captain drew up his men to compliment them on their success, and
+      ordered the clothes-mender to advance from the ranks, that he might thank
+      him publicly for his gallant behavior. Our hero could have dispensed with
+      this ovation, but he was not the less obliged to obey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Judge of the surprise of both captain and troopers, when they saw this
+      tall and stern-looking figure ride forward at a slow pace, with his naked
+      feet in the stirrups, and naked legs pressing the sides of his charger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The captain drew near in astonishment; but recalling the occupation of the
+      soldier at the moment when the alarm was given, he understood the whole
+      mystery. &ldquo;Ha, my old comrade!&rdquo; he exclaimed, &ldquo;thou art like King Dagobert&mdash;wearing
+      thy breeches inside out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of discipline, this joke of the captain&rsquo;s was received with peals
+      of ill-repressed laughter. But our friend, sitting upright in his saddle,
+      with his left thumb pressing the well adjusted reins, and his sword-hilt
+      carried close to his right thigh, made a half-wheel, and returned to his
+      place in the ranks without changing countenance, after he had duly
+      received the congratulations of his captain. From that day, Francis
+      Baudoin received and kept the nickname of Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now Dagobert was under the porch of the inn, occupied in washing, to the
+      great amazement of sundry beer-drinkers, who observed him with curious
+      eyes from the large common room in which they were assembled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In truth, it was a curious spectacle. Dagobert had laid aside his gray
+      top-coat, and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt; with a vigorous hand,
+      and good supply of soap, he was rubbing away at a wet handkerchief, spread
+      out on the board, the end of which rested in a tub full of water. Upon his
+      right arm, tattooed with warlike emblems in red and blue colors, two
+      scars, deep enough to admit the finger, were distinctly visible. No wonder
+      then, that, while smoking their pipes, and emptying their pots of beer,
+      the Germans should display some surprise at the singular occupation of
+      this tall, moustached, bald-headed old man, with the forbidding
+      countenance&mdash;for the features of Dagobert assumed a harsh and grim
+      expression, when he was no longer in presence of the two girls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sustained attention, of which he saw himself the object, began to put
+      him out of patience, for his employment appeared to him quite natural. At
+      this moment, the Prophet entered the porch, and, perceiving the soldier,
+      eyed him attentively for several seconds; then approaching, he said to him
+      in French, in a rather sly tone: &ldquo;It would seem, comrade, that you have
+      not much confidence in the washerwomen of Mockern?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, without discontinuing his work, half turned his head with a
+      frown, looked askant at the Prophet, and made him no answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Astonished at this silence, Morok resumed: &ldquo;If I do not deceive myself,
+      you are French, my fine fellow. The words on your arm prove it, and your
+      military air stamps you as an old soldier of the Empire. Therefore I find,
+      that, for a hero, you have taken rather late to wear petticoats.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert remained mute, but he gnawed his moustache, and plied the soap,
+      with which he was rubbing the linen, in a most hurried, not to say angry
+      style; for the face and words of the beast-tamer displeased him more than
+      he cared to show. Far from being discouraged, the Prophet continued: &ldquo;I am
+      sure, my fine fellow, that you are neither deaf nor dumb; why, then, will
+      you not answer me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Losing all patience, Dagobert turned abruptly round, looked Morok full in
+      the face, and said to him in a rough voice: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know you: I don&rsquo;t
+      wish to know you! Chain up your curb!&rdquo; And he betook himself again to his
+      washing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But we may make acquaintance. We can drink a glass of Rhine-wine
+      together, and talk of our campaigns. I also have seen some service, I
+      assure you; and that, perhaps, will induce you to be more civil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The veins on the bald forehead of Dagobert swelled perceptibly; he saw in
+      the look and accent of the man, who thus obstinately addressed him,
+      something designedly provoking; still he contained himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask you, why should you not drink a glass of wine with me&mdash;we
+      could talk about France. I lived there a long time; it is a fine country;
+      and when I meet Frenchmen abroad, I feel sociable&mdash;particularly when
+      they know how to use the soap as well as you do. If I had a housewife I&rsquo;d
+      send her to your school.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sarcastic meaning was no longer disguised; impudence and bravado were
+      legible in the Prophet&rsquo;s looks. Thinking that, with such an adversary, the
+      dispute might become serious, Dagobert, who wished to avoid a quarrel at
+      any price, carried off his tub to the other end of the porch, hoping thus
+      to put an end to the scene which was a sore trial of his temper. A flash
+      of joy lighted up the tawny eyes of the brute-tamer. The white circle,
+      which surrounded the pupil seemed to dilate. He ran his crooked fingers
+      two or three times through his yellow beard, in token of satisfaction;
+      then he advanced slowly towards the soldier, accompanied by several idlers
+      from the common-room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his coolness, Dagobert, amazed and incensed at the
+      impudent pertinacity of the Prophet, was at first disposed to break the
+      washing-board on his head; but, remembering the orphans, he thought better
+      of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Folding his arms upon his breast, Morok said to him, in a dry and insolent
+      tone: &ldquo;It is very certain you are not civil, my man of suds!&rdquo; Then,
+      turning to the spectators, he continued in German: &ldquo;I tell this Frenchman,
+      with his long moustache, that he is not civil. We shall see what answer
+      he&rsquo;ll make. Perhaps it will be necessary to give him a lesson. Heaven
+      preserve me from quarrels!&rdquo; he added, with mock compunction; &ldquo;but the Lord
+      has enlightened me&mdash;I am his creature, and I ought to make his work
+      respected.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The mystical effrontery of this peroration was quite to the taste of the
+      idlers; the fame of the Prophet had reached Mockern, and, as a performance
+      was expected on the morrow, this prelude much amused the company. On
+      hearing the insults of his adversary, Dagobert could not help saying in
+      the German language: &ldquo;I know German. Speak in German&mdash;the rest will
+      understand you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      New spectators now arrived, and joined the first comers; the adventure had
+      become exciting, and a ring was formed around the two persons most
+      concerned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet resumed in German: &ldquo;I said that you were not civil, and I now
+      say you are grossly rude. What do you answer to that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing!&rdquo; said Dagobert, coldly, as he proceeded to rinse out another
+      piece of linen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing!&rdquo; returned Morok; &ldquo;that is very little. I will be less brief, and
+      tell you, that, when an honest man offers a glass of wine civilly to a
+      stranger, that stranger has no right to answer with insolence, and
+      deserves to be taught manners if he does so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Great drops of sweat ran down Dagobert&rsquo;s forehead and cheeks; his large
+      imperial was incessantly agitated by nervous trembling&mdash;but he
+      restrained himself. Taking, by two of the corners, the handkerchief which
+      he had just dipped in the water, he shook it, wrung it, and began to hum
+      to himself the burden of the old camp ditty:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     &ldquo;Out of Tirlemont&rsquo;s flea-haunted den,
+     We ride forth next day of the sen,
+     With sabre in hand, ah!
+     Good-bye to Amanda,&rdquo; etc.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The silence to which Dagobert had condemned himself, almost choked him;
+      this song afforded him some relief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok, turning towards the spectators, said to them, with an air of
+      hypocritical restraint: &ldquo;We knew that the soldiers of Napoleon were
+      pagans, who stabled their horses in churches, and offended the Lord a
+      hundred times a day, and who, for their sins, were justly drowned in the
+      Beresino, like so many Pharaohs; but we did not know that the Lord, to
+      punish these miscreants, had deprived them of courage&mdash;their single
+      gift. Here is a man, who has insulted, in me, a creature favored by divine
+      grace, and who affects not to understand that I require an apology; or
+      else&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What?&rdquo; said Dagobert, without looking at the Prophet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or you must give me satisfaction!&mdash;I have already told you that I
+      have seen service. We shall easily find somewhere a couple of swords, and
+      to morrow morning, at peep of day, we can meet behind a wall, and show the
+      color of our blood&mdash;that is, if you have any in your veins!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This challenge began to frighten the spectators, who were not prepared for
+      so tragical a conclusion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, fight?&mdash;a very, fine idea!&rdquo; said one. &ldquo;To get yourself both
+      locked up in prison: the laws against duelling are strict.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Particularly with relation to strangers or nondescripts,&rdquo; added another.
+      &ldquo;If they were to find you with arms in your hands, the burgomaster would
+      shut you up in jail, and keep you there two or three months before trial.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would you be so mean as to denounce us?&rdquo; asked Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, certainly not,&rdquo; cried several; &ldquo;do as you like. We are only giving
+      you a friendly piece of advice, by which you may profit, if you think
+      fit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What care I for prison?&rdquo; exclaimed the Prophet. &ldquo;Only give me a couple of
+      swords, and you shall see to-morrow morning if I heed what the burgomaster
+      can do or say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What would you do with two swords?&rdquo; asked Dagobert, quietly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When you have one in your grasp, and I one in mine, you&rsquo;d see. The Lord
+      commands us to have a care of his honor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert shrugged his shoulders, made a bundle of his linen in his
+      handkerchief, dried his soap, and put it carefully into a little oil-silk
+      bag&mdash;then, whistling his favorite air of Tirlemont, moved to depart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet frowned; he began to fear that his challenge would not be
+      accepted. He advanced a step or so to encounter Dagobert, placed himself
+      before him, as if to intercept his passage, and, folding his arms, and
+      scanning him from head to foot with bitter insolence, said to him: &ldquo;So! an
+      old soldier of that arch-robber, Napoleon, is only fit for a washerwoman,
+      and refuses to fight!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, he refuses to fight,&rdquo; answered Dagobert, in a firm voice, but
+      becoming fearfully pale. Never, perhaps, had the soldier given to his
+      orphan charge such a proof of tenderness and devotion. For a man of his
+      character to let himself be insulted with impunity, and refuse to fight&mdash;the
+      sacrifice was immense.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you are a coward&mdash;you are afraid of me&mdash;and you confess it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words Dagobert made, as it were, a pull upon himself&mdash;as if
+      a sudden thought had restrained him the moment he was about to rush on the
+      Prophet. Indeed, he had remembered the two maidens, and the fatal
+      hindrance which a duel, whatever might be the result, would occasion to
+      their journey. But the impulse of anger, though rapid, had been so
+      significant&mdash;the expression of the stern, pale face, bathed in sweat,
+      was so daunting, that the Prophet and the spectators drew back a step.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Profound silence reigned for some seconds, and then, by a sudden reaction,
+      Dagobert seemed to have gained the general interest. One of the company
+      said to those near him; &ldquo;This man is clearly not a coward.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no! certainly not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It sometimes requires more courage to refuse a challenge than to accept
+      one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After all the Prophet was wrong to pick a quarrel about nothing&mdash;and
+      with a stranger, too.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, for a stranger, if he fought and was taken up, would have a good
+      long imprisonment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then, you see,&rdquo; added another, &ldquo;he travels with two young girls. In
+      such a position, ought a man to fight about trifles? If he should be
+      killed or put in prison, what would become of them, poor children?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert turned towards the person who had pronounced these last words. He
+      saw a stout fellow, with a frank and simple countenance; the soldier
+      offered him his hand, and said with emotion:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The German shook cordially the hand, which Dagobert had proffered, and,
+      holding it still in his own, he added: &ldquo;Do one thing, sir&mdash;share a
+      bowl of punch with us. We will make that mischief-making Prophet
+      acknowledge that he has been too touchy, and he shall drink to your
+      health.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Up to this moment the brute-tamer, enraged at the issue of this scene, for
+      he had hoped that the soldier would accept his challenge, looked on with
+      savage contempt at those who had thus sided against him. But now his
+      features gradually relaxed; and, believing it useful to his projects to
+      hide his disappointment, he walked up to the soldier, and said to him,
+      with a tolerably good grace: &ldquo;Well, I give way to these gentlemen. I own I
+      was wrong. Your frigid air had wounded me, and I was not master of myself.
+      I repeat, that I was wrong,&rdquo; he added, with suppressed vexation; &ldquo;the Lord
+      commands humility&mdash;and&mdash;I beg your pardon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This proof of moderation and regret was highly appreciated and loudly
+      applauded by the spectators. &ldquo;He asks your pardon; you cannot expect more,
+      my brave fellow?&rdquo; said one of them, addressing Dagobert. &ldquo;Come, let us all
+      drink together; we make you this offer frankly&mdash;accept it in the same
+      spirit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; accept it, we beg you, in the name of your pretty little
+      girls,&rdquo; said the stout man, hoping to decide Dagobert by this argument.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Many thanks, gentlemen,&rdquo; replied he, touched by the hearty advances of
+      the Germans; &ldquo;you are very worthy people. But, when one is treated, he
+      must offer drink in return.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, we will accept it&mdash;that&rsquo;s understood. Each his turn, and all
+      fair. We will pay for the first bowl, you for the second.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poverty is no crime,&rdquo; answered Dagobert; &ldquo;and I must tell you honestly
+      that I cannot afford to pay for drink. We have still a long journey to go,
+      and I must not incur any useless expenses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier spoke these words with such firm, but simple dignity, that the
+      Germans did not venture to renew their offer, feeling that a man of
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s character could not accept it without humiliation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, so much the worse,&rdquo; said the stout man. &ldquo;I should have liked to
+      clink glasses with you. Good-night, my brave trooper!&mdash;Good-night&mdash;for
+      it grows late, and mine host of the Falcon will soon turn us out of
+      doors.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night, gentlemen,&rdquo; replied Dagobert, as he directed his steps
+      towards the stable, to give his horse a second allowance of provender.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok approached him, and said in a voice even more humble than before: &ldquo;I
+      have acknowledged my error, and asked your pardon. You have not answered
+      me; do you still bear malice?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If ever I meet you,&rdquo; said the veteran, in a suppressed and hollow tone,
+      &ldquo;when my children have no longer need of me, I will just say two words to
+      you, and they will not be long ones.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he turned his back abruptly on the Prophet, who walked slowly out of
+      the yard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The inn of the White Falcon formed a parallelogram. At one end rose the
+      principal dwelling; at the other was a range of buildings, which contained
+      sundry chambers, let at a low price to the poorer sort of travellers; a
+      vaulted passage opened a way through this latter into the country;
+      finally, on either side of the court-yard were sheds and stables, with
+      lofts and garrets erected over them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, entering one of these stables, took from off a chest the portion
+      of oats destined for his horse, and, pouring it into a winnowing basket,
+      shook it as he approached Jovial.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To his great astonishment, his old travelling companion did not respond
+      with a joyous neigh to the rustle of the oats rattling on the wicker work.
+      Alarmed, he called Jovial with a friendly voice; but the animal, instead
+      of turning towards his master a look of intelligence, and impatiently
+      striking the ground with his fore-feet, remained perfectly motionless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More and more surprised, the soldier went up to him. By the dubious light
+      of a stable-lantern, he saw the poor animal in an attitude which implied
+      terror&mdash;his legs half bent, his head stretched forward, his ears
+      down, his nostrils quivering; he had drawn tight his halter, as if he
+      wished to break it, in order to get away from the partition that supported
+      his rack and manger; abundant cold-sweat had speckled his hide with bluish
+      stains, and his coat altogether looked dull and bristling, instead of
+      standing out sleek and glossy from the dark background of the stable;
+      lastly, from time to time, his body shook with convulsive starts.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10057m.jpg" alt="10057m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10057.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, old Jovial!&rdquo; said the soldier, as he put down the basket, in order
+      to soothe his horse with more freedom, &ldquo;you are like thy master&mdash;afraid!&mdash;Yes,&rdquo;
+       he added with bitterness, as he thought of the offence he had himself
+      endured, &ldquo;you are afraid&mdash;though no coward in general.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding the caresses and the voice of his master, the horse
+      continued to give signs of terror; he pulled somewhat less violently at
+      his halter, and approaching his nostrils to the hand of Dagobert, sniffed
+      audibly, as if he doubted it were he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know me!&rdquo; cried Dagobert. &ldquo;Something extraordinary must be
+      passing here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier looked around him with uneasiness. It was a large stable,
+      faintly lighted by the lantern suspended from the roof, which was covered
+      with innumerable cobwebs; at the further end, separated from Jovial by
+      some stalls with bars between, were the three strong, black, horses of the
+      brute-tamer&mdash;as tranquil as Jovial was frightened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, struck with this singular contrast, of which he was soon to have
+      the explanation, again caressed his horse; and the animal, gradually
+      reassured by his master&rsquo;s presence, licked his hands, rubbed his head
+      against him, uttered a low neigh, and gave him his usual tokens of
+      affection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, this is how I like to see my old Jovial!&rdquo; said Dagobert, as
+      he took up the winnowing-basket, and poured its contents into the manger.
+      &ldquo;Now eat with a good appetite, for we have a long day&rsquo;s march tomorrow;
+      and, above all, no more of these foolish fears about nothing! If thy
+      comrade, Spoil-sport, was here, he would keep you in heart; but he is
+      along with the children, and takes care of them in my absence. Come, eat!
+      Instead of staring at me in that way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But the horse, having just touched the oats with his mouth, as if in
+      obedience to his master, returned to them no more, and began to nibble at
+      the sleeve of Dagobert&rsquo;s coat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, my poor Jovial! there is something the matter with you. You
+      have generally such a good appetite, and now you leave your corn. &lsquo;Tis the
+      first time this has happened since our departure,&rdquo; said the soldier, who
+      was now growing seriously uneasy, for the issue of his journey greatly
+      depended on the health and vigor of his horse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then a frightful roaring, so near that it seemed to come from the
+      stable in which they were, gave so violent a shock to Jovial, that with
+      one effort he broke his halter, leaped over the bar that marked his place,
+      and rushing at the open door, escaped into the court-yard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert had himself started at the suddenness of this wild and fearful
+      sound, which at once explained to him the cause of his horse&rsquo;s terror. The
+      adjoining stable was occupied by the itinerant menagerie of the
+      brute-tamer, and was only separated by the partition, which supported the
+      mangers. The three horses of the Prophet, accustomed to these howlings,
+      had remained perfectly quiet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good!&rdquo; said the soldier, recovering himself; &ldquo;I understand it now. Jovial
+      has heard another such roar before, and he can scent the animals of that
+      insolent scoundrel. It is enough to frighten him,&rdquo; added he, as he
+      carefully collected the oats from the manger; &ldquo;once in another stable, and
+      there must be others in this place, he will no longer leave his peck, and
+      we shall be able to start early to-morrow morning!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The terrified horse, after running and galloping about the yard, returned
+      at the voice of the soldier, who easily caught him by the broken halter;
+      and a hostler, whom Dagobert asked if there was another vacant stable,
+      having pointed out one that was only intended for a single animal, Jovial
+      was comfortably installed there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When delivered from his ferocious neighbors, the horse became tranquil as
+      before, and even amused himself much at the expense of Dagobert&rsquo;s top
+      coat, which, thanks to his tricks, might have afforded immediate
+      occupation for his master&rsquo;s needle, if the latter had not been fully
+      engaged in admiring the eagerness with which Jovial dispatched his
+      provender. Completely reassured on his account, the soldier shut the door
+      of the stable, and proceeded to get his supper as quickly as possible, in
+      order to rejoin the orphans, whom he reproached himself with having left
+      so long.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V. ROSE AND BLANCHE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he orphans occupied a dilapidated chamber in one of the most remote wings
+      of the inn, with a single window opening upon the country. A bed without
+      curtains, a table, and two chairs, composed the more than modest furniture
+      of this retreat, which was now lighted by a lamp. On the table, which
+      stood near the window, was deposited the knapsack of the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The great Siberian dog, who was lying close to the door, had already twice
+      uttered a deep growl, and turned his head towards the window&mdash;but
+      without giving any further affect to this hostile manifestation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two sisters, half recumbent in their bed, were clad in long white
+      wrappers, buttoned at the neck and wrists. They wore no caps, but their
+      beautiful chestnut hair was confined at the temples by a broad piece of
+      tape, so that it might not get tangled during the night. These white
+      garments, and the white fillet that like a halo encircled their brows,
+      gave to their fresh and blooming faces a still more candid expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans laughed and chatted, for, in spite of some early sorrows, they
+      still retained the ingenuous gayety of their age. The remembrance of their
+      mother would sometimes make them sad, but this sorrow had in it nothing
+      bitter; it was rather a sweet melancholy, to be sought instead of shunned.
+      For them, this adored mother was not dead&mdash;she was only absent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost as ignorant as Dagobert, with regard to devotional exercises, for
+      in the desert where they had lived there was neither church nor priest,
+      their faith, as was already said, consisted in this&mdash;that God, just
+      and good, had so much pity for the poor mothers whose children were left
+      on earth, that he allowed them to look down upon them from highest heaven&mdash;to
+      see them always, to hear them always, and sometimes to send fair guardian
+      angels to protect therein. Thanks to this guileless illusion, the orphans,
+      persuaded that their mother incessantly watched over them, felt, that to
+      do wrong would be to afflict her, and to forfeit the protection of the
+      good angels.&mdash;This was the entire theology of Rose and Blanche&mdash;a
+      creed sufficient for such pure and loving souls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now, on the evening in question, the two sisters chatted together whilst
+      waiting for Dagobert. Their theme interested them much, for, since some
+      days, they had a secret, a great secret, which often quickened the
+      beatings of their innocent hearts, often agitated their budding bosoms,
+      changed to bright scarlet the roses on their cheeks, and infused a
+      restless and dreamy langour into the soft blue of their large eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose, this evening, occupied the edge of the couch, with her rounded arms
+      crossed behind her head, which was half turned towards her sister;
+      Blanche, with her elbow resting on the bolster, looked at her smilingly,
+      and said: &ldquo;Do you think he will come again to-night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! certainly. He promised us yesterday.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is so good, he would not break his promise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so handsome, with his long fair curls.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And his name&mdash;what a charming name!&mdash;How well it suits his
+      face.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what a sweet smile and soft voice, when he says to us, taking us by
+      the hand: &lsquo;My children, bless God that he has given you one soul. What
+      others seek elsewhere, you will find in yourselves.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Since your two hearts,&rsquo; he added, &lsquo;only make one.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What pleasure to remember his words, sister!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are so attentive! When I see you listening to him, it is as if I saw
+      myself, my dear little mirror!&rdquo; said Rose, laughing, and kissing her
+      sister&rsquo;s forehead. &ldquo;Well&mdash;when he speaks, your&mdash;or rather our
+      eyes&mdash;are wide, wide open, our lips moving as if we repeated every
+      word after him. It is no wonder we forget nothing that he says.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what he says is so grand, so noble, and generous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, my sister, as he goes on talking, what good thoughts rise within
+      us! If we could but always keep them in mind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be afraid! they will remain in our hearts, like little birds in
+      their mother&rsquo;s nests.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how lucky it is, Rose, that he loves us both at the same time!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He could not do otherwise, since we have but one heart between us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How could he love Rose, without loving Blanche?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What would have become of the poor, neglected one?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then again he would have found it so difficult to choose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are so much like one another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, to save himself that trouble,&rdquo; said Rose, laughing, &ldquo;he has chosen us
+      both.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is it not the best way? He is alone to love us; we are two together
+      to think of him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only he must not leave us till we reach Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And in Paris, too&mdash;we must see him there also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, above all at Paris; it will be good to have him with us&mdash;and
+      Dagobert, too&mdash;in that great city. Only think, Blanche, how beautiful
+      it must be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Paris!&mdash;it must be like a city all of gold.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A city, where every one must be happy, since it is so beautiful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But ought we, poor orphans, dare so much as to enter it? How people will
+      look at us!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;but every one there is happy, every one must be good also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They will love us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, besides, we shall be with our friend with the fair hair and blue
+      eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has yet told us nothing of Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has not thought of it; we must speak to him about it this very night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he is in the mood for talking. Often you know, he likes best to gaze
+      on us in silence&mdash;his eyes on our eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. In those moments, his look recalls to me the gaze of our dear
+      mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, as she sees it all, how pleased she must be at what has happened to
+      us!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because, when we are so much beloved, we must, I hope, deserve it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See what a vain thing it is!&rdquo; said Blanche, smoothing with her slender
+      fingers the parting of the hair on her sister&rsquo;s forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s reflection, Rose said to her: &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you think we should
+      relate all this to Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you think so, let us do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We tell him everything, as we told everything to mother. Why should we
+      conceal this from him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Especially as it is something which gives us so much pleasure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not find that, since we have known our friend, our hearts beat
+      quicker and stronger?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they seem to be more full.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The reason why is plain enough; our friend fills up a good space in
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, we will do best to tell Dagobert what a lucky star ours is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right&mdash;&rdquo; At this moment the dog gave another deep growl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister,&rdquo; said Rose, as she pressed closer to Blanche, &ldquo;there is the dog
+      growling again. What can be the matter with him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spoil-sport, do not growl! Come hither,&rdquo; said Blanche, striking with her
+      little hand on the side of the bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dog rose, again growled deeply, and came to lay his great, intelligent
+      looking head on the counterpane, still obstinately casting a sidelong
+      glance at the window; the sisters bent over him to pat his broad forehead,
+      in the centre of which was a remarkable bump, the certain sign of extreme
+      purity of race.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What makes you growl so, Spoil-sport?&rdquo; said Blanche, pulling him gently
+      by the ears&mdash;&ldquo;eh, my good dog?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor beast! he is always so uneasy when Dagobert is away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true; one would think he knows that he then has a double charge
+      over us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, it seems to me, Dagobert is late in coming to say good-night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt he is attending to Jovial.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That makes me think that we did not bid good-night to dear old Jovial.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sorry for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor beast! he seems so glad when he licks our hands. One would think
+      that he thanked us for our visit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Luckily, Dagobert will have wished him good-night for us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good Dagobert! he is always thinking of us. How he spoils us! We remain
+      idle, and he has all the trouble.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How can we prevent it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a pity that we are not rich, to give him a little rest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We rich! Alas, my sister! we shall never be anything but poor orphans.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, there&rsquo;s the medal!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless, there is some hope attached to it, else we should not have
+      made this long journey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert has promised to tell us all, this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She was prevented from continuing, for two of the windowpanes flew to
+      pieces with a loud crash.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans, with a cry of terror, threw themselves into each other&rsquo;s
+      arms, whilst the dog rushed towards the window, barking furiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pale, trembling, motionless with affright, clasping each other in a close
+      embrace, the two sisters held their breath; in their extreme fear, they
+      durst not even cast their eyes in the direction of the window. The dog,
+      with his forepaws resting on the sill, continued to bark with violence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! what can it be?&rdquo; murmured the orphans. &ldquo;And Dagobert not here!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hark!&rdquo; cried Rose, suddenly seizing Blanche by the arm; &ldquo;hark!&mdash;some
+      one coming up the stairs!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven! it does not sound like the tread of Dagobert. Do you not
+      hear what heavy footsteps?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quick! come, Spoil-sport, and defend us!&rdquo; cried the two sisters at once,
+      in an agony of alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The boards of the wooden staircase really creaked beneath the weight of
+      unusually heavy footsteps, and a singular kind of rustling was heard along
+      the thin partition that divided the chamber from the landing-place. Then a
+      ponderous mass, falling against the door of the room, shook it violently;
+      and the girls, at the very height of terror, looked at each other without
+      the power of speech.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The door opened. It was Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the sight of him Rose and Blanche joyfully exchanged a kiss, as if they
+      had just escaped from a great danger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter? why are you afraid?&rdquo; asked the soldier in surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, if you only knew!&rdquo; said Rose, panting as she spoke, for both her own
+      heart and her sister&rsquo;s beat with violence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you knew what has just happened! We did not recognize your footsteps&mdash;they
+      seemed so heavy&mdash;and then that noise behind the partition!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little frightened doves that you are! I could not run up the stairs like
+      a boy of fifteen, seeing that I carried my bed upon my back&mdash;a straw
+      mattress that I have just flung down before your door, to sleep there as
+      usual.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bless me! how foolish we must be, sister, not to have thought of that!&rdquo;
+       said Rose, looking at Blanche. And their pretty faces, which had together
+      grown pale, together resumed their natural color.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During this scene the dog, still resting against the window, did not cease
+      barking a moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What makes Spoil-sport bark in that direction, my children?&rdquo; said the
+      soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We do not know. Two of our windowpanes have just been broken. That is
+      what first frightened us so much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without answering a word Dagobert flew to the window, opened it quickly,
+      pushed back the shutter, and leaned out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He saw nothing; it was a dark night. He listened; but heard only the
+      moaning of the wind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spoil-sport,&rdquo; said he to his dog, pointing to the open window, &ldquo;leap out,
+      old fellow, and search!&rdquo; The faithful animal took one mighty spring and
+      disappeared by the window, raised only about eight feet above the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, still leaning over, encouraged his dog with voice and gesture:
+      &ldquo;Search, old fellow, search! If there is any one there, pin him&mdash;your
+      fangs are strong&mdash;and hold him fast till I come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10065m.jpg" alt="10065m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10065.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      But Spoil-sport found no one. They heard him go backwards and forwards,
+      snuffing on every side, and now and then uttering a low cry like a hound
+      at fault.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no one, my good dog, that&rsquo;s clear, or you would have had him by
+      the throat ere this.&rdquo; Then, turning to the maidens, who listened to his
+      words and watched his movements with uneasiness: &ldquo;My girls,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;how
+      were these panes broken? Did you not remark?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Dagobert; we were talking together when we heard a great crash, and
+      then the glass fell into the room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It seemed to me,&rdquo; added Rose, &ldquo;as if a shutter had struck suddenly
+      against the window.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert examined the shutter, and observed a long movable hook, designed
+      to fasten it on the inside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It blows hard,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;the wind must have swung round the shutter, and
+      this hook broke the window. Yes, yes; that is it. What interest could
+      anybody have to play such a sorry trick?&rdquo; Then, speaking to Spoil sport,
+      he asked, &ldquo;Well, my good fellow, is there no one?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The dog answered by a bark, which the soldier no doubt understood as a
+      negative, for he continued: &ldquo;Well, then, come back! Make the round&mdash;you
+      will find some door open&mdash;you are never at a loss.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The animal followed this advice. After growling for a few seconds beneath
+      the window, he set off at a gallop to make the circuit of the buildings,
+      and come back by the court-yard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be quite easy, my children!&rdquo; said the soldier, as he again drew near the
+      orphans; &ldquo;it was only the wind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We were a good deal frightened,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you. But now I think of it, this draught is likely to give you
+      cold.&rdquo; And seeking to remedy this inconvenience, he took from a chair the
+      reindeer pelisse, and suspended it from the spring-catch of the
+      curtainless window, using the skirts to stop up as closely as possible the
+      two openings made by the breaking of the panes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks, Dagobert, how good you are! We were very uneasy at not seeing
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you were absent longer than usual. But what is the matter with you?&rdquo;
+       added Rose, only just then perceiving that his countenance was disturbed
+      and pallid, for he was still under the painful influence of the brawl with
+      Morok; &ldquo;how pale you are!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me, my pets?&mdash;Oh, nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I assure you, your countenance is quite changed. Rose is right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you there is nothing the matter,&rdquo; answered the soldier, not
+      without some embarrassment, for he was little used to deceive; till,
+      finding an excellent excuse for his emotion, he added: &ldquo;If I do look at
+      all uncomfortable, it is your fright that has made me so, for indeed it
+      was my fault.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your fault!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; for if I had not lost so much time at supper, I should have been
+      here when the window was broken, and have spared you the fright.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Anyhow, you are here now, and we think no more of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you sit down?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will, my children, for we have to talk together,&rdquo; said Dagobert, as he
+      drew a chair close to the head of the bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now tell me, are you quite awake?&rdquo; he added, trying to smile in order to
+      reassure them. &ldquo;Are those large eyes properly open?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look, Dagobert!&rdquo; cried the two girls, smiling in their turn, and opening
+      their blue eyes to the utmost extent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well,&rdquo; said the soldier, &ldquo;they are yet far enough, from shutting;
+      besides, it is only nine o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We also have something to tell, Dagobert,&rdquo; resumed Rose, after exchanging
+      glances with her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A secret to tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A secret?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to be sure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, and a very great secret!&rdquo; added Rose, quite seriously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A secret which concerns us both,&rdquo; resumed Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faith! I should think so. What concerns the one always concerns the
+      other. Are you not always, as the saying goes, &lsquo;two faces under one
+      hood?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Truly, how can it be otherwise, when you put our heads under the great
+      hood of your pelisse?&rdquo; said Rose, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There they are again, mocking-birds! One never has the last word with
+      them. Come, ladies, your secret, since a secret there is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, sister,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, miss, it is for you to speak. You are to-day on duty, as eldest, and
+      such an important thing as telling a secret like that you talk of belongs
+      of right to the elder sister. Come, I am listening to you,&rdquo; added the
+      soldier, as he forced a smile, the better to conceal from the maidens how
+      much he still felt the unpunished affronts of the brute tamer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Rose (who, as Dagobert said, was doing duty as eldest) that spoke
+      for herself and for her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI. THE SECRET.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all, good Dagobert,&rdquo; said Rose, in a gracefully caressing
+      manner, &ldquo;as we are going to tell our secret&mdash;you must promise not to
+      scold us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will not scold your darlings, will you?&rdquo; added Blanche, in a no less
+      coaxing voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Granted!&rdquo; replied Dagobert gravely; &ldquo;particularly as I should not well
+      know how to set about it&mdash;but why should I scold you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because we ought perhaps to have told you sooner what we are going to
+      tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen, my children,&rdquo; said Dagobert sententiously, after reflecting a
+      moment on this case of conscience; &ldquo;one of two things must be. Either you
+      were right, or else you were wrong, to hide this from me. If you were
+      right, very well; if you were wrong, it is done: so let&rsquo;s say no more
+      about it. Go on&mdash;I am all attention.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Completely reassured by this luminous decision, Rose resumed, while she
+      exchanged a smile with her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only think, Dagobert; for two successive nights we have had a visitor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A visitor!&rdquo; cried the soldier, drawing himself up suddenly in his chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, a charming visitor&mdash;he is so very fair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fair&mdash;the devil!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, with a start.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, fair&mdash;and with blue eyes,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blue eyes&mdash;blue devils!&rdquo; and Dagobert again bounded on his seat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, blue eyes&mdash;as long as that,&rdquo; resumed Rose, placing the tip of
+      one forefinger about the middle of the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Zounds! they might be as long as that,&rdquo; said the veteran, indicating the
+      whole length of his term from the elbow, &ldquo;they might be as long as that,
+      and it would have nothing to do with it. Fair, and with blue eyes. Pray
+      what may this mean, young ladies?&rdquo; and Dagobert rose from his seat with a
+      severe and painfully unquiet look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There now, Dagobert, you have begun to scold us already.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just at the very commencement,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Commencement!&mdash;what, is there to be a sequel? a finish?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A finish? we hope not,&rdquo; said Rose, laughing like mad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All we ask is, that it should last forever,&rdquo; added Blanche, sharing in
+      the hilarity of her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert looked gravely from one to the other of the two maidens, as if
+      trying to guess this enigma; but when he saw their sweet, innocent faces
+      gracefully animated by a frank, ingenuous laugh, he reflected that they
+      would not be so gay if they had any serious matter for self-reproach, and
+      he felt pleased at seeing them so merry in the midst of their precarious
+      position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Laugh on, my children!&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like so much to see you laugh.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, thinking that was not precisely the way in which he ought to treat
+      the singular confession of the young girls, he added in a gruff voice:
+      &ldquo;Yes, I like to see you laugh&mdash;but not when you receive fair visitors
+      with blue eyes, young ladies!&mdash;Come, acknowledge that I&rsquo;m an old fool
+      to listen to such nonsense&mdash;you are only making game of me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, what we tell you is quite true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know we never tell stories,&rdquo; added Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are right&mdash;they never fib,&rdquo; said the soldier, in renewed
+      perplexity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how the devil is such a visit possible? I sleep before your door&mdash;Spoil-sport
+      sleeps under your window&mdash;and all the blue eyes and fair locks in the
+      world must come in by one of those two ways&mdash;and, if they had tried
+      it, the dog and I, who have both of us quick ears, would have received
+      their visits after our fashion. But come, children! pray, speak to the
+      purpose. Explain yourselves!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The two sisters, who saw, by the expression of Dagobert&rsquo;s countenance,
+      that he felt really uneasy, determined no longer to trifle with his
+      kindness. They exchanged a glance, and Rose, taking in her little hand the
+      coarse, broad palm of the veteran, said to him: &ldquo;Come, do not plague
+      yourself! We will tell you all about the visits of our friend, Gabriel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There you are again!&mdash;He has a name, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, he has a name. It is Gabriel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not a pretty name, Dagobert? Oh, you will see and love, as we do,
+      our beautiful Gabriel!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll love your beautiful Gabriel, will I?&rdquo; said the veteran, shaking his
+      head&mdash;&ldquo;Love your beautiful Gabriel?&mdash;that&rsquo;s as it may be. I must
+      first know&mdash;&rdquo; Then, interrupting himself, he added: &ldquo;It is queer.
+      That reminds me of something.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fifteen years ago, in the last letter that your father, on his return
+      from France, brought me from my wife: she told me that, poor as she was,
+      and with our little growing Agricola on her hands, she had taken in a poor
+      deserted child, with the face of a cherub, and the name of Gabriel&mdash;and
+      only a short time since I heard of him again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And from whom, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know that by and by.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then&mdash;since you have a Gabriel of your own&mdash;there is the
+      more reason that you should love ours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yours! but who is yours? I am on thorns till you tell me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know, Dagobert,&rdquo; resumed Rose, &ldquo;that Blanche and I are accustomed to
+      fall asleep, holding each other by the hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, I have often seen you in your cradle. I was never tired of
+      looking at you; it was so pretty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then&mdash;two nights ago, we had just fallen asleep, when we
+      beheld&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it was in a dream!&rdquo; cried Dagobert. &ldquo;Since you were asleep, it was in
+      a dream!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, in a dream&mdash;how else would you have it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray let my sister go on with her tale!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All, well and good!&rdquo; said the soldier with a sigh of satisfaction; &ldquo;well
+      and good! To be sure, I was tranquil enough in any case&mdash;because&mdash;but
+      still&mdash;I like it better to be a dream. Continue, my little Rose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once asleep, we both dreamt the same thing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! both the same?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Dagobert; for the next morning when we awoke we related our two
+      dreams to each other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And they were exactly alike.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s odd enough, my children; and what was this dream all about?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In our dream, Blanche and I were seated together, when we saw enter a
+      beautiful angel, with a long white robe, fair locks, blue eyes, and so
+      handsome and benign a countenance, that we elapsed our hands as if to pray
+      to him. Then he told us, in a soft voice, that he was called Gabriel; that
+      our mother had sent him to be our guardian angel, and that he would never
+      abandon us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, then,&rdquo; added Blanche, &ldquo;he took us each by the hand, and, bending his
+      fair face over us, looked at us for a long time in silence, with so much
+      goodness&mdash;with so much goodness, that we could not withdraw our eyes
+      from his.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Rose, &ldquo;and his look seemed, by turns, to attract us, or to
+      go to our hearts. At length, to our great sorrow, Gabriel quitted us,
+      having told us that we should see him again the following night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And did he make his appearance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly. Judge with what impatience we waited the moment of sleep, to
+      see if our friend would return, and visit us in our slumbers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Humph!&rdquo; said Dagobert, scratching his forehead; &ldquo;this reminds me, young
+      ladies, that you kept on rubbing your eyes last evening, and pretending to
+      be half asleep. I wager, it was all to send me away the sooner, and to get
+      to your dream as fast as possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The reason being, you could not say to me, as you would to Spoil-sport:
+      Lie down, Dagobert! Well&mdash;so your friend Gabriel came back?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, and this time he talked to us a great deal, and gave us, in the name
+      of our mother, such touching, such noble counsels, that the next day, Rose
+      and I spent our whole time in recalling every word of our guardian angel&mdash;and
+      his face, and his look&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This reminds me again, young ladies, that you were whispering all along
+      the road this morning; and that when I spoke of white, you answered
+      black.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Dagobert, we were thinking of Gabriel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, ever since, we love him as well as he loves us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he is only one between both of you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was not our mother one between us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you, Dagobert&mdash;are you not also one for us both?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, true! And yet, do you know, I shall finish by being jealous of that
+      Gabriel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are our friend by day&mdash;he is our friend by night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s understand it clearly. If you talk of him all day, and dream of him
+      all night, what will there remain for me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There will remain for you your two orphans, whom you love so much,&rdquo; said
+      Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who have only you left upon earth,&rdquo; added Blanche, in a caressing
+      tongue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Humph! humph! that&rsquo;s right, coax the old man over, Nay, believe me, my
+      children,&rdquo; added the soldier, tenderly, &ldquo;I am quite satisfied with my lot.
+      I can afford to let you have your Gabriel. I felt sure that Spoil sport
+      and myself could take our rest in quiet. After all, there is nothing so
+      astonishing in what you tell me; your first dream struck your fancy, and
+      you talked so much about it that you had a second; nor should I be
+      surprised if you were to see this fine fellow a third time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Dagobert! do not make a jest of it! They are only dreams, but we
+      think our mother sends them to us. Did she not tell us that orphan
+      children were watched over by guardian angels? Well, Gabriel is our
+      guardian angel; he will protect us, and he will protect you also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very kind of him to think of me; but you see, my dear children, for the
+      matter of defence, I prefer the dog; he is less fair than your angel, but
+      he has better teeth, and that is more to be depended on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How provoking you are, Dagobert&mdash;always jesting!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true; you can laugh at everything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I am astonishingly gay; I laugh with my teeth shut, in the style of
+      old Jovial. Come, children, don&rsquo;t scold me: I know I am wrong. The
+      remembrance of your dear mother is mixed with this dream, and you do well
+      to speak of it seriously. Besides,&rdquo; added he, with a grave air, &ldquo;dreams
+      will sometimes come true. In Spain, two of the Empress&rsquo;s dragoons,
+      comrades of mine, dreamt, the night before their death, that they would be
+      poisoned by the monks&mdash;and so it happened. If you continue to dream
+      of this fair angel Gabriel, it is&mdash;it is&mdash;why, it is, because
+      you are amused by it; and, as you have none too many pleasures in the
+      daytime, you may as well get an agreeable sleep at night. But, now, my
+      children, I have also much to tell you; it will concern your mother;
+      promise me not to be sad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied! when we think of her we are not sad, though serious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is well. For fear of grieving you, I have always delayed the moment
+      of telling what your poor mother would have confided to you as soon as you
+      were no longer children. But she died before she had time to do so, and
+      that which I have to tell broke her heart&mdash;as it nearly did mine. I
+      put off this communication as long as I could, taking for pretext that I
+      would say nothing till we came to the field of battle where your father
+      was made prisoner. That gave me time; but the moment is now come; I can
+      shuffle it off no longer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We listen, Dagobert,&rdquo; responded the two maidens, with an attentive and
+      melancholy air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, during which he appeared to reflect, the veteran
+      thus addressed the young girls:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your father, General Simon, was the son of a workman, who remained a
+      workman; for, notwithstanding all that the general could say or do, the
+      old man was obstinate in not quitting his trade. He had a heart of gold
+      and a head of iron, just like his son. You may suppose, my children, that
+      when your father, who had enlisted as a private soldier, became a general
+      and a count of the empire, it was not without toil or without glory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A count of the Empire! what is that, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Flummery&mdash;a title, which the Emperor gave over and above the
+      promotion, just for the sake of saying to the people, whom he loved
+      because he was one of them: Here, children! You wish to play at nobility!
+      You shall be nobles. You wish to play at royalty! You shall be kings. Take
+      what you like&mdash;nothing is too good for you&mdash;enjoy yourselves!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kings!&rdquo; said the two girls, joining their hands in admiration.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10073m.jpg" alt="10073m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10073.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kings of the first water. Oh, he was no niggard of his crowns, our
+      Emperor! I had a bed-fellow of mine, a brave soldier, who was afterwards
+      promoted to be king. This flattered us; for, if it was not one, it was the
+      other. And so, at this game, your father became count; but, count or not,
+      he was one of the best and bravest generals of the army.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was handsome, was he not, Dagobert?&mdash;mother always said so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! indeed he was&mdash;but quite another thing from your fair
+      guardian angel. Picture to yourself a fine, dark man, who looked splendid
+      in his full uniform, and could put fire into the soldiers&rsquo; hearts. With
+      him to lead, we would have charged up into Heaven itself&mdash;that is, if
+      Heaven had, permitted it,&rdquo; added Dagobert, not wishing to wound in any way
+      the religious beliefs of the orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And father was as good as he was brave, Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good, my children? Yes, I should say so!&mdash;He could bend a horse-shoe
+      in his hand as you would bend a card, and the day he was taken prisoner he
+      had cut down the Prussian artillerymen on their very cannon. With strength
+      and courage like that, how could he be otherwise than good? It is then
+      about nineteen years ago, not far from this place&mdash;on the spot I
+      showed you before we arrived at the village&mdash;that the general,
+      dangerously wounded, fell from his horse. I was following him at the time,
+      and ran to his assistance. Five minutes after we were made prisoners&mdash;and
+      by whom think you?&mdash;by a Frenchman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A Frenchman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, an emigrant marquis, a colonel in the service of Russia,&rdquo; answered
+      Dagobert, with bitterness. &ldquo;And so, when this marquis advanced towards us,
+      and said to the general: &lsquo;Surrender, sir, to a countryman!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;A
+      Frenchman, who fights against France,&rsquo; replied the general, &lsquo;is no longer
+      my countryman; he is a traitor, and I&rsquo;d never surrender to a traitor!&rsquo;
+      And, wounded though he was, he dragged himself up to a Russian grenadier,
+      and delivered him his sabre, saying: &lsquo;I surrender to you my brave fellow!&rsquo;
+      The marquis became pale with rage at it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans looked at each other with pride, and a rich crimson mantled
+      their cheeks, as they exclaimed: &ldquo;Oh, our brave father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, those children,&rdquo; said Dagobert, as he proudly twirled his moustache.
+      &ldquo;One sees they have soldier&rsquo;s blood in their veins! Well,&rdquo; he continued,
+      &ldquo;we were now prisoners. The general&rsquo;s last horse had been killed under
+      him; and, to perform the journey, he mounted Jovial, who had not been
+      wounded that day. We arrived at Warsaw, and there it was that the general
+      first saw your mother. She was called the Pearl of Warsaw; that is saying
+      everything. Now he, who admired all that is good and beautiful, fell in
+      love with her almost immediately; and she loved him in return; but her
+      parents had promised her to another&mdash;and that other was the same&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert was unable to proceed. Rose uttered a piercing cry, and pointed
+      in terror to the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII. THE TRAVELER.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      Upon the cry of the young girl, Dagobert rose abruptly.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter, Rose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&mdash;there!&rdquo; she said, pointing to the window. &ldquo;I thought I saw a
+      hand move the pelisse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She had not concluded these words before Dagobert rushed to the window and
+      opened it, tearing down the mantle, which had been suspended from the
+      fastening.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was still dark night, and the wind was blowing hard. The soldier
+      listened, but could hear nothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Returning to fetch the lamp from the table, he shaded the flame with his
+      hand, and strove to throw the light outside. Still he saw nothing.
+      Persuaded that a gust of wind had disturbed and shaken the pelisse: and
+      that Rose had been deceived by her own fears he again shut the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, children! The wind is very high; it is that which lifted
+      the corner of the pelisse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet methought I saw plainly the fingers which had hold of it,&rdquo; said Rose,
+      still trembling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was looking at Dagobert,&rdquo; said Blanche, &ldquo;and I saw nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There was nothing to see, my children; the thing is clear enough. The
+      window is at least eight feet above the ground; none but a giant could
+      reach it without a ladder. Now, had any one used a ladder, there would not
+      have been time to remove it; for, as soon as Rose cried out, I ran to the
+      window, and, when I held out the light, I could see nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must have been deceived,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may be sure, sister, it was only the wind,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I beg pardon for having disturbed you, my good Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind!&rdquo; replied the soldier musingly, &ldquo;I am only sorry that Spoil
+      sport is not come back. He would have watched the window, and that would
+      have quite tranquillized you. But he no doubt scented the stable of his
+      comrade, Jovial, and will have called in to bid him good-night on the
+      road. I have half a mind to go and fetch him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no, Dagobert! do not leave us alone,&rdquo; cried the maidens; &ldquo;we are too
+      much afraid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, the dog is not likely to remain away much longer, and I am sure we
+      shall soon hear him scratching at the door, so we will continue our
+      story,&rdquo; said Dagobert, as he again seated himself near the head of the
+      bed, but this time with his face towards the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now the general was prisoner at Warsaw,&rdquo; continued he, &ldquo;and in love with
+      your mother, whom they wished to marry to another. In 1814, we learned the
+      finish of the war, the banishment of the Emperor to the Isle of Elba, and
+      the return of the Bourbons. In concert with the Prussians and Russians,
+      who had brought them back, they had exiled the Emperor. Learning all this,
+      your mother said to the general: &lsquo;The war is finished; you are free, but
+      your Emperor is in trouble. You owe everything to him; go and join him in
+      his misfortunes. I know not when we shall meet again, but I shall never
+      marry any one but you, I am yours till death!&rsquo;&mdash;Before he set out the
+      general called me to him, and said: &lsquo;Dagobert, remain here; Mademoiselle
+      Eva may have need of you to fly from her family, if they should press too
+      hard upon her; our correspondence will have to pass through your hands; at
+      Paris, I shall see your wife and son; I will comfort them, and tell them
+      you are my friend.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always the same,&rdquo; said Rose, with emotion, as she looked affectionately
+      at Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As faithful to the father and mother as to their children,&rdquo; added
+      Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To love one was to love them all,&rdquo; replied the soldier. &ldquo;Well, the
+      general joined the Emperor at Elba; I remained at Warsaw, concealed in the
+      neighborhood of your mother&rsquo;s house; I received the letters, and conveyed
+      them to her clandestinely. In one of those letters&mdash;I feel proud to
+      tell you of it my children&mdash;the general informed me that the Emperor
+      himself had remembered me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, did he know you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A little, I flatter myself&mdash;&lsquo;Oh! Dagobert!&rsquo; said he to your father,
+      who was talking to him about me; &lsquo;a horse-grenadier of my old guard&mdash;a
+      soldier of Egypt and Italy, battered with wounds&mdash;an old dare-devil,
+      whom I decorated with my own hand at Wagram&mdash;I have not forgotten
+      him!&rsquo;&mdash;I vow, children, when your mother read that to me, I cried
+      like a fool.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Emperor&mdash;what a fine golden face he has on the silver cross with
+      the red ribbon that you would sometimes show us when we behaved well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That cross&mdash;given by him&mdash;is my relic. It is there in my
+      knapsack, with whatever we have of value&mdash;our little purse and
+      papers. But, to return to your mother; it was a great consolation to her,
+      when I took her letters from the general, or talked with her about him&mdash;for
+      she suffered much&mdash;oh, so much! In vain her parents tormented and
+      persecuted her; she always answered: &lsquo;I will never marry any one but
+      General Simon.&rsquo; A spirited woman, I can tell you&mdash;resigned, but
+      wonderfully courageous. One day she received a letter from the general; he
+      had left the Isle of Elba with the Emperor; the war had again broken out,
+      a short campaign, but as fierce as ever, and heightened by soldiers&rsquo;
+      devotion. In that campaign of France; my children, especially at
+      Montmirail, your father fought like a lion, and his division followed his
+      example it was no longer valor&mdash;it was frenzy. He told me that, in
+      Champagne, the peasants killed so many of those Prussians, that their
+      fields were manured with them for years. Men, women, children, all rushed
+      upon them. Pitchforks, stones, mattocks, all served for the slaughter. It
+      was a true wolf hunt!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The veins swelled on the soldier&rsquo;s forehead, and his cheeks flushed as he
+      spoke, for this popular heroism recalled to his memory the sublime
+      enthusiasm of the wars of the republic&mdash;those armed risings of a
+      whole people, from which dated the first steps of his military career, as
+      the triumphs of the Empire were the last days of his service.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans, too, daughters of a soldier and a brave woman, did not shrink
+      from the rough energy of these words, but felt their cheeks glow, and
+      their hearts beat tumultuously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How happy we are to be the children of so brave a father!&rdquo; cried Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a happiness and an honor too, my children&mdash;for the evening of
+      the battle of Montmirail, the Emperor, to the joy of the whole army, made
+      your father Duke of Ligny and Marshal of France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marshal of France!&rdquo; said Rose in astonishment, without understanding the
+      exact meaning of the words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Duke of Ligny!&rdquo; added Blanche with equal surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; Peter Simon, the son of a workman, became duke and marshal&mdash;there
+      is nothing higher except a king!&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, proudly. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how
+      the Emperor treated the sons of the people, and, therefore, the people
+      were devoted to him. It was all very fine to tell them &lsquo;Your Emperor makes
+      you food for cannon.&rsquo; &lsquo;Stuff!&rsquo; replied the people, who are no fools,
+      &lsquo;another would make us food for misery. We prefer the cannon, with the
+      chance of becoming captain or colonel, marshal, king&mdash;or invalid;
+      that&rsquo;s better than to perish with hunger, cold, and age, on straw in a
+      garret, after toiling forty years for others.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even in France&mdash;even in Paris, that beautiful city&mdash;do you mean
+      to say there are poor people who die of hunger and misery, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Even in Paris? Yes, my children; therefore, I come back to the point, the
+      cannon is better. With it, one has the chance of becoming, like your
+      father, duke and marshal: when I say duke and marshal, I am partly right
+      and partly wrong, for the title and the rank were not recognized in the
+      end; because, after Montmirail, came a day of gloom, a day of great
+      mourning, when, as the general has told me, old soldiers like myself wept&mdash;yes,
+      wept!&mdash;on the evening of a battle. That day, my children, was
+      Waterloo!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was in these simple words of Dagobert an expression of such deep
+      sorrow, that it thrilled the hearts of the orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; resumed the soldier, with a sigh, &ldquo;there are days which seem to
+      have a curse on them. That same day, at Waterloo, the general fell,
+      covered with wounds, at the head of a division of the Guards. When he was
+      nearly cured, which was not for a long time, he solicited permission to go
+      to St. Helena&mdash;another island at the far end of the world, to which
+      the English had carried the Emperor, to torture him at their leisure; for
+      if he was very fortunate in the first instance, he had to go through a
+      deal of hard rubs at last, my poor children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you talk in that way, you will make us cry, Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is cause enough for it&mdash;the Emperor suffered so much! He bled
+      cruelly at the heart believe me. Unfortunately, the general was not with
+      him at St. Helena; he would have been one more to console him; but they
+      would not allow him to go. Then, exasperated, like so many others, against
+      the Bourbons, the general engaged in a conspiracy to recall the son of the
+      Emperor. He relied especially on one regiment, nearly all composed of his
+      old soldiers, and he went down to a place in Picardy, where they were then
+      in garrison; but the conspiracy had already been divulged. Arrested the
+      moment of his arrival, the general was taken before the colonel of the
+      regiment. And this colonel,&rdquo; said the soldier, after a brief pause, &ldquo;who
+      do you think it was again? Bah! it would be too long to tell you all, and
+      would only make you more sad; but it was a man whom your father had many
+      reasons to hate. When he found himself face to face with him, he said: &lsquo;if
+      you are not a coward, you will give me one hour&rsquo;s liberty, and we will
+      fight to the death; I hate you for this, I despise you for that&rsquo;&mdash;and
+      so on. The colonel accepted the challenge, and gave your father his
+      liberty till the morrow. The duel was a desperate one; the colonel was
+      left for dead on the spot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Merciful heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general was yet wiping his sword, when a faithful friend came to him,
+      and told him he had only just time to save himself. In fact, he happily
+      succeeded in leaving France&mdash;yes, happily&mdash;for a fortnight
+      after, he was condemned to death as a conspirator.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What misfortunes, good heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There was some luck, however, in the midst of his troubles. Your mother
+      had kept her promise bravely, and was still waiting for him. She had
+      written to him: &lsquo;The Emperor first, and me next!&rsquo; both unable to do
+      anything more for the Emperor, nor even for his son, the general, banished
+      from France, set out for Warsaw. Your mother had lost her parents, and was
+      now free; they were married&mdash;and I am one of the witnesses to the
+      marriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Dagobert; that was great happiness in the midst of great
+      misfortunes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they were very happy; but, as it happened with all good hearts, the
+      happier they were themselves, the more they felt for the sorrows of others&mdash;and
+      there was quite enough to grieve them at Warsaw. The Russians had again
+      begun to treat the Poles as their slaves; your brave mother, though of
+      French origin, was a Pole in heart and soul; she spoke out boldly what
+      others did not dare speak in a whisper, and all the unfortunate called her
+      their protecting angel. That was enough to excite the suspicions of the
+      Russian governor. One day, a friend of the general&rsquo;s, formerly a colonel
+      in the lancers, a brave and worthy man, was condemned to be exiled to
+      Siberia for a military plot against the Russians. He took refuge in your
+      father&rsquo;s house, and lay hid there; but his retreat was discovered. During
+      the next night, a party of Cossacks, commanded by an officer, and followed
+      by a travelling-carriage, arrive at our door; they rouse the general from
+      his sleep and take him away with them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, heaven! what did they mean to do with him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Conduct him out of the Russian dominions, with a charge never to return,
+      on pain of perpetual imprisonment. His last words were: &lsquo;Dagobert, I
+      entrust to thee my wife and child!&rsquo;&mdash;for it wanted yet some months of
+      the time when you were to be born. Well, notwithstanding that, they exiled
+      your mother to Siberia; it was an opportunity to get rid of her; she did
+      too much good at Warsaw, and they feared her accordingly. Not content with
+      banishing her, they confiscated all her property; the only favor she could
+      obtain was, that I should accompany her, and, had it not been for Jovial,
+      whom the general had given to me, she would have had to make the journey
+      on foot. It was thus, with her on horseback, and I leading her as I lead
+      you, my children, that we arrived at the poverty-stricken village, where,
+      three months after, you poor little things were born!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And our father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was impossible for him to return to Russia; impossible for your mother
+      to think of flight, with two children; impossible for the general to write
+      to her, as he knew not where she was.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, since that time, you have had no news of him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my children&mdash;once we had news.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And by whom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, Dagobert resumed with a singular expression of
+      countenance: &ldquo;By whom?&mdash;by one who is not like other men. Yes&mdash;that
+      you may understand me better, I will relate to you an extraordinary
+      adventure, which happened to your father during his last French campaign.
+      He had been ordered by the Emperor to carry a battery, which was playing
+      heavily on our army; after several unsuccessful efforts, the general put
+      himself at the head of a regiment of cuirassiers, and charged the battery,
+      intending, as was his custom, to cut down the men at their guns. He was on
+      horseback, just before the mouth of a cannon, where all the artillerymen
+      had been either killed or wounded, when one of them still found strength
+      to raise himself upon one knee, and to apply the lighted match to the
+      touchhole&mdash;and that when your father was about ten paces in front of
+      the loaded piece.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! what a peril for our father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never, he told me, had he run such imminent danger for he saw the
+      artilleryman apply the match, and the gun go off&mdash;but, at the very
+      nick, a man of tall stature, dressed as a peasant, and whom he had not
+      before remarked, threw himself in front of the cannon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunate creature! what a horrible death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Dagobert, thoughtfully; &ldquo;it should have been so. He ought by
+      rights to have been blown into a thousand pieces. But no&mdash;nothing of
+      the kind!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you tell us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What the general told me. &lsquo;At the moment when the gun went off,&rsquo; as he
+      often repeated to me, &lsquo;I shut my eyes by an involuntary movement, that I
+      might not see the mutilated body of the poor wretch who had sacrificed
+      himself in my place. When I again opened them, the first thing I saw in
+      the midst of the smoke, was the tall figure of this man, standing erect
+      and calm on the same spot, and casting a sad mild look on the
+      artilleryman, who, with one knee on the ground, and his body thrown
+      backward, gazed on him in as much terror as if he had been the devil.
+      Afterwards, I lost sight of this man in the tumult,&rsquo; added your father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bless me Dagobert! how can this be possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is just what I said to the general. He answered me that he had never
+      been able to explain to himself this event, which seemed as incredible as
+      it was true. Moreover, your father must have been greatly struck with the
+      countenance of this man, who appeared, he said, about thirty years of age&mdash;for
+      he remarked, that his extremely black eyebrows were joined together, and
+      formed, as it were, one line from temple to temple, so that he seemed to
+      have a black streak across his forehead. Remember this, my children; you
+      will soon see why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10081m.jpg" alt="10081m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10081.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Dagobert! we shall not forget it,&rdquo; said the orphans, growing more and
+      more astonished as he proceeded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not strange&mdash;this man with a black seam on his forehead?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you shall hear. The general had, as I told you, been left for dead
+      at Waterloo. During the night which he passed on the field of battle, in a
+      sort of delirium brought on by the fever of his wounds, he saw, or fancied
+      he saw, this same man bending over him, with a look of great mildness and
+      deep melancholy, stanching his wounds, and using every effort to revive
+      him. But as your father, whose senses were still wandering, repulsed his
+      kindness saying, that after such a defeat, it only remained to die&mdash;it
+      appeared as if this man replied to him; &lsquo;You must live for Eva!&rsquo; meaning
+      your mother, whom the general had left at Warsaw, to join the Emperor, and
+      make this campaign of France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How strange, Dagobert!&mdash;And since then, did our father never see
+      this man?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, he saw him&mdash;for it was he who brought news of the general to
+      your poor mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When was that? We never heard of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You remember that, on the day your mother died, you went to the pine
+      forest with old Fedora?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered Rose, mournfully; &ldquo;to fetch some heath, of which our
+      mother was so fond.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor mother!&rdquo; added Blanche; &ldquo;she appeared so well that morning, that we
+      could not dream of the calamity which awaited us before night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, my children; I sang and worked that morning in the garden,
+      expecting, no more than you did, what was to happen. Well, as I was
+      singing at my work, on a sudden I heard a voice ask me in French: &lsquo;Is this
+      the village of Milosk?&rsquo;&mdash;I turned round, and saw before me a
+      stranger; I looked at him attentively, and, instead of replying, fell back
+      two steps, quite stupefied.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was of tall stature, very pale, with a high and open forehead; but his
+      eyebrows met, and seemed to form one black streak across it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then it was the same man who had twice been with our father in battle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;it was he.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, Dagobert,&rdquo; said Rose, thoughtfully, &ldquo;is it not a long time since
+      these battles?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;About sixteen years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And of what age was this stranger?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hardly more than thirty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then how can it be the same man, who sixteen years before, had been with
+      our father in the wars?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; said Dagobert, after a moment&rsquo;s silence, and shrugging
+      his shoulders: &ldquo;I may have been deceived by a chance likeness&mdash;and
+      yet&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or, if it were the same, he could not have got older all that while.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But did you ask him, if he had not formerly relieved our father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At first I was so surprised that I did not think of it; and afterwards,
+      he remained so short a time, that I had no opportunity. Well, he asked me
+      for the village of Milosk. &lsquo;You are there, sir,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;but how do you
+      know that I am a Frenchman?&rsquo; &lsquo;I heard you singing as I passed,&rsquo; replied
+      he; &lsquo;could you tell me the house of Madame Simon, the general&rsquo;s wife?&rsquo;
+      &lsquo;She lives here, sir.&rsquo; Then looking at me for some seconds in silence, he
+      took me by the hand and said: &lsquo;You are the friend of General Simon&mdash;his
+      best friend?&rsquo; Judge of my astonishment, as I answered: &lsquo;But, sir, how do
+      you know?&rsquo; &lsquo;He has often spoken of you with gratitude.&rsquo; &lsquo;You have seen the
+      general then?&rsquo; &lsquo;Yes, some time ago, in India. I am also his friend: I
+      bring news of him to his wife, whom I knew to be exiled in Siberia. At
+      Tobolsk, whence I come, I learned that she inhabits this village. Conduct
+      me to her!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The good traveller&mdash;I love him already,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, being father&rsquo;s friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I begged him to wait an instant, whilst I went to inform your mother, so
+      that the surprise might not do her harm; five minutes after, he was beside
+      her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what kind of man was this traveller, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was very tall; he wore a dark pelisse, and a fur cap, and had long
+      black hair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was he handsome?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my children&mdash;very handsome; but with so mild and melancholy an
+      air, that it pained my heart to see him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor man! he had doubtless known some great sorrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your mother had been closeted with him for some minutes, when she called
+      me to her and said that she had just received good news of the general.
+      She was in tears, and had before her a large packet of papers; it was a
+      kind of journal, which your father had written every evening to console
+      himself; not being able to speak to her, he told the paper all that he
+      would have told her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! where are these papers, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, in the knapsack, with my cross and our purse. One day I will give
+      them to you: but I have picked out a few leaves here and there for you to
+      read presently. You will see why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had our father been long in India?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I gathered from the few words which your mother said, that the general
+      had gone to that country, after fighting for the Greeks against the Turks&mdash;for
+      he always liked to side with the weak against the strong. In India he made
+      fierce war against the English, they had murdered our prisoners in
+      pontoons, and tortured the Emperor at St. Helena, and the war was a doubly
+      good one, for in harming them he served a just cause.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What cause did he serve then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That of one of the poor native princes, whose territories the English,
+      lay waste, till the day when they can take possession of them against law
+      and right. You see, my children, it was once more the weak against the
+      strong, and your father did not miss this opportunity. In a few months he
+      had so well-trained and disciplined the twelve or fifteen thousand men of
+      the prince, that, in two encounters, they cut to pieces the English sent
+      against them, and who, no doubt, had in their reckoning left out your
+      brave father, my children. But come, you shall read some pages of his
+      journal, which will tell you more and better than I can. Moreover, you
+      will find in them a name which you ought always to remember; that&rsquo;s why I
+      chose this passage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, what happiness! To read the pages written by our father, is almost to
+      hear him speak,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is as if he were close beside us,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the girls stretched out their hands with eagerness, to catch hold of
+      the leaves that Dagobert had taken from his pocket. Then, by a
+      simultaneous movement, full of touching grace, they pressed the writing of
+      their father in silence to their lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will see also, my children, at the end of this letter, why I was
+      surprised that your guardian angel, as you say, should be called Gabriel.
+      Read, read,&rdquo; added the soldier, observing the puzzled air of the orphans.
+      &ldquo;Only I ought to tell you that, when he wrote this, the general had not
+      yet fallen in with the traveller who brought the papers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose, sitting up in her bed, took the leaves, and began to read in a soft
+      and trembling voice, Blanche, with her head resting on her sister&rsquo;s
+      shoulder, followed attentively every word. One could even see, by the
+      slight motion of her lips, that she too was reading, but only to herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII. EXTRACTS FROM GENERAL SIMON&rsquo;S DIARY.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      Bivouac on the Mountains of Avers February the 20th, 1830.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Each time I add some pages to this journal, written now in the heart of
+      India, where the fortune of my wandering and proscribed existence has
+      thrown me&mdash;a journal which, alas! my beloved Eva, you may never read&mdash;I
+      experience a sweet, yet painful emotion; for, although to converse thus
+      with you is a consolation, it brings back the bitter thought that I am
+      unable to see or speak to you.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Still, if these pages should ever meet your eyes, your generous heart
+      will throb at the name of the intrepid being, to whom I am this day
+      indebted for my life, and to whom I may thus perhaps owe the happiness of
+      seeing you again&mdash;you and my child&mdash;for of course our child
+      lives. Yes, it must be&mdash;for else, poor wife, what an existence would
+      be yours amid the horrors of exile! Dear soul! he must now be fourteen.
+      Whom does he resemble? Is he like you? Has he your large and beautiful
+      blue eyes?&mdash;Madman that I am! how many times, in this long day-book,
+      have I already asked the same idle question, to which you can return no
+      answer!&mdash;How many times shall I continue to ask it?&mdash;But you
+      will teach our child to speak and love the somewhat savage name of
+      Djalma.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma!&rdquo; said Rose, as with moist eyes she left off reading.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma!&rdquo; repeated Blanche, who shared the emotion of her sister. &ldquo;Oh, we
+      shall never forget that name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you will do well, my children; for it seems to be the name of a
+      famous soldier, though a very young one. But go on, my little Rose!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have told you in the preceding pages, my dear Eva, of the two glorious
+      days we had this month. The troops of my old friend, the prince, which
+      daily make fresh advances in European discipline, have performed wonders.
+      We have beaten the English, and obliged them to abandon a portion of this
+      unhappy country, which they had invaded in contempt of all the rights of
+      justice, and which they continue to ravage without mercy, for, in these
+      parts, warfare is another name for treachery, pillage, and massacre. This
+      morning, after a toilsome march through a rocky and mountainous district,
+      we received information from our scouts, that the enemy had been
+      reinforced, and was preparing to act on the offensive; and, as we were
+      separated from them by a distance of a few leagues only, an engagement
+      became inevitable. My old friend the prince, the father of my deliverer,
+      was impatient to march to the attack. The action began about three
+      o&rsquo;clock; it was very bloody and furious. Seeing that our men wavered for a
+      moment, for they were inferior in number, and the English reinforcements
+      consisted of fresh troops, I charged at the head of our weak reserve of
+      cavalry. The old prince was in the centre, fighting, as he always fights,
+      intrepidly; his son, Djalma, scarcely eighteen, as brave as his father,
+      did not leave my side. In the hottest part of the engagement, my horse was
+      killed under me, and rolling over into a ravine, along the edge of which I
+      was riding, I found myself so awkwardly entangled beneath him, that for an
+      instant I thought my thigh was broken.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor father!&rdquo; said Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This time, happily, nothing more dangerous ensued thanks to Djalma! You
+      see, Dagobert,&rdquo; added Rose, &ldquo;that I remember the name.&rdquo; And she continued
+      to read,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The English thought&mdash;and a very flattering opinion it was&mdash;that,
+      if they could kill me, they would make short work of the prince&rsquo;s army. So
+      a Sepoy officer, with five or six irregulars&mdash;cowardly, ferocious
+      plunderers&mdash;seeing me roll down the ravine, threw themselves into it
+      to despatch me. Surrounded by fire and smoke, and carried away by their
+      ardor, our mountaineers had not seen me fall; but Djalma never left me. He
+      leaped into the ravine to my assistance, and his cool intrepidity saved my
+      life. He had held the fire of his double-barrelled carbine; with one load,
+      he killed the officer on the spot; with the other he broke the arm of an
+      irregular, who had already pierced my left hand with his bayonet. But do
+      not be alarmed, dear Eva; it is nothing&mdash;only a scratch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wounded&mdash;again wounded&mdash;alas!&rdquo; cried Blanche, clasping her
+      hands together, and interrupting her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take courage!&rdquo; said Dagobert: &ldquo;I dare say it was only a scratch, as the
+      general calls it. Formerly, he used to call wounds, which did not disable
+      a man from fighting, blank wounds. There was no one like him for such
+      sayings.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma, seeing me wounded,&rdquo; resumed Rose, wiping her eyes, &ldquo;made use of
+      his heavy carbine as a club, and drove back the soldiers. At that instant,
+      I perceived a new assailant, who, sheltered behind a clump of bamboos
+      which commanded the ravine, slowly lowered his long gun, placed the barrel
+      between two branches, and took deliberate aim at Djalma. Before my shouts
+      could apprise him of his danger, the brave youth had received a ball in
+      his breast. Feeling himself hit, he fell bark involuntarily two paces, and
+      dropped upon one knee: but he still remained firm, endeavoring to cover me
+      with his body. You may conceive my rage and despair, whilst all my efforts
+      to disengage myself were paralyzed by the excruciating pain in my thigh.
+      Powerless and disarmed, I witnessed for some moments this unequal
+      struggle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma was losing blood rapidly; his strength of arm began to fail him;
+      already one of the irregulars, inciting his comrades with his voice, drew
+      from his belt a huge, heavy kind of bill-hook, when a dozen of our
+      mountaineers made their appearance, borne towards the spot by the
+      irresistible current of the battle. Djalma was rescued in his turn, I was
+      released, and, in a quarter of an hour, I was able to mount a horse. The
+      fortune of the day is ours, though with severe loss; but the fires of the
+      English camp are still visible, and to-morrow the conflict will be
+      decisive. Thus, my beloved Eva, I owe my life to this youth. Happily, his
+      wound occasions us no uneasiness; the ball only glanced along the ribs in
+      a slanting direction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The brave boy might have said: &lsquo;A blank wound,&rsquo; like the general,&rdquo;
+       observed Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, my dear Eva,&rdquo; continued Rose, &ldquo;you must become acquainted, by means
+      of this narrative at least, with the intrepid Djalma. He is but just
+      eighteen. With one word, I will paint for you his noble and valiant
+      nature; it is a custom of this country to give surnames, and, when only
+      fifteen, he was called &lsquo;The Generous&rsquo;&mdash;by which was, of course, meant
+      generous in heart and mind. By another custom, no less touching than
+      whimsical, this name was reverted to his parent, who is called &lsquo;The Father
+      of the Generous,&rsquo; and who might, with equal propriety, be called &lsquo;The
+      Just,&rsquo; for this old Indian is a rare example of chivalrous honor and proud
+      independence. He might, like so many other poor princes of this country,
+      have humbled himself before the execrable despotism of the English,
+      bargained for the relinquishment of sovereign power, and submitted to
+      brute force&mdash;but it was not in his nature. &lsquo;My whole rights, or a
+      grave in my native mountains!&rsquo;&mdash;such is his motto. And this is no
+      empty boast; it springs from the conviction of what is right and just.
+      &lsquo;But you will be crushed in the struggle,&rsquo; I have said to him&mdash;&lsquo;My
+      friend,&rsquo; he answered, &lsquo;what if, to force you to a disgraceful act, you
+      were told to yield or die?&rsquo;&mdash;From that day I understood him, and have
+      devoted myself, mind and body, to the ever sacred cause of the weak
+      against the strong. You see, my Eva, that Djalma shows himself worthy of
+      such a father. This young Indian is so proud, so heroic in his bravery,
+      that, like a young Greek of Leonidas&rsquo; age, he fights with his breast bare;
+      while other warriors of his country (who, indeed, usually have arms,
+      breast, and shoulders uncovered) wear, in time of battle, a thick,
+      impenetrable vest. The rash daring of this youth reminds me of Murat, King
+      of Naples, who, I have so often told you, I have seen a hundred times
+      leading the most desperate charges with nothing but a riding-whip in his
+      hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s another of those kings I was telling you of, whom the Emperor set
+      up for his amusement,&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;I once saw a Prussian officer
+      prisoner, whose face had been cut across by that mad-cap King of Naples&rsquo;
+      riding-whip; the mark was there, a black and blue stripe. The Prussian
+      swore he was dishonored, and that a sabre-cut would have been preferable.
+      I should rather think so! That devil of a king; he only had one idea:
+      &lsquo;Forward, on to the cannon!&rsquo; As soon as they began to cannonade, one would
+      have thought the guns were calling him with all their might, for he was
+      soon up to them with his &lsquo;Here I am!&rsquo; If I speak to you about him, my
+      children, it&rsquo;s because he was fond of repeating,&mdash;&lsquo;No one can break
+      through a square of infantry, if General Simon or I can&rsquo;t do it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have observed with pain, that, notwithstanding his youth, Djalma is
+      often subject to fits of deep melancholy. At times, I have seen him
+      exchange with his father looks of singular import. In spite of our mutual
+      attachment, I believe that both conceal from me some sad family secret, in
+      so far as I can judge from expressions which have dropped from them by
+      chance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It relates to some strange event which their vivid imaginations have
+      invested with a supernatural character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, my love, you and I have no longer the right to smile at the
+      credulity of others. I, since the French campaign, when I met with that
+      extraordinary adventure, which, to this day, I am quite unable to
+      understand&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This refers to the man who threw himself before the mouth of the cannon,&rdquo;
+       said Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you,&rdquo; continued the maiden, still reading, &ldquo;you, my dear Eva, since
+      the visits of that young and beautiful woman, whom, as your mother
+      asserted, she had seen at her mother&rsquo;s house forty years before.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans, in amazement, looked at the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your mother never spoke to me of that, nor the general either, my
+      children; this is as strange to me as it is to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10089m.jpg" alt="10089m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10089.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      With increasing excitement and curiosity, Rose continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After all, my dear Eva, things which appear very extraordinary, may often
+      be explained by a chance resemblance or a freak of nature. Marvels being
+      always the result of optical illusion or heated fancy, a time must come,
+      when that which appeared to be superhuman or supernatural, will prove to
+      be the most simple and natural event in the world. I doubt not, therefore,
+      that the things, which we denominate our prodigies, will one day receive
+      this commonplace solution.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, my children&mdash;things appear marvelous, which at bottom are
+      quite simple&mdash;though for a long time we understand nothing about
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As our father relates this, we must believe it, and not be astonished&mdash;eh,
+      sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, truly&mdash;since it will all be explained one day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For example,&rdquo; said Dagobert, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, &ldquo;you two are so
+      much alike, that any one, who was not in the habit of seeing you daily,
+      might easily take one for the other. Well! if they did not know that you
+      are, so to speak, &lsquo;doubles,&rsquo; they might think an imp was at work instead of
+      such good little angels as you are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Dagobert; in this way many things may be explained, even
+      as our father says.&rdquo; And Rose continued to read:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not without pride, my gentle Eva, have I learned that Djalma has French
+      blood in his veins. His father married, some years ago, a young girl,
+      whose family, of French origin, had long been settled at Batavia in the
+      island of Java. This similarity of circumstances between my old friend and
+      myself&mdash;for your family also, my Eva, is of French origin, and long
+      settled in a foreign land&mdash;has only served to augment my sympathy for
+      him. Unfortunately, he has long had to mourn the loss of the wife whom he
+      adored.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See, my beloved Eva! my hand trembles as I write these words. I am weak&mdash;I
+      am foolish&mdash;but, alas! my heart sinks within me. If such a misfortune
+      were to happen to me&mdash;Oh, my God!&mdash;what would become of our
+      child without thee&mdash;without his father&mdash;in that barbarous
+      country? But no! the very fear is madness; and yet what a horrible torture
+      is uncertainty! Where may you now be? What are you doing? What has become
+      of you? Pardon these black thoughts, which are sometimes too much for me.
+      They are the cause of my worst moments&mdash;for, when free from them, I
+      can at least say to myself: I am proscribed, I am every way unfortunate&mdash;but,
+      at the other end of the world, two hearts still beat for me with affection&mdash;yours,
+      my Eva, and our child&rsquo;s!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10097m.jpg" alt="10097m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10097.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Rose could hardly finish this passage; for some seconds her voice was
+      broken by sobs. There was indeed a fatal coincidence between the fears of
+      General Simon and the sad reality; and what could be more touching than
+      these outpourings of the heart, written by the light of a watch fire, on
+      the eve of battle, by a soldier who thus sought to soothe the pangs of a
+      separation, which he felt bitterly, but knew not would be eternal?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor general! he is unaware of our misfortune,&rdquo; said Dagobert, after a
+      moment&rsquo;s silence; &ldquo;but neither has he heard that he has two children,
+      instead of one. That will be at least some consolation. But come, Blanche;
+      do go on reading: I fear that this dwelling on grief fatigues your sister,
+      and she is too much affected by it. Besides, after all, it is only just,
+      that you should take your share of its pleasure and its sorrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Blanche took the letter, and Rose, having dried her eyes, laid in her turn
+      her sweet head on the shoulder of her sister, who thus continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am calmer now, my dear Eva; I left off writing for a moment, and strove
+      to banish those black presentiments. Let us resume our conversation! After
+      discoursing so long about India, I will talk to you a little of Europe.
+      Yesterday evening, one of our people (a trusty fellow) rejoined our
+      outposts. He brought me a letter, which had arrived from France at
+      Calcutta; at length, I have news of my father, and am no longer anxious on
+      his account. This letter is dated in August of last year. I see by its
+      contents, that several other letters, to which he alludes, have either
+      been delayed or lost; for I had not received any for two years before, and
+      was extremely uneasy about him. But my excellent father is the same as
+      ever! Age has not weakened him; his character is as energetic, his health
+      as robust, as in times past&mdash;still a workman, still proud of his
+      order, still faithful to his austere republican ideas, still hoping much.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For he says to me, &lsquo;the time is at hand,&rsquo; and he underlines those words.
+      He gives me also, as you will see, good news of the family of old
+      Dagobert, our friend&mdash;for in truth, my dear Eva, it soothes my grief
+      to think, that this excellent man is with you, that he will have
+      accompanied you in your exile&mdash;for I know him&mdash;a kernel of gold
+      beneath the rude rind of a soldier! How he must love our child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here Dagobert coughed two or three times, stooped down, and appeared to be
+      seeking on the ground the little red and blue check-handkerchief spread
+      over his knees. He remained thus bent for some seconds, and, when he
+      raised himself, he drew his hand across his moustache.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How well father knows you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How rightly has he guessed that you would love us!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well, children; pass over that!&mdash;Let&rsquo;s come to the part where
+      the general speaks of my little Agricola, and of Gabriel, my wife&rsquo;s
+      adopted child. Poor woman! when I think that in three months perhaps&mdash;but
+      come, child, read, read,&rdquo; added the old soldier, wishing to conceal his
+      emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I still hope against hope, my dear Eva, that these pages will one day
+      reach you, and therefore I wish to insert in them all that can be
+      interesting to Dagobert. It will be a consolation to him, to have some
+      news of his family. My father, who is still foreman at Mr. Hardy&rsquo;s, tells
+      me that worthy man has also taken into his house the son of old Dagobert.
+      Agricola works under my father, who is enchanted with him. He is, he tells
+      me, a tall and vigorous lad, who wields the heavy forge hammer as if it
+      were a feather, and is light-spirited as he is intelligent and laborious.
+      He is the best workman on the establishment; and this does not prevent him
+      in the evening, after his hard day&rsquo;s work, when he returns home to his
+      mother, whom he truly loves, from making songs and writing excellent
+      patriotic verses. His poetry is full of fire and energy; his
+      fellow-workmen sing nothing else, and his lays have the power to warm the
+      coldest and the most timid hearts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How proud you must be of your son, Dagobert,&rdquo; said Rose, in admiration;
+      &ldquo;he writes songs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, it is all very fine&mdash;but what pleases me best is, that he
+      is good to his mother, and that he handles the hammer with a will. As for
+      the songs, before he makes a &lsquo;Rising of the People,&rsquo; or a &lsquo;Marseillaise,&rsquo;
+      he will have had to beat a good deal of iron; but where can this rascally
+      sweet Agricola have learned to make songs at all?&mdash;No doubt, it was
+      at school, where he went, as you will see, with his adopted brother
+      Gabriel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this name of Gabriel, which reminded them of the imaginary being whom
+      they called their guardian angel, the curiosity of the young girls was
+      greatly excited. With redoubled attention, Blanche continued in these
+      words:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The adopted brother of Agricola, the poor deserted child whom the wife of
+      our good Dagobert so generously took in, forms, my father tells me, a
+      great contrast with Agricola; not in heart, for they have both excellent
+      hearts; but Gabriel is as thoughtful and melancholy as Agricola is lively,
+      joyous, and active. Moreover, adds my father, each of them, so to speak,
+      has the aspect, which belongs to his character. Agricola is dark, tall,
+      and strong, with a gay and bold air; Gabriel, on the contrary, is weak,
+      fair, timid as a girl, and his face wears an expression of angelic
+      mildness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans looked at each other in surprise; then, as they turned towards
+      the soldier their ingenuous countenances, Rose said to him; &ldquo;Have you
+      heard, Dagobert? Father says, that your Gabriel is fair, and has the face
+      of an angel. Why, &lsquo;tis exactly like ours!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, I heard very well; it is that which surprised me, in your
+      dream.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should like to know, if he has also blue eyes,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for that, my children, though the general says nothing about it, I
+      will answer for it: your fair boys have always blue eyes. But, blue or
+      black, he will not use them to stare at young ladies; go on, and you will
+      see why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Blanche resumed:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His face wears an expression of angelic mildness. One of the Brothers of
+      the Christian Schools, where he went with Agricola and other children of
+      his quarter, struck with his intelligence and good disposition, spoke of
+      him to a person of consequence, who, becoming interested in the lad,
+      placed him in a seminary for the clergy, and, since the last two years,
+      Gabriel is a priest. He intends devoting himself to foreign missions, and
+      will soon set out for America.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your Gabriel is a priest, it appears?&rdquo; said Rose, looking at Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;While ours is an angel,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which only proves that yours is a step higher than mine. Well, every one
+      to his taste; there are good people in all trades; but I prefer that it
+      should be Gabriel who has chosen the black gown. I&rsquo;d rather see my boy
+      with arms bare, hammer in hand, and a leathern apron round him, neither
+      more nor less than your old grandfather, my children&mdash;the father of
+      Marshal Simon, Duke of Ligny&mdash;for, after all, marshal and duke he is
+      by the grace of the Emperor. Now finish your letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Soon, alas, yes!&rdquo; said Blanche; &ldquo;there are only a few lines left.&rdquo; And
+      she proceeded:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thus, my dear, loving Eva, if this journal should ever reach its
+      destination, you will be able to satisfy Dagobert as to the position of
+      his wife and son, whom he left for our sakes. How can we ever repay such a
+      sacrifice? But I feel sure, that your good and generous heart will have
+      found some means of compensation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu!&mdash;Again adieu, for to-day, my beloved Eva; I left off writing
+      for a moment, to visit the tent of Djalma. He slept peacefully, and his
+      father watched beside him; with a smile, he banished my fears. This
+      intrepid young man is no longer in any danger. May he still be spared in
+      the combat of to-morrow! Adieu, my gentle Eva! the night is silent and
+      calm; the fires of the bivouac are slowly dying out, and our poor
+      mountaineers repose after this bloody day; I can hear, from hour to hour,
+      the distant all&rsquo;s well of our sentinels. Those foreign words bring back my
+      grief; they remind me of what I sometimes forget in writing&mdash;that I
+      am faraway, separated from you and from my child! Poor, beloved beings!
+      what will be your destiny? Ah! if I could only send you, in time, that
+      medal, which, by a fatal accident, I carried away with me from Warsaw, you
+      might, perhaps, obtain leave to visit France, or at least to send our
+      child there with Dagobert; for you know of what importance&mdash;But why
+      add this sorrow to all the rest? Unfortunately, the years are passing
+      away, the fatal day will arrive, and this last hope, in which I live for
+      you, will also be taken from me: but I will not close the evening by so
+      sad a thought. Adieu, my beloved Eva! Clasp our child to your bosom, and
+      cover it with all the kisses which I send to both of you from the depths
+      of exile!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Till to-morrow&mdash;after the battle!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The reading of this touching letter was followed by long silence. The
+      tears of Rose and Blanche flowed together. Dagobert, with his head resting
+      on his hand, was absorbed in painful reflections.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without doors, the wind had now augmented in violence; a heavy rain began
+      to beat on the sounding panes; the most profound silence reigned in the
+      interior of the inn. But, whilst the daughters of General Simon were
+      reading with such deep emotion, these fragments of their father&rsquo;s journal,
+      a strange and mysterious scene transpired in the menagerie of the
+      brute-tamer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX. THE CAGES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>orok had prepared himself. Over his deer-skin vest he had drawn the coat
+      of mail&mdash;that steel tissue, as pliable as cloth, as hard as diamonds;
+      next, clothing his arms and legs in their proper armor, and his feet in
+      iron-bound buskins, and concealing all this defensive equipment under
+      loose trousers and an ample pelisse carefully buttoned, he took in his
+      hand a long bar of iron, white-hot, set in a wooden handle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though long ago daunted by the skill and energy of the Prophet, his tiger
+      Cain, his lion Judas, and his black panther Death, had sometimes
+      attempted, in a moment of rebellion, to try their fangs and claws on his
+      person; but, thanks to the armor concealed beneath his pelisse, they
+      blunted their claws upon a skin of steel, and notched their fangs upon
+      arms or legs of iron, whilst a slight touch of their master&rsquo;s metallic
+      wand left a deep furrow in their smoking, shrivelled flesh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finding the inutility of their efforts, and endowed with strong memory,
+      the beasts soon learned that their teeth and claws were powerless when
+      directed against this invulnerable being. Hence, their terrified
+      submission reached to such a point that, in his public representations,
+      their master could make them crouch and cower at his feet by the least
+      movement of a little wand covered with flame-colored paper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet, thus armed with care, and holding in his hand the iron made
+      hot by Goliath, descended by the trapdoor of the loft into the large shed
+      beneath, in which were deposited the cages of his animals. A mere wooden
+      partition separated this shed from the stable that contained his horses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A lantern, with a reflector, threw a vivid light on the cages. They were
+      four in number. A wide iron grating formed their sides, turning at one end
+      upon hinges like a door, so as to give ingress to the animal; the bottom
+      of each den rested on two axle-trees and four small iron castors, so that
+      they could easily be removed to the large covered wagon in which they were
+      placed during a journey. One of them was empty; the other three contained,
+      as already intimated, a panther, a tiger, and a lion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The panther, originally from Java, seemed to merit the gloomy name of
+      Death, by her grim, ferocious aspect. Completely black, she lay crouching
+      and rolled up in the bottom of her cage, and her dark hues mingling with
+      the obscurity which surrounded her, nothing was distinctly visible but
+      fixed and glaring eyes&mdash;yellow balls of phosphoric light, which only
+      kindled, as it were, in the night-time; for it is the nature of all the
+      animals of the feline species to enjoy entire clearness of vision but in
+      darkness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet entered the stable in silence: the dark red of his long
+      pelisse contrasted with the pale yellow of his straight hair and beard;
+      the lantern, placed at some height above the ground, threw its rays full
+      upon this man, and the strong light, opposed to the deep shadows around
+      it, gave effect to the sharp proportions of his bony and savage looking
+      figure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He approached the cage slowly. The white rim, which encircled his eyeball,
+      appeared to dilate, and his look rivaled in motionless brilliancy the
+      steadily sparkling gaze of the panther. Still crouching in the shade, she
+      felt already the fascination of that glance; two or three times she
+      dropped her eyelids, with a low, angry howl; then, reopening her eyes, as
+      if in spite of herself, she kept them fastened immovably on those of the
+      Prophet. And now her rounded ears clung to her skull, which was flattened
+      like a viper&rsquo;s; the skin of her forehead became convulsively wrinkled; she
+      drew in her bristling, but silky muzzle, and twice silently opened her
+      jaws, garnished with formidable fangs. From that moment a kind of magnetic
+      connection seemed to be established between the man and the beast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet extended his glowing bar towards the cage, and said, in a
+      sharp, imperious tone: &ldquo;Death! come here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The panther rose, but so dragged herself along that her belly and the bend
+      of her legs touched the ground. She was three feet high, and nearly five
+      in length; her elastic and fleshy spine, the sinews of her thighs as well
+      developed as those of a race-horse, her deep chest, her enormous jutting
+      shoulders, the nerve and muscle in her short, thick paws&mdash;all
+      announced that this terrible animal united vigor with suppleness, and
+      strength with agility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok, with his iron wand still extended in the direction of the cage,
+      made a step towards the panther. The panther made a stride towards the
+      Prophet. Morok stopped; Death stopped also.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment the tiger, Judas, to whom Morok&rsquo;s back was turned, bounded
+      violently in his cage, as if jealous of the attention, which his master
+      paid to the panther. He growled hoarsely, and, raising his head, showed
+      the under-part of his redoubtable triangular jaw, and his broad chest of a
+      dirty white, with which blended the copper color, streaked with black, of
+      his sides; his tail, like a huge red serpent, with rings of ebony, now
+      clung to his flanks, now lashed them with a slow and continuous movement:
+      his eyes, of a transparent, brilliant green, were fixed upon the Prophet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the influence of this man over his animals, that Judas almost
+      immediately ceased growling, as if frightened at his own temerity; but his
+      respiration continued loud and deep. Morok turned his face towards him,
+      and examined him very attentively during some seconds. The panther, no
+      longer subject to the influence of her master&rsquo;s look, slunk back to crouch
+      in the shade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sharp cracking, in sudden breaks, like that which great animals make in
+      gnawing hard substances, was now heard from the cage of the lion. It drew
+      the attention of the Prophet, who, leaving the tiger, advanced towards the
+      other den.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing could be seen of the lion but his monstrous croup of a reddish
+      yellow. His thighs were gathered under him, and his thick mane served
+      entirely to conceal his head. But by the tension and movement of the
+      muscles of his loins, and the curving of his backbone, it was easy to
+      perceive that he was making violent efforts with his throat and his
+      forepaws. The Prophet approached the cage with same uneasiness, fearing
+      that, notwithstanding his orders, Goliath had given the lion some bones to
+      gnaw. To assure himself of it, he said in a quick and firm voice: &ldquo;Cain!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The lion did not change his position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cain! come here!&rdquo; repeated Morok in a louder tone. The appeal was
+      useless; the lion did not move, and the noise continued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cain! come here!&rdquo; said the Prophet a third time; but, as he pronounced
+      these words, he applied the end of the glowing bar to the haunch of the
+      lion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Scarcely did the light track of smoke appear on the reddish hide of Cain,
+      when, with a spring of incredible agility, he turned and threw himself
+      against the grating, not crouching, but at a single bound&mdash;upright,
+      superb, terrifying. The Prophet being at the angle of the cage, Cain, in
+      his fury, had raised himself sideways to face his master, and, leaning his
+      huge flank against the bars, thrust between them his enormous fore leg,
+      which, with his swollen muscles, was as large as Goliath&rsquo;s thigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cain! down!&rdquo; said the Prophet, approaching briskly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lion did not obey immediately. His lips, curling with rage, displayed
+      fangs as long, as large, and as pointed as the tusks of a wild boar. But
+      Morok touched those lips with the end of the burning metal; and, as he
+      felt the smart, followed by an unexpected summons of his master, the lion,
+      not daring to roar, uttered a hollow growl, and his great body sank down
+      at once in an attitude of submission and fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet took down the lantern to see what Cain had been gnawing. It
+      was one of the planks from the floor of his den, which he had succeeded in
+      tearing up, and was crunching between his teeth in the extremity of his
+      hunger. For a few moments the most profound silence reigned in the
+      menagerie. The Prophet, with his hands behind his back, went from one cage
+      to the other, observing the animals with a restless contemplative look, as
+      if he hesitated to make between them an important and difficult choice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From time to time he listened at the great door of the shed, which opened
+      on the court-yard of the inn. At length this door turned on its hinges,
+      and Goliath appeared, his clothes dripping with water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! is it done?&rdquo; said the Prophet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not without trouble. Luckily, the night is dark, it blows hard, and it
+      pours with rain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then there is no suspicion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, master. Your information was good. The door of the cellar opens on
+      the fields, just under the window of the lasses. When you whistled to let
+      me know it was time, I crept out with a stool I had provided; I put it up
+      against the wall, and mounted upon it; with my six feet, that made nine,
+      and I could lean my elbows on the window-ledge; I took the shutter in one
+      hand, and the haft of my knife in the other, and, whilst I broke two of
+      the panes, I pushed the shutter with all my might.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And they thought it was the wind?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they thought it was the wind. You see, the &lsquo;brute&rsquo; is not such a
+      brute, after all. That done, I crept back into my cellar, carrying my
+      stool with me. In a little time, I heard the voice of the old man; it was
+      well I had made haste.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, when I whistled to you, he had just entered the supper-room. I
+      thought he would have been longer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That man&rsquo;s not built to remain long at supper,&rdquo; said the giant,
+      contemptuously. &ldquo;Some moments after the panes had been broken, the old man
+      opened the window, and called his dog, saying: &lsquo;Jump out!&rsquo;&mdash;I went
+      and hid myself at the further end of the cellar, or that infernal dog
+      would have scented me through the door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The dog is now shut up in the stable with the old man&rsquo;s horse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I heard them close shutter and window, I came out of my cellar,
+      replaced my stool, and again mounted upon it. Unfastening the shutter, I
+      opened it without noise, but the two broken panes were stopped up with the
+      skirts of a pelisse. I heard talking, but I could see nothing; so I moved
+      the pelisse a little, and then I could see the two lasses in bed opposite
+      to me, and the old man sitting down with his back to where I stood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the knapsack&mdash;the knapsack?&mdash;That is the most important.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The knapsack was near the window, on a table, by the side of a lamp; I
+      could have reached it by stretching out my arm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What did you hear said?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you told me to think only of the knapsack, I can only remember what
+      concerns the knapsack. The old man said he had some papers in it&mdash;the
+      letter of a general&mdash;his money&mdash;his cross.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good&mdash;what next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As it was difficult for me to keep the pelisse away from the hole, it
+      slipped through my fingers. In trying to get hold of it again, I put my
+      hand too much forward. One of the lasses saw it, and screamed out,
+      pointing to the window.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dolt!&rdquo; exclaimed the Prophet, becoming pale with rage, &ldquo;you have ruined
+      all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stop a bit! there is nothing broken yet. When I heard the scream, I
+      jumped down from my stool, and got back into the cellar; as the dog was no
+      longer about, I left the door ajar, so that I could hear them open the
+      window, and see, by the light, that the old man was looking out with the
+      lamp; but he could find no ladder, and the window was too high for any man
+      of common size to reach it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will have thought, like the first time, that it was the wind. You are
+      less awkward than I imagined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The wolf has become a fox, as you said. Knowing where the knapsack was to
+      be found with the money and the papers, and not being able to do more for
+      the moment, I came away&mdash;and here I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go upstairs and fetch me the longest pike.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the red blanket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Goliath began to mount the ladder; half-way up he stopped. &ldquo;Master,&rdquo; said
+      he, &ldquo;may I not bring down a bit of meat for Death?&mdash;you will see that
+      she&rsquo;ll bear me malice; she puts it all down to my account; she never
+      forgets, and on the first occasion&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The pike and the cloth!&rdquo; repeated the Prophet, in an imperious tone. And
+      whilst Goliath, swearing to himself, proceeded to execute his
+      instructions, Morok opened the great door of the shed, looked out into the
+      yard, and listened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s the pike and the cloth,&rdquo; said the giant, as he descended the
+      ladder with the articles. &ldquo;Now what must I do next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Return to the cellar, mount once more by the window, and when the old man
+      leaves the room&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who will make him leave the room?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind! he will leave it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You say the lamp is near the window?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite near&mdash;on the table next to the knapsack.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, as soon as the old man leaves the room, push open the window,
+      throw down the lamp, and if you accomplish cleverly what remains to do&mdash;the
+      ten florins are yours&mdash;you remember it all?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The girls will be so frightened by the noise and darkness, that they will
+      remain dumb with terror.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make yourself easy! The wolf turned into a fox; why not a serpent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is yet something.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The roof of this shed is not very high, the window of the loft is easy of
+      access, the night is dark&mdash;instead of returning by the door&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will come in at the window.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ay, and without noise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like a regular snake!&rdquo; and the giant departed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; said the Prophet to himself, after a long silence, &ldquo;these means are
+      sure. It was not for me to hesitate. A blind and obscure instrument, I
+      know not the motives of the orders I have received: but from the
+      recommendations which accompany them&mdash;but from the position of him
+      who sends them&mdash;immense interests must be involved&mdash;interests
+      connected with all that is highest and greatest upon earth!&mdash;And yet
+      how can these two girls, almost beggars, how can this wretched soldier
+      represent such interests?&mdash;No matter,&rdquo; added he, with humility; &ldquo;I am
+      the arm which acts&mdash;it is for the head, which thinks and orders, to
+      answer for its work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon after the Prophet left the shed, carrying with him the red cloth, and
+      directed his steps towards the little stable that contained Jovial. The
+      crazy door, imperfectly secured by a latch, was easily opened. At sight of
+      a stranger Spoil-sport threw himself upon him; but his teeth encountered
+      the iron leggings of the Prophet, who, in spite of the efforts of the dog
+      took Jovial by his halter, threw the blanket over his head to prevent his
+      either seeing or smelling, and led him from the stable into the interior
+      of the menagerie, of which he closed the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X. THE SURPRISE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he orphans, after reading the journal of their father, remained for some
+      moments silent, sad, and pensive, contemplating the leaves yellowed by
+      time. Dagobert, also plunged in a reverie, thought of his wife and son,
+      from whom he had been so long separated, and hoped soon to see again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier was the first to break the silence, which had lasted for
+      several minutes. Taking the leaves from the hand of Blanche, he folded
+      them carefully, put them into his pocket, and thus addressed the orphans:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Courage, my children! you see what a brave father you have. Think only of
+      the pleasure of greeting him, and remember always the name of the gallant
+      youth, to whom you will owe that pleasure&mdash;for without him your
+      father would have been killed in India.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma! we shall never forget him,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if our guardian angel Gabriel should return,&rdquo; added Blanche, &ldquo;we will
+      ask him to watch over Djalma as over ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, my children; I am sure that you will forget nothing that
+      concerns good feeling. But to return to the traveller, who came to visit
+      your poor mother in Siberia, he had seen the general a month after the
+      events of which you have read, and at a moment when he was about to enter
+      on a new campaign against the English. It was then that your father
+      entrusted him with the papers and medal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But of what use will this medal be to us, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what is the meaning of these words engraved upon it?&rdquo; added Rose, as
+      she drew it from her bosom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why it means, my children, that on the 13th of February, 1832, we must be
+      at No. 3, Rue Saint Francois, Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what are we to do there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your poor mother was seized so quickly with her last illness, that she
+      was unable to tell me. All I know is, that this medal came to her from her
+      parents, and that it had been a relic preserved in her family for more
+      than a century.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how did our father get it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10105m.jpg" alt="10105m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10105.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Among the articles which had been hastily thrown into the coach, when he
+      was removed by force from Warsaw, was a dressing-case of your mother&rsquo;s, in
+      which was contained this medal. Since that time the general had been
+      unable to send it back, having no means of communicating with us, and not
+      even knowing where we were.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This medal is, then, of great importance to us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unquestionably; for never, during fifteen years, had I seen your mother
+      so happy, as on the day the traveller brought it back to her. &lsquo;Now,&rsquo; said
+      she to me, in the presence of the stranger, and with tears of joy in her
+      eyes, &lsquo;now may my children&rsquo;s future be brilliant as their life has
+      hitherto been miserable. I will entreat of the governor of Siberia
+      permission to go to France with my daughters; it will perhaps be thought I
+      have been sufficiently punished, by fifteen years of exile, and the
+      confiscation of my property. Should they refuse, I will remain here; but
+      they will at least allow me to send my children to France, and you must
+      accompany them, Dagobert. You shall set out immediately, for much time has
+      been already lost; and, if you were not to arrive before the 13th of next
+      February, this cruel separation and toilsome journey would have been all
+      in vain.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suppose we were one day after?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your mother told me that if we arrived the 14th instead of the 13th, it
+      would be too late. She also gave me a thick letter, to put into the post
+      for France, in the first town we should pass through&mdash;which I have
+      done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And do you think we shall be at Paris in time?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so; still, if you are strong enough, we must sometimes make forced
+      marches&mdash;for, if we only travel our five leagues a day, and that
+      without accident, we shall scarcely reach Paris until the beginning of
+      February, and it is better to be a little beforehand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But as father is in&mdash;India, and condemned to death if he return to
+      France, when shall we see him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where shall we see him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor children! there are so many things you have yet to learn. When the
+      traveller quitted him, the general could not return to France, but now he
+      can do so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because the Bourbons, who had banished him, were themselves turned out
+      last year. The news must reach India, and your father will certainly come
+      to meet you at Paris, because he expects that you and your mother will be
+      there on the 13th of next February.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! now I understand how we may hope to see him,&rdquo; said Rose with a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know the name of this traveller, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my children; but whether called Jack or John, he is a good sort. When
+      he left your mother, she thanked him with tears for all his kindness and
+      devotion to the general, herself, and the children; but he pressed her
+      hands in his, and said to her, in so gentle a voice that I could not help
+      being touched by it: &lsquo;Why do you thank me? Did He not Say&mdash;LOVE YE
+      ONE ANOTHER!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is that, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, of whom did the traveller speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know nothing about it; only the manner in which he pronounced those
+      words struck me, and they were the last he spoke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Love one another!&rdquo; repeated Rose, thoughtfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How beautiful are those words!&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And whither was the traveller going?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Far, very far into the North, as he told your mother. When she saw him
+      depart, she said to me: &lsquo;His mild, sad talk has affected me even to tears;
+      whilst I listened to him, I seemed to be growing better&mdash;I seemed to
+      love my husband and my children more&mdash;and yet, to judge by the
+      expression of his countenance, one would think that this stranger had
+      never either smiled or wept!&rsquo; She and I watched him from the door as long
+      as we could follow him with our eyes; he carried his head down, and his
+      walk was slow, calm, and firm; one might fancy that he counted his steps.
+      And, talking of steps, I remarked yet another thing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was it, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know that the road which led to our house way, always damp, because
+      of the overflowing of the little spring.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, the mark of the traveller&rsquo;s footsteps remained in the clay,
+      and I saw that he had nails under his shoe in the form of a cross.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How in the form of a cross?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look!&rdquo; said Dagobert, placing the tip of his finger seven times on the
+      coverlet of the bed; &ldquo;they were arrange: thus beneath his heel:&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+          *
+       * * *
+          *
+          *
+          *
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see it forms a cross.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What could it mean, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Chance, perhaps&mdash;yes, chance&mdash;and yet, in spite of myself, this
+      confounded cross left behind him struck me as a bad omen, for hardly was
+      he gone when misfortune after misfortune fell upon us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! the death of our mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;but, before that, another piece of ill-luck. You had not yet
+      returned, and she was writing her petition to ask leave to go to France or
+      to send you there, when I heard the gallop of a horse. It was a courier
+      from the governor general of Siberia. He brought us orders to change our
+      residence; within three days we were to join other condemned persons, and
+      be removed with them four hundred leagues further north. Thus, after
+      fifteen years of exile, they redoubled in cruelty towards your mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did they thus torment her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One would think that some evil genius was at work against her. A few days
+      later, the traveller would no longer have found us at Milosk; and if he
+      had joined us further on, it would have been too far for the medal and
+      papers to be of use&mdash;since, having set out almost immediately, we
+      shall hardly arrive in time at Paris. &lsquo;If they had some interest to
+      prevent me and my children from going to France,&rsquo; said your mother, &lsquo;they
+      would act just as they have done. To banish us four hundred leagues
+      further, is to render impossible this journey, of which the term is
+      fixed.&rsquo; And the idea overwhelmed her with grief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps it was this unexpected sorrow that was the cause of her sudden
+      illness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! no, my children; it was that infernal cholera, who arrives without
+      giving you notice&mdash;for he too is a great traveller&mdash;and strikes
+      you down like a thunderbolt. Three hours after the traveller had left us,
+      when you returned quite pleased and gay from the forest, with your large
+      bunches of wild-flowers for your mother, she was already in the last
+      agony, and hardly to be recognized. The cholera had broken out in the
+      village, and that evening five persons died of it. Your mother had only
+      time to hang the medal about your neck, my dear little Rose, to recommend
+      you both to my care, and to beg that we should set out immediately. When
+      she was gone, the new order of exile could not apply to you; and I
+      obtained permission from the governor to take my departure with you for
+      France, according to the last wishes&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier could not finish the sentence; he covered his eyes with his
+      hand, whilst the orphans embraced him sobbing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! but,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, with pride, after a moment of painful
+      silence, &ldquo;it was then that you showed yourselves the brave daughters of
+      the general. Notwithstanding the danger, it was impossible to tear you
+      from your mother&rsquo;s bedside; you remained with her to the last, you closed
+      her eyes, you watched there all night, and you would not leave the village
+      till you had seen me plant the little wooden cross over the grave I had
+      dug for her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert paused abruptly. A strange, wild neighing, mingled with ferocious
+      roarings, made the soldier start from his seat. He grew pale, and cried:
+      &ldquo;It is Jovial! my horse! What are they doing to my horse?&rdquo; With that,
+      opening the door he rushed down the stairs precipitately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two sisters clung together, so terrified at the sudden departure of
+      the soldier, that they saw not an enormous hand pass through the broken
+      panes, unfasten the catch of the window, push it violently open, and throw
+      down the lamp placed on the little table, on which was the soldiers&rsquo;s
+      knapsack. The orphans thus found themselves plunged into complete
+      darkness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI. JOVIAL and DEATH.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>orok had led Jovial into the middle of the menagerie, and then removed
+      the cloth which prevented him from seeing and smelling. Scarcely had the
+      tiger, lion, and panther caught a glimpse of him than they threw
+      themselves, half famished, against the bars of their dens.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The horse struck with stupor, his neck stretched out, his eye fixed, and
+      trembling through all his limbs, appeared as if nailed to the ground; an
+      abundant icy sweat rolled suddenly down his flanks. The lion and the tiger
+      uttered fearful roarings, and struggled violently in their dens. The
+      panther did not roar, but her mute rage was terrific.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a tremendous bound, at the risk of breaking her skull, she sprang
+      from the back of the cage against the bars; then, still mute, still
+      furious, she crawled back to the extreme corner of the den, and with a new
+      spring, as impetuous as it was blind, she again strove to force out the
+      iron grating. Three times had she thus bounded&mdash;silent, appalling&mdash;when
+      the horse, passing from the immobility of stupor to the wild agony of
+      fear, neighed long and loud, and rushed in desperation at the door by
+      which he had entered. Finding it closed he hung his head, bent his knees a
+      little, and rubbed his nostrils against the opening left between the
+      ground and the bottom of the door, as if he wished to inhale the air from
+      the outside; then, more and more affrighted, he began to neigh with
+      redoubled force, and struck out violently with his fore-feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the moment when Death was about once more to make her spring, the
+      Prophet approached her cage. The heavy bolt which secured the grating was
+      pushed from its staple by the pike of the brute-tamer, and, in another
+      second, Morok was half way up the ladder that communicated with the loft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The roaring of the lion and tiger, mingled with the neighing of Jovial,
+      now resounded through all parts of the inn. The panther had again thrown
+      herself furiously on the grating, and this time yielding with one spring,
+      she was in the middle of the shed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The light of the lantern was reflected from the glossy ebon of her hide,
+      spotted with stains of a duller black. For an instant she remained
+      motionless, crouching upon her thick-set limbs, with her head close to the
+      floor, as if calculating the distance of the leap by which she was to
+      reach the horse; then suddenly she darted upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On seeing her break from her cage Jovial had thrown himself violently
+      against the door, which was made to open inwards, and leaned against it
+      with all his might, as though he would force it down. Then, at the moment
+      when Death took her leap, he reared up in almost an erect position; but
+      she, rapid as lightning, had fastened upon his throat and hung there,
+      whilst at the same time she buried the sharp claws of her fore-feet in his
+      chest. The jugular vein of the horse opened; a torrent of bright red blood
+      spouted forth beneath the tooth of the panther, who, now supporting
+      herself on her hind legs, squeezed her victim up against the door, whilst
+      she dug into his flank with her claws, and laid bare the palpitating
+      flesh. Then his half-strangled neighing became awful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly these words resounded: &ldquo;Courage, Jovial!&mdash;I am at hand!
+      Courage!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the voice of Dagobert, who was exhausting himself in desperate
+      exertions to force open the door that concealed this sanguinary struggle.
+      &ldquo;Jovial!&rdquo; cried the soldier, &ldquo;I am here. Help! Help!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the sound of that friendly and well-known voice, the poor animal,
+      almost at its last gasp, strove to turn its head in the direction whence
+      came the accents of his master, answered him with a plaintive neigh, and,
+      sinking beneath the efforts of the panther, fell prostrate, first on its
+      knees, then upon its flank, so that its backbone lay right across the
+      door, and still prevented its being opened. And now all was finished. The
+      panther, squatting down upon the horse, crushed him with all her paws,
+      and, in spite of some last faint kicks, buried her bloody snout in his
+      body.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Help! help! my horse!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, as he vainly shook the door. &ldquo;And
+      no arms!&rdquo; he added with rage; &ldquo;no arms!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take care!&rdquo; exclaimed the brute-tamer, who appeared at the window of the
+      loft; &ldquo;do not attempt to enter it might cost you your life. My panther is
+      furious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But my horse! my horse!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in a voice of agony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He must have strayed from his stable during the night, and pushed open
+      the door of the shed. At sight of him the panther must have broken out of
+      her cage and seized him. You are answerable for all the mischief that may
+      ensue,&rdquo; added the brute-tamer, with a menacing air; &ldquo;for I shall have to
+      run the greatest danger, to make Death return to her den.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But my horse! only save my horse!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in a tone of hopeless
+      supplication.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet disappeared from the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The roaring of the animals and the shouts of Dagobert, had roused from
+      sleep every one in the White Falcon. Here and there lights were seen
+      moving and windows were thrown open hurriedly. The servants of the inn
+      soon appeared in the yard with lanterns, and surrounding Dagobert,
+      inquired of him what had happened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My horse is there,&rdquo; cried the soldier, continuing to shake the door, &ldquo;and
+      one of that scoundrel&rsquo;s animals has escaped from its cage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words the people of the inn, already terrified by the frightful
+      roaring, fled from the spot and ran to inform the host. The soldier&rsquo;s
+      anguish may be conceived, as pale, breathless, with his ear close to the
+      chink of the door, he stood listening. By degrees the roaring had ceased,
+      and nothing was heard but low growls, accompanied by the stern voice of
+      the Prophet, repeating in harsh, abrupt accents: &ldquo;Death! come here!
+      Death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The night was profoundly dark, and Dagobert did not perceive Goliath, who,
+      crawling carefully along the tiled roof entered the loft by the attic
+      window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now the gate of the court-yard was again opened, and the landlord of
+      the inn appeared, followed by a number of men. Armed with a carbine, he
+      advanced with precaution; his people carried staves and pitchforks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the row here?&rdquo; said he, as he approached Dagobert. &ldquo;What a hubbub
+      in my house! The devil take wild beast showmen, and negligent fellows who
+      don&rsquo;t know how to tie a horse to the manger! If your beast is hurt, so
+      much the worse for you; you should have taken more care of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of replying to these reproaches, the soldier, who still listened
+      attentively to what was going on in the shed, made a sign to entreat
+      silence. Suddenly a ferocious roar was heard, followed by a loud scream
+      from the Prophet; and, almost immediately after, the panther howled
+      piteously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are no doubt the cause of some great accident,&rdquo; said the frightened
+      host to the soldier; &ldquo;did you not hear that cry? Morok is, perhaps,
+      dangerously wounded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert was about to answer, when the door opened, and Goliath appeared
+      on the threshold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may enter now,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;the danger is over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10113m.jpg" alt="10113m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10113.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The interior of the menagerie presented a singular spectacle. The Prophet,
+      pale, and scarcely able to conceal his agitation beneath an apparent air
+      of calmness, was kneeling some paces from the cage of the panther, in the
+      attitude of one absorbed in himself; the motion of his lips indicating
+      that he was praying. At sight of the host and the people of the inn, he
+      rose, and said in a solemn voice: &ldquo;I thank thee, my Preserver, that I have
+      been able to conquer, by the strength which Thou hast given me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then folding his arms, with haughty brow and imperious glance, he seemed
+      to enjoy the triumph he had achieved over Death, who, stretched on the
+      bottom of her den, continued to utter plaintive howlings. The spectators
+      of this scene, ignorant that the pelisse of the brute-tamer covered a
+      complete suit of armor, and attributing the cries of the panther solely to
+      fear, were struck with astonishment and admiration at the intrepidity and
+      almost supernatural power of this man. A few steps behind him stood
+      Goliath, leaning upon the ashen pikestaff. Finally, not far from the cage,
+      in the midst of a pool of blood, lay the dead body of Jovial.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of the blood-stained and torn remains, Dagobert stood motionless,
+      and his rough countenance assumed an expression of the deepest grief:
+      then, throwing himself on his knees, he lifted the head of Jovial; and
+      when he saw those dull, glassy, and half-closed eyes, once so bright and
+      intelligent, as they turned towards a much-loved master, the soldier could
+      not suppress an exclamation of bitter anguish. Forgetting his anger,
+      forgetting the deplorable consequences of this accident, so fatal to the
+      interests of the two maidens, who would thus be prevented from continuing
+      their journey&mdash;he thought only of the horrible death of his poor old
+      horse, the ancient companion of his fatigues and wars, the faithful
+      animal, twice wounded like himself, and from whom for so many years he had
+      never been separated. This poignant emotion was so cruelly, so affectingly
+      visible in the soldier&rsquo;s countenance, that the landlord and his people
+      felt themselves for a moment touched with pity, as they gazed on the tall
+      veteran kneeling beside his dead horse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, when following the course of his regrets, he thought how Jovial had
+      also been the companion of his exile, how the mother of the orphans had
+      formerly (like her daughters) undertaken a toilsome journey with the aid
+      of this unfortunate animal, the fatal consequences of his loss presented
+      themselves on a sudden to his mind. Then, fury succeeding to grief, he
+      rose, with anger flashing from his eyes, and threw himself on the Prophet;
+      with one hand he seized him by the throat, and with the other administered
+      five or six heavy blows, which fell harmlessly on the coat of mail.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rascal! you shall answer to me for my horse&rsquo;s death!&rdquo; said the soldier,
+      as he continued his correction. Morok, light and sinewy, could not
+      struggle with advantage against Dagobert, who, aided by his tall stature,
+      still displayed extraordinary vigor. It needed the intervention of Goliath
+      and the landlord to rescue the Prophet from the hands of the old
+      grenadier. After some moments, they succeeded in separating the two
+      champions. Morok was white with rage. It needed new efforts to prevent his
+      seizing the pike to attack Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is abominable!&rdquo; cried the host, addressing the soldier, who pressed
+      his clinched fists in despair against his bald forehead. &ldquo;You expose this
+      good man to be devoured by his beasts, and then you wish to beat him into
+      the bargain. Is this fitting conduct for a graybeard? Shall we have to
+      fetch the police? You showed yourself more reasonable in the early part of
+      the evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words recalled the soldier to himself. He regretted his impetuosity
+      the more, as the fact of his being a stranger might augment the difficulty
+      of his position. It was necessary above all to obtain the price of his
+      horse, so as to be enabled to continue his journey, the success of which
+      might be compromised by a single day&rsquo;s delay. With a violent effort,
+      therefore, he succeeded in restraining his wrath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right&mdash;I was too hasty,&rdquo; said he to the host, in an agitated
+      voice, which he tried to make as calm as possible. &ldquo;I had not the same
+      patience as before. But ought not this man be responsible for the loss of
+      my horse? I make you judge in the matter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, as judge, I am not of your opinion. All this has been your
+      own fault. You tied up your horse badly, and he strayed by chance into
+      this shed, of which no doubt the door was half-open,&rdquo; said the host,
+      evidently taking the part of the brute-tamer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was just as you say,&rdquo; answered Goliath. &ldquo;I can remember it. I left the
+      door ajar, that the beasts might have some air in the night. The cages
+      were well shut, and there was no danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very true,&rdquo; said one of the standers-by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was only the sight of the horse,&rdquo; added another, &ldquo;that made the
+      panther furious, so as to break out of its cage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the Prophet who has the most right to complain,&rdquo; observed a third.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter what this or that person says,&rdquo; returned Dagobert, whose
+      patience was beginning to fail him, &ldquo;I say, that I must have either money
+      or a horse on the instant&mdash;yes, on the instant&mdash;for I wish to
+      quit this unlucky house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I say, it is you that must indemnify me,&rdquo; cried Morok, who had kept
+      this stage-trick for the last, and who now exhibited his left hand all
+      bloody, having hitherto concealed it beneath the sleeve of his pelisse. &ldquo;I
+      shall perhaps be disabled for life,&rdquo; he added; &ldquo;see what a wound the
+      panther has made here!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without having the serious character that the Prophet ascribed to it, the
+      wound was a pretty deep one. This last argument gained for him the general
+      sympathy. Reckoning no doubt upon this incident, to secure the winning of
+      a cause that he now regarded as his own, the host said to the hostler:
+      &ldquo;There is only one way to make a finish. It is to call up the burgomaster,
+      and beg him to step here. He will decide who is right or wrong.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was just going to propose it to you,&rdquo; said the soldier, &ldquo;for, after
+      all, I cannot take the law into my own hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fritz, run to the burgomaster&rsquo;s!&rdquo;&mdash;and the hustler started in all
+      haste. His master, fearing to be compromised by the examination of the
+      soldier, whose papers he had neglected to ask for on his arrival, said to
+      him: &ldquo;The burgomaster will be in a very bad humor, to be disturbed so
+      late. I have no wish to suffer by it, and I must therefore beg you to go
+      and fetch me your papers, to see if they are in rule. I ought to have made
+      you show them, when you arrived here in the evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are upstairs in my knapsack; you shall have them,&rdquo; answered the
+      soldier&mdash;and turning away his head, and putting his hand before his
+      eyes, as he passed the dead body of Jovial, he went out to rejoin the
+      sisters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Prophet followed him with a glance of triumph, and said to himself:
+      &ldquo;There he goes!&mdash;without horse, without money, without papers. I could
+      not do more&mdash;for I was forbidden to do more&mdash;I was to act with
+      as much cunning as possible and preserve appearances. Now every one will
+      think this soldier in the wrong. I can at least answer for it, that he
+      will not continue his journey for some days&mdash;since such great
+      interests appear to depend on his arrest, and that of the young girls.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A quarter of an hour after this reflection of the brute-tamer, Karl,
+      Goliath&rsquo;s comrade, left the hiding-place where his master had concealed
+      him during the evening, and set out for Leipsic, with a letter which Morok
+      had written in haste, and which Karl, on his arrival, was to put
+      immediately into the post.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The address of this letter was as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A Monsieur Rodin, Rue du Milieu-des-Ursins, No, 11, A Paris, France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10139m.jpg" alt="10139m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10139.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII. THE BURGOMASTER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>agobert&rsquo;s anxiety increased every moment. Certain that his horse had not
+      entered the shed of its own accord, he attributed the event which had
+      taken place to the spite of the brute-tamer; but he sought in vain for the
+      motive of this wretch&rsquo;s animosity, and he reflected with dismay, that his
+      cause, however just, would depend on the good or bad humor of a judge
+      dragged from his slumbers and who might be ready to condemn upon
+      fallacious appearances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fully determined to conceal, as long as possible, from the orphans the
+      fresh misfortunes, which had befallen them, he was proceeding to open the
+      door of their chamber, when he stumbled over Spoil-sport&mdash;for the dog
+      had run back to his post, after vainly trying to prevent the Prophet from
+      leading away Jovial. &ldquo;Luckily the dog has returned; the poor little things
+      have been well guarded,&rdquo; said the soldier, as he opened the door. To his
+      great surprise, the room was in utter darkness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children,&rdquo; cried he, &ldquo;why are you without a light?&rdquo; There was no
+      answer. In terror he groped his way to the bed, and took the hand of one
+      of the sisters; the hand was cold as ice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rose, my children!&rdquo; cried he. &ldquo;Blanche! Give me some answer! you frighten
+      me.&rdquo; Still the same silence continued; the hand which he held remained
+      cold and powerless, and yielded passively to his touch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then, the moon emerged from the black clouds that surrounded her, and
+      threw sufficient light into the little room, and upon the bed, which faced
+      the window, for the soldier to see that the two sisters had fainted. The
+      bluish light of the moon added to the paleness of the orphans; they held
+      each other in a half embrace, and Rose had buried her head on Blanche&rsquo;s
+      bosom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They must have fainted through fear,&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert, running to
+      fetch his gourd. &ldquo;Poor things! after a day of so much excitement, it is
+      not surprising.&rdquo; And moistening the corner of a handkerchief with a few
+      drops of brandy, the soldier knelt beside the bed, gently chafed the
+      temples of the two sisters, and held the linen, wet with the spirituous
+      liquor, to their little pink nostrils.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still on his knees, and bending his dark, anxious face over the orphans,
+      he waited some moments before again resorting to the only restorative in
+      his power. A slight shiver of Rose gave him renewed hope; the young girl
+      turned her head on the pillow with a sigh; then she started, and opened
+      her eyes with an expression of astonishment and alarm; but, not
+      immediately recognizing Dagobert, she exclaimed: &ldquo;Oh, sister!&rdquo; and threw
+      herself into the arms of Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter also was beginning to experience the effect of the soldier&rsquo;s
+      care. The exclamation of Rose completely roused her from her lethargy, and
+      she clung to her sister, again sharing the fright without knowing its
+      cause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve come to&mdash;that&rsquo;s the chief point,&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;now we
+      shall soon get rid of these foolish fears.&rdquo; Then softening his voice, he
+      added: &ldquo;Well, my children, courage? You are better. It is I who am here&mdash;me,
+      Dagobert!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans made a hasty movement, and, turning towards the soldier their
+      sweet faces, which were still full of dismay and agitation, they both, by
+      a graceful impulse, extended their arms to him and cried: &ldquo;It is you,
+      Dagobert&mdash;then we are safe!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my children, it is I,&rdquo; said the veteran, taking their hands in his,
+      and pressing them joyfully. &ldquo;So you have been much frightened during my
+      absence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, frightened to death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you knew&mdash;oh, goodness! if you knew&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the lamp is extinguished&mdash;why is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We did not do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come&mdash;recover yourselves, poor children, and tell me all about it. I
+      have no good opinion of this inn; but, luckily, we shall soon leave it. It
+      was an ill wind that blew me hither&mdash;though, to be sure, there was no
+      other in the village. But what has happened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were hardly gone, when the window flew open violently, and the lamp
+      and table fell together with a loud crash.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then our courage failed&mdash;we screamed and clasped each other, for we
+      thought we could hear some one moving in the room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we were so frightened, that we fainted away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Unfortunately, persuaded that it was the violence of the wind which had
+      already broken the glass, and shaken the window, Dagobert attributed this
+      second accident to the same cause as the first, thinking that he had not
+      properly secured the fastening and that the orphans had been deceived by a
+      false alarm. &ldquo;Well, well&mdash;it is over now,&rdquo; said he to them: &ldquo;Calm
+      yourselves, and don&rsquo;t think of it any more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But why did you leave us so hastily, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, now I remember&mdash;did we not hear a great noise, sister, and see
+      Dagobert run to the staircase, crying: &lsquo;My horse! what are they doing to
+      my horse?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was then Jovial who neighed?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These questions renewed the anguish of the soldier; he feared to answer
+      them, and said, with a confused air: &ldquo;Yes&mdash;Jovial neighed&mdash;but
+      it was nothing. By the by, we must have a light here. Do you know where I
+      put my flint and steel last evening? Well, I have lost my senses; it is
+      here in my pocket. Luckily, too, we have a candle, which I am going to
+      light; I want to look in my knapsack for some papers I require.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert struck a few sparks, obtained a light, and saw that the window
+      was indeed open, the table thrown down, and the lamp lying by the side of
+      the knapsack. He shut the window, set the little table on its feet again,
+      placed the knapsack upon it, and began to unbuckle this last in order to
+      take out his portfolio, which had been deposited along with his cross and
+      purse, in a kind of pocket between the outside and the lining. The straps
+      had been readjusted with so much care, that there was no appearance of the
+      knapsack having been disturbed; but when the soldier plunged his hand into
+      the pocket above-mentioned, he found it empty. Struck with consternation,
+      he grew pale, and retreated a step, crying: &ldquo;How is this?&mdash;Nothing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter?&rdquo; said Blanche. He made her no answer. Motionless, he
+      leaned against the table, with his hand still buried in the pocket. Then,
+      yielding to a vague hope&mdash;for so cruel a reality did not appear
+      possible&mdash;he hastily emptied the contents of the knapsack on the
+      table&mdash;his poor half-worn clothes&mdash;his old uniform-coat of the
+      horse-grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, a sacred relic for the soldiers&mdash;but,
+      turn and return them as he would, he found neither his purse, nor the
+      portfolio that contained his papers, the letters of General Simon, and his
+      cross.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In vain, with that serious childishness which always accompanies a
+      hopeless search, he took the knapsack by the two ends, and shook it
+      vigorously; nothing came out. The orphans looked on with uneasiness, not
+      understanding his silence or his movements, for his back was turned to
+      them. Blanche ventured to say to him in a timid voice: &ldquo;What ails you&mdash;you
+      don&rsquo;t answer us.&mdash;What is it you are looking for in your knapsack?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Still mute, Dagobert searched his own person, turned out all his pockets&mdash;nothing!&mdash;For
+      the first time in his life, perhaps, his two children, as he called them,
+      had spoken to him without receiving a reply. Blanche and Rose felt the big
+      tears start into their eyes; thinking that the soldier was angry, they
+      darst not again address him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no! it is impossible&mdash;no!&rdquo; said the veteran, pressing his hand
+      to his forehead, and seeking in his memory where he might have put those
+      precious objects, the loss of which he could not yet bring himself to
+      believe. A sudden beam of joy flashed from his eyes. He ran to a chair,
+      and took from it the portmanteau of the orphans; it contained a little
+      linen, two black dresses, and a small box of white wood, in which were a
+      silk handkerchief that had belonged to their mother, two locks of her
+      hair, and a black ribbon she had worn round her neck. The little she
+      possessed had been seized by the Russian government, in pursuance of the
+      confiscation. Dagobert searched and researched every article&mdash;peeped
+      into all the corners of the portmanteau&mdash;still nothing!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This time, completely worn out, leaning against the table, the strong,
+      energetic man felt himself giving way. His face was burning, yet bathed in
+      a cold sweat; his knees trembled under him. It is a common saying, that
+      drowning men will catch at straws; and so it is with the despair that
+      still clings to some shred of hope. Catching at a last chance&mdash;absurd,
+      insane, impossible&mdash;he turned abruptly towards the orphans, and said
+      to them, without considering the alteration in his voice and features: &ldquo;I
+      did not give them to you&mdash;to keep for me?&mdash;speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering, Rose and Blanche, terrified at his paleness and the
+      expression of his countenance, uttered a cry. &ldquo;Good heavens! what is the
+      matter with you?&rdquo; murmured Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you got them&mdash;yes, or no?&rdquo; cried in a voice of thunder the
+      unfortunate, distracted man. &ldquo;If you have not&mdash;I&rsquo;ll take the first
+      knife I meet with, and stick it into my body!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! You are so good: pardon us if we have done anything to afflict you!
+      You love us so much, you would not do us any harm.&rdquo; The orphans began to
+      weep, as they stretched forth their hands in supplication towards the
+      soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He looked at them with haggard eye, without even seeing them; till, as the
+      delusion passed away, the reality presented itself to his mind with all
+      its terrible consequences. Then he clasped his hands together, fell on his
+      knees before the bed of the orphans, leaned his forehead upon it, and amid
+      his convulsive sobs&mdash;for the man of iron sobbed like a child&mdash;these
+      broken words were audible: &ldquo;Forgive me&mdash;forgive!&mdash;I do not know
+      how it can be!&mdash;Oh! what a misfortune!&mdash;what a misfortune!&mdash;Forgive
+      me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10121m.jpg" alt="10121m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10121.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      At this outbreak of grief, the cause of which they understood not, but
+      which in such a man was heart-rending, the two sisters wound their arms
+      about his old gray head, and exclaimed amid their tears: &ldquo;Look at us! Only
+      tell us what is the matter with you?&mdash;Is it our fault?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant, the noise of footsteps resounded from the stairs, mingled
+      with the barking of Spoil-sport, who had remained outside the door. The
+      nearer the steps approached, the more furious became the barking; it was
+      no doubt accompanied with hostile demonstrations, for the host was heard
+      to cry out in an angry tone: &ldquo;Hollo! you there! Call off your dog, or
+      speak to him. It is Mr. Burgomaster who is coming up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert&mdash;do you hear?&mdash;it is the burgomaster,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are coming upstairs&mdash;a number of people,&rdquo; resumed Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The word burgomaster recalled whatever had happened to the mind of
+      Dagobert, and completed, so to express it, the picture of his terrible
+      position. His horse was dead, he had neither papers nor money, and a day,
+      a single day&rsquo;s detention, might defeat the last hope of the sisters, and
+      render useless this long and toilsome journey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Men of strong minds, and the veteran was of the number, prefer great
+      perils, positions of danger accurately defined, to the vague anxieties
+      which precede a settled misfortune. Guided by his good sense and admirable
+      devotion, Dagobert understood at once, that his only resource was now in
+      the justice of the burgomaster, and that all his efforts should tend to
+      conciliate the favor of that magistrate. He therefore dried his eyes with
+      the sheet, rose from the ground, erect, calm, and resolute, and said to
+      the orphans: &ldquo;Fear nothing, my children; it is our deliverer who is at
+      hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you call off your dog or no?&rdquo; cried the host, still detained on the
+      stairs by Spoil-sport, who, as a vigilant sentinel, continued to dispute
+      the passage. &ldquo;Is the animal mad, I say? Why don&rsquo;t you tie him up? Have you
+      not caused trouble enough in my house? I tell you, that Mr. Burgomaster is
+      waiting to examine you in your turn, for he has finished with Morok.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert drew his fingers through his gray locks and across his moustache,
+      clasped the collar of his top-coat, and brushed the sleeves with his hand,
+      in order to give himself the best appearance possible; for he felt that
+      the fate of the orphans must depend on his interview with the magistrate.
+      It was not without a violent beating of the heart, that he laid his hand
+      upon the door-knob, saying to the young girls, who were growing more and
+      more frightened by such a succession of events: &ldquo;Hide yourselves in your
+      bed, my children; if any one must needs enter, it shall be the burgomaster
+      alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereupon, opening the door, the soldier stepped out on the landing place,
+      and said: &ldquo;Down, Spoil-sport!&mdash;Here!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The dog obeyed, but with manifest repugnance. His master had to speak
+      twice, before he would abstain from all hostile movements towards the
+      host. This latter, with a lantern in one hand and his cap in the other,
+      respectfully preceded the burgomaster, whose magisterial proportions were
+      lost in the half shadows of the staircase. Behind the judge, and a few
+      steps lower, the inquisitive faces of the people belonging to the inn were
+      dimly visible by the light of another lantern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, having turned the dog into the room, shut the door after him,
+      and advanced two steps on the landing-place, which was sufficiently
+      spacious to hold several persons, and had in one corner a wooden bench
+      with a back to it. The burgomaster, as he ascended the last stair, was
+      surprised to see Dagobert close the door of the chamber, as though he
+      wished to forbid his entrance. &ldquo;Why do you shut that door?&rdquo; asked he in an
+      abrupt tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First, because two girls, whom I have the charge of, are in bed in that
+      room; secondly, because your examination would alarm them,&rdquo; replied
+      Dagobert. &ldquo;Sit down upon this bench, Mr. Burgomaster, and examine me here;
+      it will not make any difference, I should think.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And by what right,&rdquo; asked the judge, with a displeased air, &ldquo;do you
+      pretend to dictate to me the place of your examination?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, I have no such pretension, Mr. Burgomaster!&rdquo; said the soldier
+      hastily, fearing above all things to prejudice the judge against him:
+      &ldquo;only, as the girls are in bed, and already much frightened, it would be a
+      proof of your good heart to examine me where I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Humph!&rdquo; said the magistrate, with ill-humor; &ldquo;a pretty state of things,
+      truly!&mdash;It was much worth while to disturb me in the middle of the
+      night. But, come, so be it; I will examine you here.&rdquo; Then, turning to the
+      landlord, he added: &ldquo;Put your lantern upon this bench, and leave us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The innkeeper obeyed, and went down, followed by his people, as
+      dissatisfied as they were at being excluded from the examination. The
+      veteran was left alone with the magistrate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII. THE JUDGEMENT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he worthy burgomaster of Mockern wore a cloth cap, and was enveloped in a
+      cloak. He sat down heavily on the bench. He was a corpulent man, about
+      sixty, with an arrogant, morose countenance; and he frequently rubbed with
+      his red, fat fist, eyes that were still swollen and blood shot, from his
+      having been suddenly roused from sleep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert stood bareheaded before him, with a submissive, respectful air,
+      holding his old foraging cap in his hands, and trying to read in the
+      sullen physiognomy of his judge what chance there might be to interest him
+      in his favor&mdash;that is, in favor of the orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this critical juncture, the poor soldier summoned to his aid all his
+      presence of mind, reason, eloquence and resolution. He, who had twenty
+      times braved death with the utmost coolness&mdash;who, calm and serene,
+      because sincere and tried, had never quailed before the eagle-glance of
+      the Emperor, his hero and idol&mdash;now felt himself disconcerted and
+      trembling before the ill-humored face of a village burgomaster. Even so, a
+      few hours before, he had submitted, impassive and resigned, to the insults
+      of the Prophet&mdash;that he might not compromise the sacred mission with
+      which a dying mother had entrusted him&mdash;thus showing to what a height
+      of heroic abnegation it is possible for a simple and honest heart to
+      attain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you to say in your justification? Come, be quick!&rdquo; said the
+      judge roughly, with a yawn of impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have not got to justify myself&mdash;I have to make a complaint, Mr.
+      Burgomaster,&rdquo; replied Dagobert in a firm voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think you are to teach me in what terms I am to put my questions?&rdquo;
+       exclaimed the magistrate, in so sharp a tone that the soldier reproached
+      himself with having begun the interview so badly. Wishing to pacify his
+      judge, he made haste to answer with submission:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, Mr. Burgomaster, I have ill-explained my meaning. I only
+      wished to say that I was not wrong in this affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Prophet says the contrary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Prophet?&rdquo; repeated the soldier, with an air of doubt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Prophet is a pious and honest man,&rdquo; resumed the judge, &ldquo;incapable of
+      falsehood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot say anything upon that subject; but you are too just, and have
+      too good a heart, Mr. Burgomaster, to condemn without hearing me. It is
+      not a man like you that would do an injustice; oh, one can see that at a
+      glance!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In resigning himself thus to play the part of a courtier, Dagobert
+      softened as much as possible his gruff voice, and strove to give to his
+      austere countenance a smiling, agreeable, and flattering expression. &ldquo;A
+      man like you,&rdquo; he added, with redoubled suavity of manner, &ldquo;a respectable
+      judge like you, never shuts his ears to one side or the other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ears are not in question, but eyes; and, though mine smart as if I had
+      rubbed them with nettles, I have seen the hand of the brute-tamer, with a
+      frightful wound on it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Mr. Burgomaster, it is very true; but consider, if he had shut his
+      cages and his door, all this would not have happened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so; it is your fault. You should have fastened your horse securely to
+      the manger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Mr. Burgomaster, certainly, you are right,&rdquo; said the
+      soldier, in a still more affable and conciliating voice. &ldquo;It is not for a
+      poor devil like me to contradict you. But supposing my horse was let loose
+      out of pure malice, in order that he might stray into the menagerie&mdash;you
+      will then acknowledge that it was not my fault. That is, you will
+      acknowledge it if you think fit,&rdquo; hastily added the soldier &ldquo;I have no
+      right to dictate to you in anything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why the devil should any one do you this ill-turn?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, Mr. Burgomaster&mdash;but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not know&mdash;well, nor I either,&rdquo; said the burgomaster
+      impatiently. &ldquo;Zounds! what a many words about the carcass of an old
+      horse!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The countenance of the soldier, losing on a sudden its expression of
+      forced suavity, became once more severe; he answered in a grave voice,
+      full of emotion: &ldquo;My horse is dead&mdash;he is no more than a carcass&mdash;that
+      is true; but an hour ago, though very old, he was full of life and
+      intelligence. He neighed joyously at my voice&mdash;and, every evening, he
+      licked the hands of the two poor children, whom he had carried all the day&mdash;as
+      formerly he had carried their mother. Now he will never carry any one
+      again; they will throw him to the dogs, and all will be finished. You need
+      not have reminded me harshly of it, Mr. Burgomaster&mdash;for I loved my
+      horse!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By these words, pronounced with noble and touching simplicity, the
+      burgomaster was moved in spite of himself, and regretted his hasty speech.
+      &ldquo;It is natural that you should be sorry for your horse,&rdquo; said he, in a
+      less impatient tone; &ldquo;but what is to be done?&mdash;It is a misfortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A misfortune?&mdash;Yes, Mr. Burgomaster, a very great misfortune. The
+      girls, who accompany me, were too weak to undertake a long journey on
+      foot, too poor to travel in a carriage&mdash;and yet we have to arrive in
+      Paris before the month of February. When their mother died, I promised her
+      to take them to France, for these children have only me to take care of
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are then their&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am their faithful servant, Mr. Burgomaster; and now that my horse has
+      been killed, what can I do for them? Come, you are good, you have perhaps
+      children of your own; if, one day, they should find themselves in the
+      position of my two little orphans&mdash;with no wealth, no resources in
+      the world, but an old soldier who loves them, and an old horse to carry
+      them along&mdash;if, after being very unfortunate from their birth&mdash;yes,
+      very unfortunate, for my orphans are the daughters of exiles&mdash;they
+      should see happiness before them at the end of a journey, and then, by the
+      death of their horse, that journey become impossible&mdash;tell me, Mr.
+      Burgomaster, if this would not touch your heart? Would you not find, as I
+      do, that the loss of my horse is irreparable?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; answered the burgomaster, who was not ill natured at bottom,
+      and who could not help taking part in Dagobert&rsquo;s emotion; &ldquo;I now
+      understand the importance of the loss you have suffered. And then your
+      orphans interest me: how old are they?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fifteen years and two months. They are twins.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fifteen years and two months&mdash;that is about the age of my
+      Frederica.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have a young lady of that age?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, once more awaking to
+      hope; &ldquo;ah, Mr. Burgomaster! I am really no longer uneasy about my poor
+      children. You will do us justice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To do justice is my duty. After all, in this affair, the faults are about
+      equal on both sides. You tied up your horse badly, and the brute tamer
+      left his door open. He says: &lsquo;I am wounded in the hand.&rsquo; You answer: &lsquo;My
+      horse has been killed&mdash;and, for a thousand reasons, the loss of my
+      horse is irreparable.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You make me speak better than I could ever speak on my own account, Mr.
+      Burgomaster,&rdquo; said the soldier, with a humble, insinuating smile; &ldquo;but
+      &lsquo;tis what I meant to express&mdash;and, as you say yourself, Mr.
+      Burgomaster, my horse being my whole fortune, it is only fair&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Exactly so,&rdquo; resumed the magistrate, interrupting the soldier; &ldquo;your
+      reasons are excellent. The Prophet&mdash;who is a good and pious man with
+      all has related the facts to me in his own way; and then, you see, he is
+      an old acquaintance. We are nearly all zealous Catholics here, and he
+      sells to our wives such cheap and edifying little books, with chaplets and
+      amulets of the best manufacture, at less than the prime cost. All this,
+      you will say, has nothing to do with the affair; and you will be right in
+      saying so: still I must needs confess that I came here with the intention&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of deciding against me, eh, Mr. Burgomaster?&rdquo; said Dagobert, gaining more
+      and more confidence. &ldquo;You see, you were not quite awake, and your justice
+      had only one eye open.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, master soldier,&rdquo; answered the judge with good humor, &ldquo;it is not
+      unlikely; for I did not conceal from Morok that I gave it in his favor.
+      Then he said to me (very generously, by the way): &lsquo;Since you condemn my
+      adversary, I will not aggravate his position by telling you certain things&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! against me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Apparently so; but, like a generous enemy, when I told him that I should
+      most likely condemn you to pay him damages, he said no more about it. For
+      I will not hide from you, that, before I heard your reasons, I fully
+      intended that you should make compensation for the Prophet&rsquo;s wound.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See, Mr. Burgomaster, how the most just and able persons are subject to
+      be deceived,&rdquo; said Dagobert, becoming once more the courtier; then, trying
+      to assume a prodigiously knowing look, he added: &ldquo;But such persons find
+      out the truth at last, and are not to be made dupes of, whatever prophets
+      may say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This poor attempt at a jest&mdash;the first and only one, perhaps, that
+      Dagobert had ever been guilty of&mdash;will show the extremity to which he
+      was reduced, and the desperate efforts of all kinds he was making to
+      conciliate the good graces of his judge. The burgomaster did not at first
+      see the pleasantry; he was only led to perceive it by the self satisfied
+      mien of Dagobert, and by his inquiring glance, which seemed to say: &ldquo;Is it
+      not good, eh?&mdash;I am astonished at it myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The magistrate began, therefore, to smile with a patronizing air, and,
+      nodding his head, replied in the same jocular spirit: &ldquo;Ha! Ha! Ha! You are
+      right; the Prophet is out in his prophecy. You shall not pay him any
+      damages. The faults on both sides are equal, and the injuries balance one
+      another. He has been wounded, your horse has been killed; so you may cry
+      quits, and have done with it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how much then, do you think he owes me?&rdquo; asked the soldier, with
+      singular simplicity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How much?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Mr. Burgomaster, what sum will he have to pay me? Yes&mdash;but,
+      before you decide, I must tell you one thing, Mr. Burgomaster. I think I
+      shall be entitled to spend only part of the money in buying a horse. I am
+      sure, that, in the environs of Leipsic, I could get a beast very cheap
+      from some of the peasants; and, between ourselves, I will own to you,
+      that, if I could meet with only a nice little donkey&mdash;I should not be
+      over particular&mdash;I should even like it just as well; for, after my
+      poor Jovial, the company of another horse would be painful to me. I must
+      also tell you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hey-day!&rdquo; cried the burgomaster, interrupting Dagobert, &ldquo;of what money,
+      what donkey, and what other horse are you talking? I tell you, that you
+      owe nothing to the Prophet, and that he owes you nothing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He owes me nothing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are very dull of comprehension, my good man. I repeat, that, if the
+      Prophet&rsquo;s animals have killed your horse, the Prophet himself has been
+      badly wounded; so you may cry quits. In other words, you owe him nothing,
+      and he owes you nothing. Now do you understand?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, confounded, remained for some moments without answering, whilst
+      he looked at the burgomaster with an expression of deep anguish. He saw
+      that his judgment would again destroy all his hopes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, Mr. Burgomaster,&rdquo; resumed he, in an agitated voice, &ldquo;you are too
+      just not to pay attention to one thing: the wound of the brute-tamer does
+      not prevent him from continuing his trade; the death of my horse prevents
+      me from continuing my journey; therefore, he ought to indemnify me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The judge considered he had already done a good deal for Dagobert, in not
+      making him responsible for the wound of the Prophet, who, as we have
+      already said, exercised a certain influence over the Catholics of the
+      country by the sale of his devotional treasures, and also from its being
+      known that he was supported by some persons of eminence. The soldier&rsquo;s
+      pertinacity, therefore, offended the magistrate, who, reassuming his lofty
+      air, replied, in a chilling tone: &ldquo;You will make me repent my
+      impartiality. How is this? Instead of thanking me, you ask for more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, Mr. Burgomaster, I ask only for what is just. I wish I were wounded
+      in the hand, like the Prophet, so that I could but continue my journey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are not talking of what you wish. I have pronounced sentence&mdash;there
+      is no more to say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, Mr. Burgomaster&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, enough. Let us go to the next subject. Your papers?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, we will speak about my papers; but I beg of you, Mr. Burgomaster, to
+      have pity on those two children. Let us have the means to continue our
+      journey, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have done all I could for you&mdash;perhaps, more than I ought. Once
+      again, your papers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must first explain to you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No! No explanation&mdash;your papers!&mdash;Or would you like me to have
+      you arrested as a vagabond?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me&mdash;-arrested!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you that, if you refuse to show me your papers, it will be as if
+      you had none. Now, those people who have no papers we take into custody
+      till the authorities can dispose of them. Let me see your papers, and make
+      haste!&mdash;I am in a hurry to get home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s position was the more distressing, as for a moment he had
+      indulged in sanguine hope. The last blow was now added to all the veteran
+      had suffered since the commencement of this scene, which was a cruel as
+      well as dangerous trial, for a man of his character&mdash;upright, but
+      obstinate&mdash;faithful, but rough and absolute&mdash;a man who, for a
+      long time a soldier, and a victorious one, had acquired a certain despotic
+      mariner of treating with civilians.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words&mdash;&ldquo;your papers,&rdquo; Dagobert became very pale; but he
+      tried to conceal his anguish beneath an air of assurance, which he thought
+      best calculated to gain the magistrate&rsquo;s good opinion. &ldquo;I will tell you
+      all about it, Mr. Burgomaster,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;Nothing can be clearer. Such a
+      thing might happen to any one. I do not look like a beggar and a vagabond,
+      do I? And yet&mdash;you will understand, that an honest man who travels
+      with two young girls&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No more words! Your papers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture two powerful auxiliaries arrived to the soldier&rsquo;s aid.
+      The orphans, growing more and more uneasy, and hearing Dagobert still
+      talking upon the landing-place, had risen and dressed themselves; so that
+      just at the instant, when the magistrate said in a rough voice&mdash;&ldquo;No
+      more words! Your papers!&rdquo;&mdash;Rose and Blanche holding each other by the
+      hand, came forth from the chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of those charming faces, which their poor mourning vestments only
+      rendered more interesting, the burgomaster rose from his seat, struck with
+      surprise and admiration. By a spontaneous movement, each sister took a
+      hand of Dagobert, and pressed close to him, whilst they regarded the
+      magistrate with looks of mingled anxiety and candor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was so touching a picture, this of the old soldier presenting as it
+      were to his judge the graceful children, with countenances full of
+      innocence and beauty, that the burgomaster, by a sudden reaction, found
+      himself once more disposed to sentiments of pity. Dagobert perceived it;
+      and, still holding the orphans by the hand, he advanced towards him, and
+      said in a feeling voice: &ldquo;Look at these poor children, Mr. Burgomaster!
+      Could I show you a better passport?&rdquo; And, overcome by so many painful
+      sensations&mdash;restrained, yet following each other in quick succession&mdash;Dagobert
+      felt, in spite of himself, that the tears were starting to his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though naturally rough, and rendered still more testy by the interruption
+      of his sleep, the burgomaster was not quite deficient in sense of feeling.
+      He perceived at once, that a man thus accompanied, ought not to inspire
+      any great distrust. &ldquo;Poor dear children!&rdquo; said he, as he examined them
+      with growing interest; &ldquo;orphans so young, and they come from far&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From the heart of Siberia, Mr. Burgomaster, where their mother was an
+      exile before their birth. It is now more than five months that we have
+      been travelling on by short stages&mdash;hard enough, you will say, for
+      children of their age. It is for them that I ask your favor and support
+      for them against whom everything seems to combine to-day for, only just
+      now, when I went to look for my papers, I could not find in my knapsack
+      the portfolio in which they were, along with my purse and cross&mdash;for
+      you must know, Mr. Burgomaster&mdash;pardon me, if I say it&mdash;&lsquo;tis not
+      from vain glory&mdash;but I was decorated by the hand of the Emperor; and
+      a man whom he decorated with his own hand, you see, could not be so bad a
+      fellow, though he may have had the misfortune to lose his papers&mdash;and
+      his purse. That&rsquo;s what has happened to me, and made me so pressing about
+      the damages.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How and where did you suffer this loss?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, Mr. Burgomaster; I am sure that the evening before last,
+      at bed-time, I took a little money out of the purse, and saw the portfolio
+      in its place; yesterday I had small change sufficient, and did not undo
+      the knapsack.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where then has the knapsack been kept?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the room occupied by the children: but this night&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert was here interrupted by the tread of some one mounting the
+      stairs: it was the Prophet. Concealed in the shadow of the staircase, he
+      had listened to this conversation, and he dreaded lest the weakness of the
+      burgomaster should mar the complete success of his projects.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV. THE DECISION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>orok, who wore his left arm in a sling, having slowly ascended the
+      staircase, saluted the burgomaster respectfully. At sight of the repulsive
+      countenance of the lion-tamer, Rose and Blanche, affrighted, drew back a
+      step nearer to the soldier. The brow of the latter grew dark, for he felt
+      his blood boil against Morok, the cause of all his difficulties&mdash;though
+      he was yet ignorant that Goliath, at the instigation of the Prophet, had
+      stolen his portfolio and papers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What did you want, Morok?&rdquo; said the burgomaster, with an air half
+      friendly and half displeased. &ldquo;I told the landlord that I did not wish to
+      be interrupted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have come to render you a service, Mr. Burgomaster.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, a great service; or I should not have ventured to disturb you. My
+      conscience reproaches me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your conscience.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Mr. Burgomaster, it reproaches me for not having told you all that I
+      had to tell about this man; a false pity led me astray.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yell, but what have you to tell?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok approached the judge, and spoke to him for sometime in a low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At first apparently much astonished, the burgomaster became by degrees
+      deeply attentive and anxious; every now and then be allowed some
+      exclamation of surprise or doubt to escape him, whilst he glanced covertly
+      at the group formed by Dagobert and the two young girls. By the expression
+      of his countenance, which grew every moment more unquiet, severe, and
+      searching, it was easy to perceive that the interest which the magistrate
+      had felt for the orphans and for the soldier, was gradually changed, by
+      the secret communications of the Prophet, into a sentiment of distrust and
+      hostility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert saw this sudden revolution, and his fears, which had been
+      appeased for an instant, returned with redoubled force; Rose and Blanche,
+      confused, and not understanding the object of this mute scene, looked at
+      the soldier with increased perplexity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The devil!&rdquo; said the burgomaster, rising abruptly; &ldquo;all of this never
+      occurred to me. What could I have been thinking of?&mdash;But you see,
+      Morok, when one is roused up in the middle of the night, one has not
+      always presence of mind. You said well: it is a great service you came to
+      render me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I assert nothing positively, but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter; &lsquo;tis a thousand to one that you are right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is only a suspicion founded upon divers circumstances; but even a
+      suspicion&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May give you scent of the truth. And here was I, going like a gull into
+      the snare!&mdash;Once more, what could I have been thinking of?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is so difficult to be on guard against certain appearances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You need not tell me so, my dear Morok, you need not tell me so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      During this mysterious conversation, Dagobert was on thorns; he saw
+      vaguely that a violent storm was about to burst. He thought only of how he
+      should still keep his anger within bounds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok again approached the judge, and glancing at the orphans, recommenced
+      speaking in a low voice. &ldquo;Oh&rdquo; cried the burgomaster, with, indignation,
+      &ldquo;you go too far now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I affirm nothing,&rdquo; said Morok, hastily; &ldquo;it is a mere supposition founded
+      on&mdash;&rdquo; and he again brought his lips close to the ear of the judge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After all, why not?&rdquo; resumed the magistrate, lifting up his hands; &ldquo;such
+      people are capable of anything. He says that he brings them from the heart
+      of Siberia: why may not all this prove to be a tissue of impudent
+      falsehoods?&mdash;But I am not to be made a dupe twice,&rdquo; cried the
+      burgomaster, in an angry tone, for, like all persons of a weak and
+      shifting character, he was without pity for those whom he thought capable
+      of having beguiled his compassion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be in a hurry to decide&mdash;don&rsquo;t give to my words more weight
+      than they deserve,&rdquo; resumed Morok with a hypocritical affectation of
+      humility. &ldquo;I am unhappily placed in so false a position with regard to
+      this man,&rdquo;&mdash;pointing to Dagober&mdash;&ldquo;that I might be thought to
+      have acted from private resentment for the injury he has done me; perhaps
+      I may so act without knowing it, while I fancy that I am only influenced
+      by love of justice, horror of falsehood, and respect for our holy
+      religion. Well&mdash;who lives long enough will know&mdash;and may heaven
+      forgive me if I am deceived!&mdash;In any case, the law will pronounce
+      upon it; and if they should prove innocent, they will be released in a
+      month or two.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, for that reason, I need not hesitate. It is a mere measure of
+      precaution; they will not die of it. Besides, the more I think of it, the
+      more it seems probable. Yes this man is doubtless a French spy or
+      agitator, especially when I compare these suspicions with the late
+      demonstration of the students at Frankfort.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, upon that theory, nothing is better fitted to excite and stir up
+      those hot-headed youths than&mdash;&rdquo; He glanced significantly at the two
+      sisters; then, after a pause, he added with a sigh, &ldquo;Satan does not care
+      by what means he works out his ends!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, it would be odious, but well-devised.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then, Mr Burgomaster, look at him attentively: you will see that this
+      man has a dangerous face. You will see&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In continuing thus to speak in a low tone, Morok had evidently pointed to
+      Dagobert. The latter, notwithstanding his self-command, felt that the
+      restraint he had imposed upon himself, since his arrival at this unlucky
+      inn, and above all wince the commencement of the conversation between
+      Morok and the burgomaster, was becoming no longer bearable; besides, he
+      saw clearly that all his efforts to conciliate the favor of the judge were
+      rendered completely null by the fatal influence of the brute-tamer; so,
+      losing patience, he advanced towards him with his arms folded on his
+      breast, and said to him in a subdued voice: &ldquo;Was it of me that you were
+      whispering to Mr. Burgomaster?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Morok, looking fixedly at him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did you not speak out loud?&rdquo; Having said this, the almost convulsive
+      movement of his thick moustache, as he stood looping Morok full in the
+      face, gave evidence of a severe internal conflict. Seeing that his
+      adversary preserved a contemptuous silence, he repeated in a sterner
+      voice: &ldquo;I ask you, why you did not speak out loud to Mr. Burgomaster, when
+      you were talking of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because there are some things so shameful, that one would blush to utter
+      them aloud,&rdquo; answered Morok insolently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Till then Dagobert had kept his arms folded; he now extended them
+      violently, clenching his fists. This sudden movement was so expressive
+      that the two sisters uttered a cry of terror, and drew closer to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hark ye, Mr. Burgomaster!&rdquo; said the soldier, grinding his teeth with
+      rage: &ldquo;bid that man go down, or I will not answer for myself!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; said the burgomaster, haughtily; &ldquo;do you dare to give orders to
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you to make that man go down,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, quite beside
+      himself, &ldquo;or there will be mischief!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert!&mdash;good heaven!&mdash;be calm,&rdquo; cried the children, grasping
+      his hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It becomes you, certainly&mdash;miserable vagabond that you are&mdash;not
+      to say worse,&rdquo; returned the burgomaster, in a rage: &ldquo;it becomes you to
+      give orders to me!&mdash;Oh! you think to impose upon me, by telling me
+      you have lost your papers!&mdash;It will not serve your turn, for which
+      you carry about with you these two girls, who, in spite of their innocent
+      looks, are perhaps after all&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wretch!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, with so terrible a voice and gesture that the
+      official did not dare to finish. Taking the children by the arm before
+      they could speak a word, the soldier pushed them back into the chamber;
+      then, locking the door, and putting the key into his pocket, he returned
+      precipitately towards the burgomaster, who, frightened at the menacing air
+      and attitude of the veteran, retreated a couple of steps, and held by one
+      hand to the rail of the staircase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me!&rdquo; said the soldier, seizing the judge by the arm. &ldquo;Just now,
+      that scoundrel insulted me&mdash;I bore with it&mdash;for it only
+      concerned myself. I have heard patiently all your idle talk, because you
+      seemed for a moment to interest yourself in those poor children. But since
+      you have neither soul, nor pity, nor justice&mdash;I tell you that,
+      burgomaster though you are&mdash;I will spurn you as I would spurn that
+      dog,&rdquo; pointing again to the Prophet, &ldquo;if you have the misfortune to
+      mention those two young girls, in any other way than you would speak of
+      your own child!&mdash;Now, do you mark me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&mdash;you dare to say,&rdquo; cried the burgomaster, stammering with
+      rage, &ldquo;that if I happen to mention two adventuresses&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hats off!&mdash;when you speak of the daughters of the Duke of Ligny,&rdquo;
+       cried the soldier, snatching the cap of the burgomaster and flinging it on
+      the ground. On this act of aggression, Morok could not restrain his joy.
+      Exasperated and losing all hope, Dagobert had at length yielded to the
+      violence of his anger, after struggling so painfully against it for some
+      hours.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the burgomaster saw his cap at his feet, he looked at the brute tamer
+      with an air of stupefaction, as if he hesitated to believe so great an
+      enormity. Dagobert, regretting, his violence, and feeling that no means of
+      conciliation note remained, threw a rapid glance around him, and,
+      retreating several paces, gained the topmost steps of the staircase. The
+      burgomaster stood near the bench, in a corner of the landing-place, whilst
+      Morok, with his arm in the sling, to give the more serious appearance to
+      his wound, was close beside him. &ldquo;So!&rdquo; cried the magistrate, deceived by
+      the backward movement of Dagobert, &ldquo;you think to escape, after daring to
+      lift hand against me!&mdash;Old villain!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, Mr. Burgomaster! It was a burst of rashness that I was not
+      able to control. I am sorry for it,&rdquo; said Dagobert in a repentant voice,
+      and hanging his head humbly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No pity for thee, rascal! You would begin again to smooth me over with
+      your coaxing ways, but I have penetrated your secret designs. You are not
+      what you appear to be, and there is perhaps an affair of state at the
+      bottom of all this,&rdquo; added the magistrate, in a very diplomatic tone. &ldquo;All
+      means are alike to those who wish to set Europe in flames.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am only a poor devil, Mr. Burgomaster; you, that have a good heart,
+      will show me some mercy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! when you have pulled off my cap?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you,&rdquo; added the soldier, turning towards Morok, &ldquo;you, that have been
+      the cause of all this&mdash;have same pity upon me&mdash;do not bear
+      malice!&mdash;You, a holy man, speak a word in my favor to Mr.
+      Burgomaster.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have spoken to him what I was bound to speak,&rdquo; answered the Prophet
+      ironically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oho! you can look foolish enough now, you old vagabond! Did you think to
+      impose on me with lamentations?&rdquo; resumed the burgomaster, advancing
+      towards Dagobert. &ldquo;Thanks be, I am no longer your dupe!&mdash;You shall
+      see that we have good dungeons at Leipsic for French agitators and female
+      vagrants, for your damsels are no better than you are. Come,&rdquo; added he,
+      puffing out his cheeks with an important air, &ldquo;go down before me&mdash;and
+      as for you, Morok&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The burgomaster was unable to finish. For some minutes Dagobert had only
+      sought to gain time, and had cast many a side-glance at a half-open door
+      on the landing-place, just opposite to the chamber occupied by the
+      orphans: finding the moment favorable, he now rushed quick as lightning on
+      the burgomaster, seized him by the throat, and dashed him with such
+      violence against the door in question, that the magistrate, stupefied by
+      this sudden attack, and unable to speak a word or utter a cry, rolled over
+      to the further end of the room, which was completely dark. Then, turning
+      towards Morok, who, with his arm encumbered by the sling, made a rush for
+      the staircase, the soldier caught him by his long, streaming hair, pulled
+      him back, clasped him with hands of iron, clapped his hand over his mouth
+      to stifle his outcries, and notwithstanding his desperate resistance,
+      dragged him into the chamber, on the floor of which the burgomaster lay
+      bruised and stunned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having double-locked the door, and put the key in his pocket, Dagobert
+      descended the stairs at two bounds, and found himself in a passage, that
+      opened on the court-yard. The gate of the inn was shut, and there was no
+      possibility of escape on that side. The rain fell in torrents. He could
+      see through the window of a parlor, in which a fire was burning, the host
+      and his people waiting for the decision of the burgomaster. To bolt the
+      door of the passage, and thus intercept all communication with the yard,
+      was for the soldier the affair of an instant, and he hastened upstairs
+      again to rejoin the orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok, recovering from his surprise, was calling for help with all his
+      might; but, even if the distance had permitted him to be heard, the noise
+      of the wind and rain would have drowned his outcries. Dagobert had about
+      an hour before him, for it would require some time to elapse before the
+      length of his interview with the magistrate would excite astonishment;
+      and, suspicion or fear once awakened, it would be necessary to break open
+      two doors&mdash;that which separated the passage from the court-yard, and
+      that of the room in which the burgomaster and the Prophet were confined.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children, it is now time to prove that you have a soldier&rsquo;s blood in
+      your veins,&rdquo; said Dagobert, as he entered abruptly the chamber of the
+      young girls, who were terrified at the racket they had heard for some
+      minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven, Dagobert! what has happened?&rdquo; cried Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you wish us to do?&rdquo; added Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without answering, the soldier ran to the bed, tore off the sheets, tied
+      them strongly together, made a knot at one end, passed it over the top of
+      the left half of the casement, and so shut it in. Thus made fast by the
+      size of the knot, which could not slip through, the sheets, floating on
+      the outside, touched the ground. The second half of the window was left
+      open, to afford a passage to the fugitives.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The veteran next took his knapsack, the children&rsquo;s portmanteau, and the
+      reindeer pelisse, and threw them all out of the window, making a sign to
+      Spoil-sport to follow, to watch over them. The dog did not hesitate, but
+      disappeared at a single bound. Rose and Blanche looked at Dagobert in
+      amazement, without uttering a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, children,&rdquo; said he to them, &ldquo;the doors of the inn are shut, and it
+      is by this way,&rdquo; pointing to the window, &ldquo;that we must pass&mdash;if we
+      would not be arrested, put in prison&mdash;you in one place, and I in the
+      other&mdash;and have our journey altogether knocked on the head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Arrested! put in prison!&rdquo; cried Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Separated from you!&rdquo; exclaimed Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my poor children!&mdash;They have killed Jovial&mdash;we must make
+      our escape on foot, and try to reach Leipsic&mdash;when you are tired, I
+      will carry you, and, though I have to beg my way, we will go through with
+      it. But a quarter of an hour later, and all will be lost. Come, children,
+      have trust in me&mdash;show that the daughters of General Simon are no
+      cowards&mdash;and there is yet hope.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By a sympathetic movement, the sisters joined hands, as though they would
+      meet the danger united. Their sweet faces, pale from the effect of so many
+      painful emotions, were now expressive of simple resolve, founded on the
+      blind faith they reposed in the devotion of the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, Dagobert! we&rsquo;ll not be frightened,&rdquo; said Rose, in a firm
+      voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will do what must be done,&rdquo; added Blanche, in a no less resolute tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was sure of it,&rdquo; cried Dagobert; &ldquo;good blood is ever thicker than
+      water. Come! you are light as feathers, the sheet is strong, it is hardly
+      eight feet to the ground, and the pup is waiting for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is for me to go first&mdash;I am the eldest for to-day,&rdquo; cried Rose,
+      when she had tenderly embraced Blanche; and she ran to the window, in
+      order, if there were any danger, to expose herself to it before her
+      sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert easily guessed the cause of this eagerness. &ldquo;Dear children!&rdquo; said
+      he, &ldquo;I understand you. But fear nothing for one another&mdash;there is no
+      danger. I have myself fastened the sheet. Quick, my little Rose!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As light as a bird, the young girl mounted the ledge of the window, and
+      assisted by Dagobert, took hold of the sheet, and slid gently down
+      according to the recommendation of the soldier, who, leaning out his whole
+      body, encouraged her with his voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be afraid, sister!&rdquo; said she, as soon as she touched the ground,
+      &ldquo;it is very easy to come down this way. And Spoil-sport is here, licking
+      my hands.&rdquo; Blanche did not long keep her waiting; as courageous as her
+      sister, she descended with the same success.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear little creatures! what have they done to be so unfortunate?&mdash;Thousand
+      thunders! there must be a curse upon the family,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, as, with
+      heavy heart, he saw the pale, sweet face of the young girl disappear amid
+      the gloom of the dark night, which violent squalls of wind and torrents of
+      rain rendered still more dismal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert, we are waiting for you; come quickly!&rdquo; said the orphans in a
+      low voice, from beneath the window. Thanks to his tall stature, the
+      soldier rather leaped than glided to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert and the two young girls had not fled from the inn of the White
+      Falcon more than a quarter of an hour, when a long crash resounded through
+      the house. The door had yielded to the efforts of the burgomaster and
+      Morok, who had made use of a heavy table as a battering ram. Guided by the
+      light, they ran to the chamber of the orphans, now deserted. Morok saw the
+      sheets floating from the casement, and cried: &ldquo;Mr. Burgomaster, they have
+      escaped by the window&mdash;they are on foot&mdash;in this dark and stormy
+      night, they cannot be far.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, we shall catch them, the miserable tramps! Oh, I will be
+      revenged! Quick, Morok; your honor is concerned as well as mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My honor?&mdash;Much more is concerned than that, Mr. Burgomaster,&rdquo;
+       answered the Prophet, in a tone of great irritation. Then, rapidly
+      descending the stairs, he opened the door of the court-yard, and shouted
+      in a voice of thunder:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Goliath! unchain the dogs!&mdash;and, landlord! bring us lanterns,
+      torches&mdash;arm your people&mdash;open the doors!&mdash;We must pursue
+      the fugitives; they cannot escape us; we must have them&mdash;alive or
+      dead!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV. THE DESPATCHES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hen we read, in the rules of the order of the Jesuits, under the title De
+      formula scribendi (Institut. 2, 11, p. 125, 129), the development of the
+      8th part of the constitutions, we are appalled by the number of letters,
+      narratives, registers, and writings of all kinds, preserved in the
+      archives of the society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is a police infinitely more exact and better informed than has ever
+      been that of any state. Even the government of Venice found itself
+      surpassed by the Jesuits: when it drove them out in 1606, it seized all
+      their papers, and reproached them for their great and laborious curiosity.
+      This police, this secret inquisition, carried to such a degree of
+      perfection, may give some idea of the strength of a government, so
+      well-informed so persevering in its projects, so powerful by its unity,
+      and, as the constitutions have it, by the union of its members. It is not
+      hard to understand, what immense force must belong to the heads of this
+      society, and how the general of the Jesuits could say to the Duke de
+      Brissac: &ldquo;From this room, your grace, I govern not only Paris, but China&mdash;not
+      only China, but the whole world&mdash;and all without any one knowing how
+      it is done:&rdquo; (Constitution of the Jesuits, edited by Paulin, Paris, 1843.)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok, the lion-tamer, seeing Dagobert deprived of his horse, and stripped
+      of his money and papers, and thinking it was thus out of his power to
+      continue his journey, had, previous to the arrival of the burgomaster,
+      despatched Karl to Leipsic, as the bearer of a letter which he was to put
+      immediately into the post. The address of this letter was as follows: &ldquo;A
+      Monsieur Rodin, Rue du Milieu des Ursins, Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      About the middle of this obscure and solitary street, situate below the
+      level of the Quai Napoleon, which it joins not far from the Rue Saint
+      Landry, there stood a house of unpretentious appearance, at the bottom of
+      a dark and narrow court-yard, separated from the street by a low building
+      in front, with arched doorway, and two windows protected by thick iron
+      bars. Nothing could be more simple than the interior of this quiet
+      dwelling, as was sufficiently shown by the furniture of a pretty large
+      room on the ground floor. The walls of this apartment were lined with old
+      gray wainscot; the tiled floor was painted red, and carefully polished;
+      curtains of white calico shaded the windows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sphere of about four feet in diameter, raised on a pedestal of massive
+      oak, stood at one end of the room, opposite to the fireplace. Upon this
+      globe, which was painted on a large scale, a host of little red crosses
+      appeared scattered over all parts of the world&mdash;from the North to the
+      South, from the rising to the setting sun, from the most barbarous
+      countries, from the most distant isles, to the centres of civilization, to
+      France itself. There was not a single country which did not present some
+      spots marked with these red crosses, evidently indicative of stations, or
+      serving as points of reference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before a table of black wood, loaded with papers, and resting against the
+      wall near the chimney, a chair stood empty. Further on, between the two
+      windows, was a large walnut-wood desk, surmounted by shelves full of
+      pasteboard boxes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the end of the month of October, 1831, about eight o&rsquo;clock in the
+      morning, a man sat writing at this desk. This was M. Rodin, the
+      correspondent of Morok, the brute-tamer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About fifty years of age, he wore an old, shabby, olive greatcoat, with a
+      greasy collar, a snuff-powdered cotton handkerchief for a cravat, and
+      waistcoat and trousers of threadbare black cloth. His feet, buried in
+      loose varnished shoes, rested on a petty piece of green baize upon the
+      red, polished floor. His gray hair lay flat on his temples, and encircled
+      his bald forehead; his eyebrows were scarcely marked; his upper eyelid,
+      flabby and overhanging, like the membrane which shades the eyes of
+      reptiles, half concealed his small, sharp, black eye. His thin lips,
+      absolutely colorless, were hardly distinguishable from the wan hue of his
+      lean visage, with its pointed nose and chin; and this livid mask (deprived
+      as it were of lips) appeared only the more singular, from its maintaining
+      a death-like immobility. Had it not been for the rapid movement of his
+      fingers, as, bending over the desk, he scratched along with his pen, M.
+      Rodin might have been mistaken for a corpse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By the aid of a cipher (or secret alphabet) placed before him he was
+      copying certain passages from a long sheet full of writing, in a manner
+      quite unintelligible to those who did not possess the key to the system.
+      Whilst the darkness of the day increased the gloom of the large, cold,
+      naked-looking apartment, there was something awful in the chilling aspect
+      of this man, tracing his mysterious characters in the midst of profound
+      silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The clock struck eight. The dull sound of the knocker at the outer door
+      was heard, then a bell tinkled twice, several doors opened and shut, and a
+      new personage entered the chamber. On seeing him, M. Rodin rose from the
+      desk, stuck his pen between his teeth, bowed with a deeply submissive air,
+      and sat down again to his work without uttering a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two formed a striking contrast to one another. The newcomer, though
+      really older than he seemed, would have passed for thirty-six or thirty
+      eight years of age at most. His figure was tall and shapely, and few could
+      have encountered the brightness of his large gray eye, brilliant as
+      polished steel. His nose, broad at the commencement, formed a well-cut
+      square at its termination; his chin was prominent, and the bluish tints of
+      his close-shaved beard were contrasted with the bright carnation of his
+      lips, and the whiteness of his fine teeth. When he took off his hat to
+      change it for a black velvet cap which he found on the small table, he
+      displayed a quantity of light chestnut hair, not yet silvered by time. He
+      was dressed in a long frock-coat, buttoned up to the neck in military
+      fashion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The piercing glance and broad forehead of this man revealed a powerful
+      intellect, even as the development of his chest and shoulders announced a
+      vigorous physical organization; whilst his gentlemanly appearance, the
+      perfection of his gloves and boots, the light perfume which hung about his
+      hair and person, the grace and ease of his least movements, betrayed what
+      is called the man of the world, and left the impression that he had sought
+      or might still seek every kind of success, from the most frivolous to the
+      most serious. This rare combination of strength of mind, strength of body,
+      and extreme elegance of manners, was in this instance rendered still more
+      striking by the circumstance, that whatever there might be of haughtiness
+      or command in the upper part of that energetic countenance, was softened
+      down, and tempered by a constant but not uniform smile&mdash;for, as
+      occasion served, this smile became either kind or sly, cordial or gay,
+      discreet or prepossessing, and thus augmented the insinuating charm of
+      this man, who, once seen, was never again forgotten. But, in yielding to
+      this involuntary sympathy, the doubt occurred if the influence was for
+      good&mdash;or for evil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Rodin, the secretary of the newcomer, continued to write.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are there any letters from Dunkirk, Rodin?&rdquo; inquired his master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Post not yet in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without being positively uneasy as to my mother&rsquo;s health, since she was
+      already convalescent,&rdquo; resumed the other, &ldquo;I shall only be quite reassured
+      by a letter from my excellent friend, the Princess de Saint Dizier. I
+      shall have good news this morning, I hope.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is to be desired,&rdquo; said the secretary, as humble and submissive as he
+      was laconic and impassible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly it is to be desired,&rdquo; resumed his master; &ldquo;for one of the
+      brightest days of my life was when the Princess de Saint-Dizier announced
+      to me that this sudden and dangerous illness had yielded to the care and
+      attention with which she surrounds my mother. Had it not been for that I
+      must have gone down to her instantly, though my presence here is very
+      necessary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, approaching the desk, he added: &ldquo;Is the summary of the foreign
+      correspondence complete?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the analysis.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The letters are still sent under envelope to the places named, and are
+      then brought here as I directed?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read to me the notes of this correspondence; if there are any letters for
+      me to answer, I will tell you.&rdquo; And Rodin&rsquo;s master began to walk up and
+      down the room, with his hands crossed behind his back, dictating
+      observations of which Rodin took careful note.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The secretary turned to a pretty large pile of papers, and thus began:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don Raymond Olivarez acknowledges from Cadiz receipt of letter No.19; he
+      will conform to it, and deny all share in the abduction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well; file it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Count Romanoff, of Riga, finds himself in a position of pecuniary
+      embarrassment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let Duplessis send him fifty louis; I formerly served as captain in his
+      regiment, and he has since given us good information.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have received at Philadelphia the last cargo of Histories of France,
+      expurgated for the use of the faithful they require some more of the same
+      sort.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take note of it, and write to Duplessis. Go on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Spindler sends from Namur the secret report on M. Ardouin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be examined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Ardouin sends from the same town the secret report on M. Spindler.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be examined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doctor Van Ostadt, of the same town, sends a confidential note on the
+      subject of Messrs. Spindler and Ardouin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be compared. Go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Count Malipierri, of Turin, announces that the donation of 300,000 francs
+      is signed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Inform Duplessis. What next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don Stanislaus has just quitted the waters of Baden with Queen Marie
+      Ernestine. He informs us that her majesty will receive with gratitude the
+      promised advices, and will answer them with her own hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make a note of it. I will myself write to the queen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst Rodin was inscribing a few remarks on the margin of the paper, his
+      master, continuing to walk up and down the room, found himself opposite to
+      the globe marked with little red crosses, and stood contemplating it for a
+      moment with a pensive air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin continued: &ldquo;In consequence of the state of the public mind in
+      certain parts of Italy, where sundry agitators have turned their eyes in
+      the direction of France, Father Arsenio writes from Milan, that it would
+      be of importance to distribute profusely in that country, some little
+      book, in which the French would be represented as impious and debauched,
+      rapacious and bloody.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The idea is excellent. We might turn to good account the excesses
+      committed by our troops in Italy during the wars of the Republic. You must
+      employ Jacques Dumoulin to write it. He is full of gall, spite, and venom:
+      the pamphlet will be scorching. Besides, I may furnish a few notes; but
+      you must not pay Dumoulin till after delivery of the manuscript.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is well understood: for, if we were to pay him beforehand, he would
+      be drunk for a week in some low den. It was thus we had to pay him twice
+      over for his virulent attack on the pantheistic tendencies of Professor
+      Martin&rsquo;s philosophy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take note of it&mdash;and go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The merchant announces that the clerk is about to send the banker to give
+      in his accounts. You understand?&rsquo; added Rodin, after pronouncing these
+      words with a marked emphasis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly,&rdquo; said the other, with a start; &ldquo;they are but the expressions
+      agreed on. What next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the clerk,&rdquo; continued the secretary, &ldquo;is restrained by a last
+      scruple.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, during which the features of Rodin&rsquo;s master
+      worked strongly, he thus resumed: &ldquo;They must continue to act on the
+      clerk&rsquo;s mind by silence and solitude; then, let him read once more the
+      list of cases in which regicide is authorized and absolved. Go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The woman Sydney writes from Dresden, that she waits for instructions.
+      Violent scenes of jealousy on her account have again taken place between
+      the father and son; but neither from these new bursts of mutual hatred,
+      nor from the confidential communications which each has made to her
+      against his rival, has she yet been able to glean the information
+      required. Hitherto, she has avoided giving the preference to one or the
+      other; but, should this situation be prolonged, she fears it may rouse
+      their suspicion. Which ought she then to choose&mdash;the father or the
+      son?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The son&mdash;for jealous resentment will be much more violent and cruel
+      in the old man, and, to revenge himself for the preference bestowed upon
+      his son, he will perhaps tell what they have both such an interest to
+      conceal. The next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Within the last three years, two maid-servants of Ambrosius whom we
+      placed in that little parish in the mountains of the Valais, have
+      disappeared, without any one knowing what has become of them. A third has
+      just met with the same fate. The Protestants of the country are roused&mdash;talk
+      of murder with frightful attendant circumstances&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Until there is proof positive and complete of the fact, Ambrosius must be
+      defended against these infamous calumnies, the work of a party that never
+      shrinks from; monstrous inventions. Go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thompson, of Liverpool, has at length succeeded in procuring for Justin
+      the place of agent or manager to Lord Stewart, a rich Irish Catholic,
+      whose head grows daily weaker.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the fact be once verified, and Thompson shall have a premium of fifty
+      louis. Make a note of it for Duplessis. Proceed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Frantz Dichstein, of Vienna,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;announces that his father
+      has just died of the cholera, in a little village at some leagues from
+      that city: for the epidemic continues to advance slowly, coming from the
+      north of Russia by way of Poland.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; said Rodin&rsquo;s master, interrupting him; &ldquo;may its terrible
+      march be stayed, and France be spared.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Frantz Dichstein,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;says that his two brothers are
+      determined to contest the donation made by his father, but that he is of
+      an opposite opinion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Consult the two persons that are charged with all matters of litigation.
+      What next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Cardinal Prince d&rsquo;Amalfi will conform to the three first points of
+      the proposal: he demands to make a reservation upon the fourth point.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No reserve!&mdash;Either full and absolute acceptance&mdash;or else war&mdash;and
+      (mark me well) war without mercy&mdash;on him and his creatures. Go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fra Paolo announces that the Prince Boccari, chief of a redoubtable
+      secret society, in despair at seeing his friends accuse him of treachery,
+      in consequence of suspicions excited in their minds by Fra Paolo himself,
+      has committed suicide.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Boccari! is it possible?&rdquo; cried Rodin&rsquo;s master. &ldquo;Boccari! the patriot
+      Boccari! so dangerous a person!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The patriot Boccari,&rdquo; repeated the impassible secretary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell Duplessis to send an order for five-and-twenty louis to Fra Paolo.
+      Make a note of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hausman informs us that the French dancer, Albertine Ducornet, is the
+      mistress of the reigning prince; she has the most complete influence over
+      him, and it would be easy through her means to arrive at the end proposed,
+      but that she is herself governed by her lover (condemned in France as a
+      forger), and that she does nothing without consulting him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let Hausman get hold of this man&mdash;if his claims are reasonable,
+      accede to them&mdash;and learn if the girl has any relations in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Duke d&rsquo;Orbano announces, that the king his master will authorize the
+      new establishment, but on the conditions previously stated.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No condition!&mdash;either a frank adhesion or a positive refusal. Let us
+      know our friends from our enemies. The more unfavorable the circumstances,
+      the more we must show firmness, and overbear opposition by confidence in
+      ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The same also announces, that the whole of the corps diplomatique
+      continues to support the claims of the father of that young Protestant
+      girl, who refuses to quit the convent where she has taken refuge, unless
+      it be to marry her lover against her father&rsquo;s will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! the corps diplomatique continues to remonstrate in the father&rsquo;s
+      name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, continue to answer, that the spiritual power has nothing to do with
+      the temporal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, the bell of the outer door again sounded twice. &ldquo;See who
+      it is,&rdquo; said Rodin&rsquo;s master; and the secretary rose and left the room. The
+      other continued to walk thoughtfully up and down, till, coming near to the
+      huge globe, he stopped short before it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some time he contemplated, in profound silence, the innumerable little
+      red crosses, which appeared to cover, as with an immense net, all the
+      countries of the earth. Reflecting doubtless on the invisible action of
+      his power, which seemed to extend over the whole world, the features of
+      this man became animated, his large gray eye sparkled, his nostrils
+      swelled, and his manly countenance assumed an indescribable expression of
+      pride, energy, and daring. With haughty brow and scornful lip, he drew
+      still nearer to the globe, and leaned his strong hand upon the pole.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This powerful pressure, an imperious movement, as of one taking
+      possession, seemed to indicate, that he felt sure of governing this globe,
+      on which he looked down from the height of his tall figure, and on which
+      he rested his hand with so lofty and audacious an air of sovereignty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But now he no longer smiled. His eye threatened, and his large forehead
+      was clad with a formidable scowl. The artist, who had wished to paint the
+      demon of craft and pride, the infernal genius of insatiable domination,
+      could not have chosen a more suitable model.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When Rodin returned, the face of his master had recovered its ordinary
+      expression. &ldquo;It is the postman,&rdquo; said Rodin, showing the letters which he
+      held in his hand; &ldquo;there is nothing from Dunkirk.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing?&rdquo; cried his master&mdash;and his painful emotion formed a strange
+      contrast to his late haughty and implacable expression of countenance&mdash;&ldquo;nothing?
+      no news of my mother?&mdash;Thirty-six hours more, then, of anxiety.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It seems to me, that, if the princess had bad news to give, she would
+      have written. Probably the improvement goes on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are doubtless right, Rodin&mdash;but no matter&mdash;I am far from
+      easy. If, to-morrow, the news should not be completely satisfactory, I set
+      out for the estate of the princess. Why would my mother pass the autumn in
+      that part of the country? The environs of Dunkirk do not, I fear, agree
+      with her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a few moments&rsquo; silence, he added, as he continued to walk: &ldquo;Well&mdash;these
+      letters&mdash;whence are they?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked at the post-marks, and replied: &ldquo;Out of the four there are
+      three relative to the great and important affairs of the medals.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank heaven!&mdash;provided the news be favorable,&rdquo; cried his master,
+      with an expression of uneasiness, which showed how much importance he
+      attached to this affair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One is from Charlestown, and no doubt relative to Gabriel, the
+      missionary,&rdquo; answered Rodin; &ldquo;this other from Batavia, and no doubt
+      concerns the Indian, Djalma. The third is from Leipsic, and will probably
+      confirm that received yesterday, in which the lion-tamer, Morok, informed
+      us, that, in accordance with his orders, and without his being compromised
+      in any way, the daughters of General Simon would not be able to continue
+      their journey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the name of General Simon, a cloud passed over the features of Rodin&rsquo;s
+      master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI. THE ORDERS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he principal houses correspond with that in Paris; they are also in
+      direct communication with the General, who resides at Rome. The
+      correspondence of the Jesuits so active, various, and organized in so
+      wonderful a manner, has for its object to supply the heads with all the
+      information they can require. Every day, the General receives a host of
+      reports, which serve to check one another. In the central house, at Rome,
+      are immense registers, in which are inscribed the names of all the
+      Jesuits, of their adherents, and of all the considerable persons, whether
+      friends or enemies, with whom they have any connection. In these registers
+      are reported, without alteration, hatred or passion the facts relating to
+      the life of each individual. It is the most gigantic biographical
+      collection that has ever been formed. The frailties of a woman, the secret
+      errors of a statesman, are chronicled in this book with the same cold
+      impartiality. Drawn up for the purpose of being useful, these biographies
+      are necessarily exact. When the Jesuits wish to influence an individual,
+      they have but to turn to this book, and they know immediately his life,
+      his character, his parts, his faults, his projects, his family, his
+      friends, his most sacred ties. Conceive, what a superior facility of
+      action this immense police-register, which includes the whole world, must
+      give to any one society! It is not lightly that I speak of these
+      registers; I have my facts from a person who has seen this collection, and
+      who is perfectly well acquainted with the Jesuits. Here then, is matter to
+      reflect on for all those families, who admit freely into their houses the
+      members of a community that carries its biographical researches to such a
+      point. (Libri, Member of the Institute. Letters on the Clergy.)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When he had conquered the involuntary emotion which the name or
+      remembrance of General Simon had occasioned, Rodin&rsquo;s master said to the
+      secretary: &ldquo;Do not yet open the letters from Leipsic, Charlestown, and
+      Batavia; the information they contain will doubtless find its place
+      presently. It will save our going over the same ground twice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The secretary looked inquiringly at his master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter continued&mdash;&ldquo;Have you finished the note relating to the
+      medals?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here it is,&rdquo; replied the secretary; &ldquo;I was just finishing my
+      interpretation of the cipher.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read it to me, in the order of the facts. You can append to it the news
+      contained in those three letters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;in that way the letters will find their right place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to see,&rdquo; rejoined the other, &ldquo;whether this note is clear and fully
+      explanatory; you did not forget that the person it is intended for ought
+      not to know all?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I bore it in mind, and drew up the paper accordingly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10153m.jpg" alt="10153m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10153.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read,&rdquo; said the master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Rodin read as follows, slowly and deliberately:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;A hundred and fifty years ago, a French Protestant family, foreseeing
+      the speedy&mdash;revocation of the edict of Nantes, went into voluntary
+      exile, in order to avoid the just and rigorous decrees already issued
+      against the members of the reformed church&mdash;those indomitable foes of
+      our holy religion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Some members of this family sought refuge in Holland, and afterwards in
+      the Dutch colonies; others in Poland, others in Germany; some in England,
+      and some in America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;It is supposed that only seven descendants remain of this family, which
+      underwent strange vicissitudes since; its present representatives are
+      found in all ranks of society, from the sovereign to the mechanic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;These descendants, direct or indirect, are:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;On the mother&rsquo;s side,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Rose and Blanche Simon&mdash;minors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;General Simon married, at Warsaw, a descendant of the said family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Francois Hardy, manufacturer at Plessis, near Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Prince Djalma, son of Kadja-sing, King of Mondi.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Kadja-sing, married, in 1802, a descendant of the said family, then
+      settled at Batavia, in the Island of Java, a Dutch colony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;On the father&rsquo;s side&mdash;Jacques Rennepont, surnamed Sleepinbuff,
+      mechanic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Adrienne de Cardoville, daughter of the Count of Rennepont, Duke of
+      Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Gabriel Rennepont, priest of the foreign missions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;All the members of this family possess, or should possess, a bronze
+      medal bearing the following inscriptions:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                Victim
+                  of
+               L. C. D. J.
+               Pray for me!
+                 Paris
+            February the 13th, 1682.
+
+                At Paris,
+            Rue Saint Francois, No. 3,
+            In a century and a half
+               you will be.
+            February the 13th, 1832.
+               Pray For Me!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;These words and dates show that all of them have a great interest to be
+      at Paris on the 13th of February, 1832; and that, not by proxy, but in
+      person, whether they are minors, married or single.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;But other persons have an immense interest that none of the descendants
+      of this family be at Paris on the 13th February, except Gabriel Rennepont,
+      priest of the foreign missions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;At all hazards, therefore, Gabriel must be the only person present at
+      the appointment made with the descendants of this family, a century and a
+      half ago.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;To prevent the other six persons from reaching Paris on the said day, or
+      to render their presence of no effect, much has been already done; but
+      much remains to be done to ensure the success of this affair, which is
+      considered as the most vital and most important of the age, on account of
+      its probable results.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Tis but too true,&rdquo; observed Rodin&rsquo;s master, interrupting him, and
+      shaking his head pensively. &ldquo;And, moreover, that the consequences of
+      success are incalculable, and there is no forseeing what may follow
+      failure. In a word, it almost involves a question of existence or non
+      existence during several years. To succeed, therefore, &lsquo;all possible means
+      must be employed. Nothing must be shunned,&rsquo; except, however, that
+      appearances must be skillfully maintained.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have written it,&rdquo; said Rodin, having added the words his master had
+      just dictated, who then said,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Continue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin read on:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;To forward or secure the affair in question, it is necessary to give
+      some private and secret particulars respecting the seven persons who
+      represent this family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The truth of these particulars may be relied on. In case of need they
+      might be completed in the most minute degree for contradictory information
+      having been given, very lengthened evidence has been obtained. The order
+      in which the names of the persons stand will be observed, and events that
+      have happened up to the present time will only be mentioned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;NOTE, No. I. &ldquo;&lsquo;Rose and Blanche Simon, twin sisters, about fifteen years
+      of age; very pretty, so much alike, one might be taken for the other; mild
+      and timid disposition, but capable of enthusiasm. Brought up in Siberia by
+      their mother, a woman of strong mind and deistical sentiments, they are
+      wholly ignorant of our holy religion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;General Simon, separated from his wife before they were born, is not
+      aware, even now, that he has two daughters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;It was hoped that their presence in Paris, on the 13th of February,
+      would be prevented, by sending their mother to a place of exile, much more
+      distant than the one first allotted her; but their mother dying, the
+      Governor of Siberia, who is wholly ours, supposing, by a deplorable
+      mistake, that the measure only affected the wife of General Simon
+      personally, unfortunately allowed the girls to return to France, under the
+      guidance of an old soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This man is enterprising, faithful, and determined. He is noted down as
+      dangerous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The Simon girls are inoffensive. It is hoped, on fair grounds, that they
+      are now detained in the neighborhood of Leipsic.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin&rsquo;s master interrupted him, saying:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, read the letter just received from Leipsic; it may complete the
+      information.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin read it, and exclaimed:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent news! The maidens and their guide had succeeded in escaping
+      during the night from the White Falcon Tavern, but all three were
+      overtaken and seized about a league from Mockern. They have been
+      transferred to Leipsic, where they are imprisoned as vagabonds; their
+      guide, the soldier, is accused and condemned of resisting the authorities,
+      and using violence to a magistrate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is almost certain, then, considering the tedious mode of proceeding in
+      Germany (otherwise we would see to it), that the girls will not be able to
+      be here on the 13th February,&rdquo; added Rodin&rsquo;s master. &ldquo;Append this to the
+      note on the back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The secretary obeyed, and endorsed &ldquo;An abstract of Morok&rsquo;s letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is written,&rdquo; he then added.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on,&rdquo; resumed his master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin continued reading.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;NOTE, No. II. &ldquo;&lsquo;Francois Hardy, manufacturer at Plessis, near Paris,
+      forty years old; a steady, rich, intelligent, active, honest,
+      well-informed man, idolized by his workmen&mdash;thanks to numberless
+      innovations to promote their welfare. Never attending to the duties of our
+      holy religion. Noted down as a very dangerous man: but the hatred and envy
+      he excites among other manufacturers, especially in M. le Baron Tripeaud,
+      his competitor, may easily be turned against him. If other means of action
+      on his account, and against him, are necessary, the evidence may be
+      consulted; it is very voluminous. This man has been marked and watched for
+      a long time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;He has been so effectually misguided with respect to the medal, that he
+      is completely deceived as to the interests it represents. He is, however,
+      constantly watched, surrounded, and governed, without suspecting it; one
+      of his dearest friends deceives him, and through his means we know his
+      secret thoughts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;NOTE, No. III. &ldquo;&lsquo;Prince Djalma; eighteen; energetic and generous,
+      haughty, independent and wild; favorite of General Simon, who commanded
+      the troops of his father, Kadja-sing, in the struggle maintained by the
+      latter against the English in India. Djalma is mentioned only by way of
+      reminder, for his mother died young, while her parents were living. They
+      resided at Batavia. On the death of the latter, neither Djalma nor the
+      king, his father, claimed their little property. It is, therefore, certain
+      that they are ignorant of the grave interests connected with the
+      possession of the medal in question, which formed part of the property of
+      Djalma&rsquo;s mother.&rdquo;&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin&rsquo;s master interrupted him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now read the letter from Batavia, and complete the information respecting
+      Djalma.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin read, and then observed:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good news again. Joshua Van Dael, merchant at Batavia (he was educated in
+      our Pondicherry establishment), learns from his correspondent at Calcutta
+      that the old Indian king was killed in the last battle with the English.
+      His son, Djalma, deprived of the paternal throne, is provisionally
+      detained as a prisoner of state in an Indian fortress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are at the end of October,&rdquo; said Rodin&rsquo;s master. &ldquo;If Prince Djalma
+      were to leave India now, he could scarcely reach Paris by the month of
+      February.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Van Dael,&rdquo; continued Rodin, &ldquo;regrets that he has not been able to prove
+      his zeal in this case. Supposing Prince Djalma set at liberty, or having
+      effected his escape, it is certain he would come to Batavia to claim his
+      inheritance from his mother, since he has nothing else left him in the
+      world. In that case, you may rely on Van Dael&rsquo;s devotedness. In return, he
+      solicits very precise information, by the next post, respecting the
+      fortune of M. le Baron Tripeaud, banker and manufacturer, with whom he has
+      business transactions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Answer that point evasively. Van Dael as yet has only shown zeal;
+      complete the information respecting Djalma from these new tidings.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin wrote.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But in a few minutes his master said to him with a singular expression:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does not Van Dael mention General Simon in connection with Djalma&rsquo;s
+      imprisonment and his father&rsquo;s death?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He does not allude to him,&rdquo; said the secretary, continuing his task.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin&rsquo;s master was silent, and paced the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few moments Rodin said to him: &ldquo;I have done it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on, then.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;NOTE, No. IV. &ldquo;&lsquo;Jacques Rennepont, surnamed &ldquo;Sleepinbuff,&rdquo; i.e. Lie
+      naked, workman in Baron Tripeaud&rsquo;s factory. This artisan is drunken, idle,
+      noisy, and prodigal; he is not without sense, but idleness and debauch
+      have ruined him. A clever agent, on whom we rely, has become acquainted
+      with his mistress, Cephyse Soliveau, nicknamed the Bacchanal Queen.
+      Through her means, the agent has formed such ties with him that he may
+      even now be considered beyond the reach of the interests that ought to
+      insure his presence in Paris on the 13th of February.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;NOTE, No. V. &ldquo;&lsquo;Gabriel Rennepont, priest of foreign missions, distant
+      relation of the above, but he is alike ignorant of the existence of his
+      relative and the relationship. An orphan foundling, he was adopted by
+      Frances Baudoin, the wife of a soldier going by the name Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Should this soldier, contrary to expectation, reach Paris, his wife
+      would be a powerful means of influencing him. She is an excellent
+      creature, ignorant and credulous, of exemplary piety, over whom we have
+      long had unlimited control. She prevailed on Gabriel to take orders,
+      notwithstanding his repugnance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Gabriel is five-and-twenty; disposition as angelic as his countenance;
+      rare and solid virtues; unfortunately he was brought up with his adopted
+      brother, Agricola, Dagobert&rsquo;s son. This Agricola is a poet and workman&mdash;but
+      an excellent workman; he is employed by M. Hardy; has imbibed the most
+      detestable doctrines; fond of his mother; honest, laborious, but without
+      religious feeling. Marked as very dangerous. This causes his intimacy with
+      Gabriel to be feared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The latter, notwithstanding his excellent qualities, sometimes causes
+      uneasiness. We have even delayed confiding in him fully. A false step
+      might make him, too, one of the most dangerous. Much precaution must be
+      used then, especially till the 13th of February; since, we repeat it, on
+      him, on his presence in Paris at that time, depend immense hopes and
+      equally important interests.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Among other precautions, we have consented to his taking part in the
+      American mission, for he unites with angelic sweetness of character a calm
+      intrepidity and adventurous spirit which could only be satisfied by
+      allowing him to engage in the perilous existence of the missionaries.
+      Luckily, his superiors at Charlestown have received the strictest orders
+      not to endanger, on any account, so precious a life. They are to send him
+      to Paris, at least a month or two before February 13th.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin&rsquo;s master again interrupted him, and said: &ldquo;Read the letter from
+      Charlestown, and see what it tells you in order to complete the
+      information upon this point also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When he had read the letter, Rodin went on: &ldquo;Gabriel is expected every day
+      from the Rocky Mountains, whither he had absolutely insisted on going
+      alone upon a mission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What imprudence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has no doubt escaped all danger, as he himself announces his speedy
+      return to Charlestown. As soon as he arrives, which cannot (they write) be
+      later than the middle of this month, he will be shipped off for France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Add this to the note which concerns him,&rdquo; said Rodin&rsquo;s master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is written,&rdquo; replied the secretary, a few moments later.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Proceed, then,&rdquo; said his master. Rodin continued
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;NOTE, No. VI. &ldquo;&lsquo;ADRIENNE RENNEPONT DE CARDOVILLE.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Distantly related (without knowing it) to Jacques Rennepont, alias
+      Sleepinbuff, and Gabriel Rennepont, missionary priest. She will soon be
+      twenty-one years of age, the most attractive person in the world&mdash;extraordinary
+      beauty, though red-haired&mdash;a mind remarkable for its originality&mdash;immense
+      fortune&mdash;all the animal instincts. The incredible independence of her
+      character makes one tremble for the future fate of this young person.
+      Happily, her appointed guardian, Baron Tripeaud (a baron of 1829 creation,
+      formerly agent to the late Count of Rennepont, Duke of Cardoville), is
+      quite in the interest, and almost in the dependence, of the young lady&rsquo;s
+      aunt. We count, with reason, upon this worthy and respectable relative,
+      and on the Baron Tripeaud, to oppose and repress the singular, unheard-of
+      designs which this young person, as resolute as independent, does not fear
+      to avow&mdash;and which, unfortunately, cannot be turned to account in the
+      interest of the affair in question&mdash;for&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin was here interrupted by two discreet taps at the door. The secretary
+      rose, went to see who knocked, remained a moment without, and then
+      returned with two letters in his hand, saying: &ldquo;The princess has profited
+      by the departure of a courier to&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give me the letter!&rdquo; cried his master, without leaving him time to
+      finish. &ldquo;At length,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;I shall have news of my mother&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He had scarcely read the first few lines of the letter, when he grew
+      deadly pale, and his features took an expression of painful astonishment
+      and poignant grief. &ldquo;My mother!&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;oh, heavens! my mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What misfortune has happened!&rdquo; asked Rodin, with a look of alarm, as he
+      rose at the exclamation of his master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The symptoms of improvement were fallacious,&rdquo; replied the other,
+      dejectedly; &ldquo;she has now relapsed into a nearly hopeless state. And yet
+      the doctor thinks my presence might save her, for she calls for me without
+      ceasing. She wishes to see me for the last time, that she may die in
+      peace. Oh, that wish is sacred! Not to grant it would be matricide. If I
+      can but arrive in time! Travelling day and night, it will take nearly two
+      days.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! what a misfortune!&rdquo; said Rodin, wringing his hands, and raising his
+      eyes to heaven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His master rang the bell violently, and said to the old servant that
+      opened the door: &ldquo;Just put what is indispensable into the portmanteau of
+      my travelling-carriage. Let the porter take a cab, and go for post horses
+      instantly. Within an hour, I must be on the road. Mother! mother!&rdquo; cried
+      he, as the servant departed in haste. &ldquo;Not to see her again&mdash;oh, it
+      would be frightful!&rdquo; And sinking upon a chair, overwhelmed with sorrow, he
+      covered his face with his hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This great grief was sincere&mdash;he loved tenderly his mother that
+      divine sentiment had accompanied him, unalterable and pure, through all
+      the phases of a too often guilty life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a few minutes, Rodin ventured to say to his master, as he showed him
+      the second letter: &ldquo;This, also, has just been brought from M. Duplessis.
+      It is very important&mdash;very pressing&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See what it is, and answer it. I have no head for business.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The letter is confidential,&rdquo; said Rodin, presenting it to his master. &ldquo;I
+      dare not open it, as you may see by the mark on the cover.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of this mark, the countenance of Rodin&rsquo;s master assumed an
+      indefinable expression of respect and fear. With a trembling hand he broke
+      the seal. The note contained only the following words: &ldquo;Leave all
+      business, and without losing a minute, set out and come. M. Duplessis will
+      replace you. He has orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Great God!&rdquo; cried this man in despair. &ldquo;Set out before I have seen my
+      mother! It is frightful, impossible&mdash;it would perhaps kill her&mdash;yes,
+      it would be matricide!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10161m.jpg" alt="10161m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10161.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Whilst he uttered these words, his eyes rested on the huge globe, marked
+      with red crosses. A sudden revolution seemed to take place within him; he
+      appeared to repent of the violence of his regrets; his face, though still
+      sad, became once more calm and grave. He handed the fatal letter to his
+      secretary, and said to him, whilst he stifled a sigh: &ldquo;To be classed under
+      its proper number.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin took the letter, wrote a number upon it, and placed it in a
+      particular box. After a moment&rsquo;s silence, his master resumed: &ldquo;You will
+      take orders from M. Duplessis, and work with him. You will deliver to him
+      the note on the affair of the medals; he knows to whom to address it. You
+      will write to Batavia, Leipsic, and Charlestown, in the sense agreed.
+      Prevent, at any price, the daughters of General Simon from quitting
+      Leipsic; hasten the arrival of Gabriel in Paris; and should Prince Djalma
+      come to Batavia, tell M. Joshua Van Dael, that we count on his zeal and
+      obedience to keep him there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And this man, who, while his dying mother called to him in vain, could
+      thus preserve his presence of mind, entered his own apartments; whilst
+      Rodin busied himself with the answers he had been ordered to write, and
+      transcribed them in cipher.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In about three quarters of an hour, the bells of the post-horses were
+      heard jingling without. The old servant again entered, after discreetly
+      knocking at the door, and said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The carriage is ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin nodded, and the servant withdrew. The secretary, in his turn, went
+      to knock at the door of the inner room. His master appeared, still grave
+      and cold, but fearfully pale, and holding a letter in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This for my mother,&rdquo; said he to Rodin; &ldquo;you will send a courier on the
+      instant.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the instant,&rdquo; replied the secretary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let the three letters for Leipsic, Batavia and Charlestown, leave to-day
+      by the ordinary channel. They are of the last importance. You know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Those were his last words. Executing merciless orders with a merciless
+      obedience, he departed without even attempting to see his mother. His
+      secretary accompanied him respectfully to his carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What road, sir?&rdquo; asked the postilion, turning round on his saddle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The road to ITALY!&rdquo; answered Rodin&rsquo;s master, with so deep a sigh that it
+      almost resembled a sob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the horses started at full gallop, Rodin made a low bow; then he
+      returned to the large, cold, bare apartment. The attitude, countenance,
+      and gait of this personage seemed to have undergone a sudden change. He
+      appeared to have increased in dimensions. He was no longer an automaton,
+      moved by the mechanism of humble obedience. His features, till now
+      impassible, his glance, hitherto subdued, became suddenly animated with an
+      expression of diabolical craft; a sardonic smile curled his thin, pale
+      lips, and a look of grim satisfaction relaxed his cadaverous face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In turn, he stopped before the huge globe. In turn, he contemplated it in
+      silence, even as his master had done. Then, bending over it, and embracing
+      it, as it were, in his arms, he gloated with his reptile-eye on it for
+      some moments, drew his coarse finger along its polished surface, and
+      tapped his flat, dirty nail on three of the places dotted with red
+      crosses. And, whilst he thus pointed to three towns, in very different
+      parts of the world, he named them aloud, with a sneer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leipsic&mdash;Charlestown&mdash;Batavia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In each of these three places,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;distant as they are from one
+      another, there exist persons who little think that here, in this obscure
+      street, from the recesses of this chamber, wakeful eyes are upon them&mdash;that
+      all their movements are followed, all their actions known&mdash;and that
+      hence will issue new instructions, which deeply concern them, and which
+      will be inexorably executed; for an interest is at stake, which may have a
+      powerful influence on Europe&mdash;on the world. Luckily, we have friends
+      at Leipsic, Charlestown, and Batavia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This funny, old, sordid, ill-dressed man, with his livid and death-like
+      countenance, thus crawling over the sphere before him, appeared still more
+      awful than his master, when the latter, erect and haughty, had imperiously
+      laid his hand upon that globe, which he seemed desirous of subjecting by
+      the strength of his pride and courage. The one resembled the eagle, that
+      hovers above his prey&mdash;the other the reptile, that envelops its
+      victim in its inextricable folds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some minutes, Rodin approached his desk, rubbing his hands briskly
+      together, and wrote the following epistle in a cipher unknown even to his
+      master:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Paris, 3/4 past 9 A.M.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is gone&mdash;but he hesitated!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When he received the order, his dying mother had just summoned him to
+      her. He might, they told him, save her by his presence; and he exclaimed:
+      &lsquo;Not to go to my mother would be matricide!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Still, he is gone&mdash;but he hesitated. I keep my eye upon him
+      continually. These lines will reach Rome at the same time as himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;P.S.&mdash;Tell the Cardinal-Prince that he may rely on me, but I hope
+      for his active aid in return.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When he had folded and sealed this letter, Rodin put it into his pocket.
+      The clock struck ten, M. Rodin&rsquo;s hour for breakfast. He arranged and
+      locked up his papers in a drawer, of which he carried away the key,
+      brushed his old greasy hat with his sleeve, took a patched umbrella in his
+      hand, and went out. (1)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst these two men, in the depths of their obscure retreat, were thus
+      framing a plot, which was to involve the seven descendants of a race
+      formerly proscribed&mdash;a strange mysterious defender was planning how
+      to protect this family, which was also his own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      1 Having cited the excellent, courageous letters of M. Libri, and the
+      curious work edited by M. Paulin, it is our duty likewise to mention many
+      bold and conscientious writings on the subject of the &ldquo;Society of Jesus,&rdquo;
+       recently published by the elder Dupin, Michelet, Quinet, Genin, and the
+      Count de Saint Priest&mdash;works of high and impartial intellects, in
+      which the fatal theories of the order are admirably exposed and condemned.
+      We esteem ourselves happy, if we can bring one stone towards the erection
+      of the strong, and, we hope, durable embankment which these generous
+      hearts and noble minds are raising against the encroachments of an impure
+      and always menacing flood.&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0021" id="link2H_4_0021">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK II. INTERVAL.&mdash;THE WANDERING JEW&rsquo;S SENTENCE.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     XVII. The Ajoupa XVIII. The Tattooing XIX. The Smuggler XX.
+     M. Joshua Van Dael XXI. The Ruins of Tchandi XXII. The
+     Ambuscade XXIII. M. Rodin XXIV. The Tempest XXV. The
+     Shipwreck XXVI. The Departure for Paris XXVII. Dagobert&rsquo;s
+     Wife XXVIII. The Sister of the Bacchanal Queen XXIX.
+     Agricola Baudoin XXX. The Return XXXI. Agricola and Mother
+     Bunch XXXII. The Awakening XXXIII. The Pavilion XXXIV.
+     Adrienne at her Toilet XXXV. The Interview
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0022" id="link2H_4_0022">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      INTERVAL.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      THE WANDERING JEW&rsquo;S SENTENCE.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The site is wild and rugged. It is a lofty eminence covered with huge
+      boulders of sandstone, between which rise birch trees and oaks, their
+      foliage already yellowed by autumn. These tall trees stand out from the
+      background of red light, which the sun has left in the west, resembling
+      the reflection of a great fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From this eminence the eye looks down into a deep valley, shady, fertile,
+      and half-veiled in light vapor by the evening mist. The rich meadows, the
+      tufts of bushy trees the fields from which the ripe corn has been gathered
+      in, all blend together in one dark, uniform tint, which contrasts with the
+      limpid azure of the heavens. Steeples of gray stone or slate lift their
+      pointed spires, at intervals, from the midst of this valley; for many
+      villages are spread about it, bordering a high-road which leads from the
+      north to the west.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is the hour of repose&mdash;the hour when, for the most part, every
+      cottage window brightens to the joyous crackling of the rustic hearth, and
+      shines afar through shade and foliage, whilst clouds of smoke issue from
+      the chimneys, and curl up slowly towards the sky. But now, strange to say,
+      every hearth in the country seems cold and deserted. Stranger and more
+      fatal still, every steeple rings out a funeral knell. Whatever there is of
+      activity, movement, or life, appears concentrated in that lugubrious and
+      far-sounding vibration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Lights begin to show themselves in the dark villages, but they rise not
+      from the cheerful and pleasant rustic hearth. They are as red as the fires
+      of the herdsmen, seen at night through the midst of the fog. And then
+      these lights do not remain motionless. They creep slowly towards the
+      churchyard of every village. Louder sounds the death-knell, the air
+      trembles beneath the strokes of so many bells, and, at rare intervals, the
+      funeral chant rises faintly to the summit of the hill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Why so many interments? What valley of desolation is this, where the
+      peaceful songs which follow the hard labors of the day are replaced by the
+      death dirge? where the repose of evening is exchanged for the repose of
+      eternity? What is this valley of the shadow, where every village mourns
+      for its many dead, and buries them at the same hour of the same night?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Alas! the deaths are so sudden and numerous and frightful that there is
+      hardly time to bury the dead. During day the survivors are chained to the
+      earth by hard but necessary toil; and only in the evening, when they
+      return from the fields, are they able, though sinking with fatigue, to dig
+      those other furrows, in which their brethren are to lie heaped like grains
+      of corn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And this valley is not the only one that has seen the desolation. During a
+      series of fatal years, many villages, many towns, many cities, many great
+      countries, have seen, like this valley, their hearths deserted and cold&mdash;have
+      seen, like this valley, mourning take the place of joy, and the
+      death-knell substituted for the noise of festival&mdash;have wept in the
+      same day for their many dead, and buried them at night by the lurid glare
+      of torches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For, during those fatal years, an awful wayfarer had slowly journeyed over
+      the earth, from one pole to the other&mdash;from the depths of India and
+      Asia to the ice of Siberia&mdash;from the ice of Siberia to the borders of
+      the seas of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This traveller, mysterious as death, slow as eternity, implacable as fate,
+      terrible as the hand of heaven, was the CHOLERA!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The tolling of bells and the funeral chants still rose from the depths of
+      the valley to the summit of the hill, like the complaining of a mighty
+      voice; the glare of the funeral torches was still seen afar through the
+      mist of evening; it was the hour of twilight&mdash;that strange hour,
+      which gives to the most solid forms a vague, indefinite fantastic
+      appearance&mdash;when the sound of firm and regular footsteps was heard on
+      the stony soil of the rising ground, and, between the black trunks of the
+      trees, a man passed slowly onward.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His figure was tall, his head was bowed upon his breast; his countenance
+      was noble, gentle, and sad; his eyebrows, uniting in the midst, extended
+      from one temple to the other, like a fatal mark on his forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This man did not seem to hear the distant tolling of so many funeral bells&mdash;and
+      yet, a few days before, repose and happiness, health and joy, had reigned
+      in those villages through which he had slowly passed, and which he now
+      left behind him, mourning and desolate. But the traveller continued on his
+      way, absorbed in his own reflections.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The 13th of February approaches,&rdquo; thought he; &ldquo;the day approaches, in
+      which the descendants of my beloved sister, the last scions of our race,
+      should meet in Paris. Alas! it is now a hundred and fifty years since, for
+      the third time, persecution scattered this family over all the earth&mdash;this
+      family, that I have watched over with tenderness for eighteen centuries,
+      through all its migrations and exiles, its changes of religion, fortune,
+      and name!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! for this family, descended from the sister of the poor shoemaker,(2)
+      what grandeur and what abasement, what obscurity and what splendor, what
+      misery and what glory! By how many crimes has it been sullied, by how many
+      virtues honored! The history of this single family is the history of the
+      human race!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Passing, in the course of so many generations, through the veins of the
+      poor and the rich, of the sovereign and the bandit, of the wise man and
+      the fool, of the coward and the brave, of the saint and the atheist, the
+      blood of my sister has transmitted itself to this hour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What scions of this family are now remaining? Seven only.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two orphans, the daughters of proscribed parents&mdash;a dethroned prince&mdash;a
+      poor missionary priest&mdash;a man of the middle class&mdash;a young girl
+      of a great name and large fortune&mdash;a mechanic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Together, they comprise in themselves the virtues, the courage, the
+      degradation, the splendor, the miseries of our species!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Siberia&mdash;India&mdash;America&mdash;France&mdash;behold the divers
+      places where fate has thrown them!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My instinct teaches me when one of them is in peril. Then, from the North
+      to the South, from the East to the West, I go to seek them. Yesterday amid
+      the polar frosts&mdash;to-day in the temperate zone&mdash;to-morrow
+      beneath the fires of the tropics&mdash;but often, alas! at the moment when
+      my presence might save them, the invisible hand impels me, the whirlwind
+      carries me away, and the voice speaks in my ear: &lsquo;GO ON! GO ON!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, that I might only finish my task!&mdash;&lsquo;GO ON!&rsquo;&mdash;A single hour&mdash;only
+      a single hour of repose!&mdash;&lsquo;GO ON!&rsquo;&mdash;Alas! I leave those I love
+      on the brink of the abyss!&mdash;&lsquo;GO ON! GO ON!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such is my punishment. If it is great, my crime was greater still! An
+      artisan, devoted to privations and misery, my misfortunes had made me
+      cruel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, cursed, cursed be the day, when, as I bent over my work, sullen with
+      hate and despair, because, in spite of my incessant labor, I and mine
+      wanted for everything, the Saviour passed before my door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Reviled, insulted, covered with blows, hardly able to sustain the weight
+      of his heavy cross, He asked me to let Him rest a moment on my stone
+      bench. The sweat poured from His forehead, His feet were bleeding, He was
+      well-nigh sinking with fatigue, and He said to me, in a mild, heart
+      piercing voice: &lsquo;I suffer!&rsquo; &lsquo;And I too suffer,&rsquo; I replied, as with harsh
+      anger I pushed Him from the place; &lsquo;I suffer, and no one comes to help me!
+      I find no pity, and will give none. Go on! go on!&rsquo; Then, with a deep sigh
+      of pain, He answered, and spake this sentence: &lsquo;Verily, thou shalt go on
+      till the day of thy redemption, for so wills the Father which art in
+      heaven!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so my punishment began. Too late I opened these eyes to the light,
+      too late I learned repentance and charity, too late I understood those
+      divine words of Him I had outraged, words which should be the law of the
+      whole human race. &lsquo;LOVE YE ONE ANOTHER.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In vain through successive ages, gathering strength and eloquence from
+      those celestial words, have I labored to earn my pardon, by filling with
+      commiseration and love hearts that were overflowing with envy and
+      bitterness, by inspiring many a soul with a sacred horror of oppression
+      and injustice. For me the day of mercy has not yet dawned!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And even as the first man, by his fall, devoted his posterity to
+      misfortune, it would seem as if I, the workman, had consigned the whole
+      race of artisans to endless sorrows, and as if they were expiating my
+      crime: for they alone, during these eighteen centuries, have not yet been
+      delivered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For eighteen centuries, the powerful and the happy of this world have
+      said to the toiling people what I said to the imploring and suffering
+      Saviour: &lsquo;Go on! go on!&rsquo; And the people, sinking with fatigue, bearing
+      their heavy cross, have answered in the bitterness of their grief: &lsquo;Oh,
+      for pity&rsquo;s sake! a few moments of repose; we are worn out with toil.&rsquo;&mdash;Go
+      on!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;And if we perish in our pain, what will become of our little
+      children and our aged mothers?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Go on! go on!&rsquo; And, for eighteen
+      centuries, they and I have continued to struggle forward and to suffer,
+      and no charitable voice has yet pronounced the word &lsquo;Enough!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! such is my punishment. It is immense, it is two-fold. I suffer in
+      the name of humanity, when I see these wretched multitudes consigned
+      without respite to profitless and oppressive toil. I suffer in the name of
+      my family, when, poor and wandering, I am unable to bring aid to the
+      descendants of my dear sister. But, when the sorrow is above my strength,
+      when I foresee some danger from which I cannot preserve my own, then my
+      thoughts, travelling over the world, go in search of that woman like me
+      accursed, that daughter of a queen, who, like me, the son of a laborer,
+      wanders, and will wander on, till the day of her redemption.(3)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once in a century, as two planets draw nigh to each other in their
+      revolutions, I am permitted to meet this woman during the dread week of
+      the Passion. And after this interview, filled with terrible remembrances
+      and boundless griefs, wandering stars of eternity, we pursue our infinite
+      course.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this woman, the only one upon earth who, like me, sees the end of
+      every century, and exclaims: &lsquo;What another?&rsquo; this woman responds to my
+      thought, from the furthest extremity of the world. She, who alone shares
+      my terrible destiny, has chosen to share also the only interest that has
+      consoled me for so many ages. Those descendants of my dear sister, she too
+      loves, she too protects them. For them she journeys likewise from East to
+      West and from North to South.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But alas! the invisible hand impels her, the whirlwind carries her away,
+      and the voice speaks in her ear: &lsquo;Go on!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Oh that I might finish my
+      sentence!&rsquo; repeats she also,&mdash;&lsquo;Go on!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;A single hour&mdash;only
+      a single hour of repose!&rsquo;&mdash;Go on!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;I leave those I love on the
+      brink of the abyss.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Go on! Go on!&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst this man thus went over the hill absorbed in his thoughts, the
+      light evening breeze increased almost to a gale, a vivid flash streamed
+      across the sky, and long, deep whistlings announced the coming of a
+      tempest.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10169m.jpg" alt="10169m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10169.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      On a sudden this doomed man, who could no longer weep or smile, started
+      with a shudder. No physical pain could reach him, and yet he pressed his
+      hand hastily to his heart, as though he had experienced a cruel pang.
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; cried he; &ldquo;I feel it. This hour, many of those whom I love&mdash;the
+      descendants of my dear sister&mdash;suffer, and are in great peril. Some
+      in the centre of India&mdash;some in America&mdash;some here in Germany.
+      The struggle recommences, the detestable passions are again awake. Oh,
+      thou that hearest me&mdash;thou, like myself wandering and accursed&mdash;Herodias!
+      help me to protect them! May my invocation reach thee, in those American
+      solitudes where thou now lingerest&mdash;and may we arrive in time!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereon an extraordinary event happened. Night was come. The man made a
+      movement; precipitately, to retrace his steps&mdash;but an invisible force
+      prevented him, and carried him forward in the opposite direction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, the storm burst forth in its murky majesty. One of those
+      whirlwinds, which tear up trees by the roots and shake the foundations of
+      the rocks, rushed over the hill rapid and loud as thunder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of the roaring of the hurricane, by the glare of the fiery
+      flashes, the man with the black mark on his brow was seen descending the
+      hill, stalking with huge strides among the rocks, and between trees bent
+      beneath the efforts of the storm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The tread of this man was no longer slow, firm, and steady&mdash;but
+      painfully irregular, like that of one impelled by an irresistible power,
+      or carried along by the whirl of a frightful wind. In vain he extended his
+      supplicating hands to heaven. Soon he disappeared in the shades of night,
+      and amid the roar of the tempest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (2) It is known that, according to the legend, the Wandering Jew was a
+      shoemaker at Jerusalem. The Saviour, carrying his cross, passed before the
+      house of the artisan, and asked him to be allowed to rest an instant on
+      the stone bench at his door. &ldquo;Go on! go on!&rdquo; said the Jew harshly, pushing
+      him away. &ldquo;Thou shalt go on till the end of time,&rdquo; answered the Saviour,
+      in a stern though sorrowful tone. For further details, see the eloquent
+      and learned notice by Charles Magnin, appended to the magnificent poem
+      &ldquo;Ahasuerus,&rdquo; by Ed. Quinet.&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (3) According to a legend very little known, for we are indebted to the
+      kindness of M. Maury, the learned sub-librarian of the Institute, Herodias
+      was condemned to wander till the day of judgement, for having asked for
+      the death of John the Baptist&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII. THE AJOUPA.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hile Rodin despatched his cosmopolite correspondence, from his retreat in
+      the Rue du Milieu des Ursins, in Paris&mdash;while the daughters of
+      General Simon, after quitting as fugitives the White Falcon, were detained
+      prisoners at Leipsic along with Dagobert&mdash;other scenes, deeply
+      interesting to these different personages, were passing, almost as it were
+      at the same moment, at the other extremity of the world, in the
+      furthermost parts of Asia&mdash;that is to say, in the island of Java, not
+      far from the city of Batavia, the residence of M. Joshua Van Dael, one of
+      the correspondents of Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Java! magnificent and fatal country, where the most admirable flowers
+      conceal hideous reptiles, where the brightest fruits contain subtle
+      poisons, where grow splendid trees, whose very shadow is death&mdash;where
+      the gigantic vampire bat sucks the blood of its victims whilst it prolongs
+      their sleep, by surrounding them with a fresh and balmy air, no fan moving
+      so rapidly as the great perfumed wings of this monster!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The month of October, 1831, draws near its close. It is noon&mdash;an hour
+      well nigh mortal to him who encounters the fiery heat of the sun, which
+      spreads a sheet of dazzling light over the deep blue enamel of the sky.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An ajoupa, or hut, made of cane mats, suspended from long bamboos, which
+      are driven far into the ground, rises in the midst of the bluish shadows
+      cast by a tuft of trees, whose glittering verdure resembles green
+      porcelain. These quaintly formed trees, rounded into arches, pointing like
+      spires, overspreading like parasols, are so thick in foliage, so entangled
+      one with the other, that their dome is impenetrable to the rain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soil, ever marshy, notwithstanding the insupportable heat, disappears
+      beneath an inextricable mass of creepers, ferns, and tufted reeds, of a
+      freshness and vigor of vegetation almost incredible, reaching nearly to
+      the top of the ajoupa, which lies hid like a nest among the grass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing can be more suffocating than the atmosphere, heavily laden with
+      moist exhalations like the steam of hot water, and impregnated with the
+      strongest and sharpest scents; for the cinnamon-tree, ginger-plant,
+      stephanotis and Cape jasmine, mixed with these trees and creepers, spread
+      around in puffs their penetrating odors. A roof, formed of large Indian
+      fig-leaves, covers the cabin; at one end is a square opening, which serves
+      for a window, shut in with a fine lattice-work of vegetable fibres, so as
+      to prevent the reptiles and venomous insects from creeping into the
+      ajoupa. The huge trunk of a dead tree, still standing, but much bent, and
+      with its summit reaching to the roof of the ajoupa, rises from the midst
+      of the brushwood. From every crevice in its black, rugged, mossy bark,
+      springs a strange, almost fantastic flower; the wing of a butterfly is not
+      of a finer tissue, of a more brilliant purple, of a more glossy black:
+      those unknown birds we see in our dreams, have no more grotesque forms
+      than these specimens of the orchis&mdash;winged flowers, that seem always
+      ready to fly from their frail and leafless stalks. The long, flexible
+      stems of the cactus, which might be taken for reptiles, encircle also this
+      trunk, and clothe it with their bunches of silvery white, shaded inside
+      with bright orange. These flowers emit a strong scent of vanilla.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A serpent, of a brick-red, about the thickness of a large quill, and five
+      or six inches long, half protrudes its flat head from one of those
+      enormous, perfumed calyces, in which it lies closely curled up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Within the ajoupa, a young man is extended on a mat in a profound sleep.
+      His complexion of a clear golden yellow, gives him the appearance of a
+      statue of pale bronze, on which a ray of sun is playing. His attitude is
+      simple and graceful; his right arm sustains his head, a little raised and
+      turned on one side; his ample robe of white muslin, with hanging sleeves,
+      leaves uncovered his chest and arms worthy of the Antoinous. Marble is not
+      more firm, more polished than his skin, the golden hue of which contracts
+      strongly with the whiteness of his garments. Upon his broad manly chest a
+      deep scar is visible&mdash;the mark of the musket-ball he received in
+      defending the life of General Simon, the father of Rose and Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suspended from his neck, he wears a medal similar to that in the
+      possession of the two sisters. This Indian is Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His features are at once very noble and very beautiful. His hair of a blue
+      black, parted upon his forehead, falls waving, but not curled over his
+      shoulders; whilst his eyebrows, boldly and yet delicately defined, are of
+      as deep a jet as the long eyelashes, that cast their shadow upon his
+      beardless cheek. His bright, red lips are slightly apart, and he breathes
+      uneasily; his sleep is heavy and troubled, for the heat becomes every
+      moment more and more suffocating.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without, the silence is profound. Not a breath of air is stirring. Yet now
+      the tall ferns, which cover the soil, begin to move almost imperceptibly,
+      as though their stems were shaken by the slow progress of some crawling
+      body. From time to time, this trifling oscillation suddenly ceases, and
+      all is again motionless. But, after several of these alternations of
+      rustling and deep silence, a human head appears in the midst of the
+      jungle, a little distance from the trunk of the dead tree.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The man to whom it belonged was possessed of a grim countenance, with a
+      complexion the color of greenish bronze, long black hair bound about his
+      temples, eyes brilliant with savage fire, and an expression remarkable for
+      its intelligence and ferocity. Holding his breath, he remained quite still
+      for a moment; then, advancing upon his hands and knees, pushing aside the
+      leaves so gently, that not the slightest noise could be heard, he arrived
+      cautiously and slowly at the trunk of the dead tree, the summit of which
+      nearly touched the roof of the ajoupa.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This man, of Malay origin, belonging to the sect of the Lughardars
+      (Stranglers), after having again listened, rose almost entirely from
+      amongst the brushwood. With the exception of white cotton drawers,
+      fastened around his middle by a parti-colored sash, he was completely
+      naked. His bronze, supple, and nervous limbs were overlaid with a thick
+      coat of oil. Stretching himself along the huge trunk on the side furthest
+      from the cabin, and thus sheltered by the whole breadth of the tree with
+      its surrounding creepers, he began to climb silently, with as much
+      patience as caution. In the undulations of his form, in the flexibility of
+      his movements, in the restrained vigor, which fully put forth would have
+      been alarming, there was some resemblance to the stealthy and treacherous
+      advance of the tiger upon its prey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having reached, completely unperceived, the inclined portion of the tree,
+      which almost touched the roof of the cabin, he was only separated from the
+      window by a distance of about a foot. Cautiously advancing his head, he
+      looked down into the interior, to see how he might best find an entrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of Djalma in his deep sleep, the Thug&rsquo;s bright eyes glittered
+      with increased brilliancy; a nervous contraction, or rather a mute,
+      ferocious laugh, curling the corners of his mouth, drew them up towards
+      the cheekbones, and exposed rows of teeth, filed sharp like the points of
+      a saw, and dyed of a shining black.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma was lying in such a manner and so near the door of the ajoupa,
+      which opened inwards, that, were it moved in the least, he must be
+      instantly awakened. The Strangler, with his body still sheltered by the
+      tree, wishing to examine more attentively the interior of the cabin,
+      leaned very forward, and in order to maintain his balance, lightly rested
+      his hand on the ledge of the opening that served for a window. This
+      movement shook the large cactus-flowers, within which the little serpent
+      lay curled, and, darting forth it twisted itself rapidly round the wrist
+      of the Strangler. Whether from pain or surprise, the man uttered a low
+      cry; and as he drew back swiftly, still holding by the trunk of the tree,
+      he perceived that Djalma had moved.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young Indian, though retaining his supine posture, had half opened his
+      eyes, and turned his head towards the window, whilst his breast heaved
+      with a deep-drawn sigh, for, beneath that thick dome of moist verdure, the
+      concentrated heat was intolerable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had he moved, when, from behind the tree, was heard the shrill,
+      brief, sonorous note, which the bird of paradise titters when it takes its
+      flight&mdash;a cry which resembles that of the pheasant. This note was
+      soon repeated, but more faintly, as though the brilliant bird were already
+      at a distance. Djalma, thinking he had discovered the cause of the noise
+      which had aroused him for an instant, stretched out the arm upon which his
+      head had rested, and went to sleep again, with scarcely any change of
+      position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some minutes, the most profound silence once more reigned in this
+      solitude, and everything remained motionless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Strangler, by his skillful imitation of the bird, had repaired the
+      imprudence of that exclamation of surprise and pain, which the reptile
+      bite had forced from him. When he thought all was safe, he again advanced
+      his head, and saw the young Indian once more plunged in sleep. Then he
+      descended the tree with the same precautions, though his left hand was
+      somewhat swollen from the sting of the serpent, and disappeared in the
+      jungle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At that instant a song of monotonous and melancholy cadence was heard in
+      the distance. The Strangler raised himself, and listened attentively, and
+      his face took an expression of surprise and deadly anger. The song came
+      nearer and nearer to the cabin, and, in a few seconds, an Indian, passing
+      through an open space in the jungle, approached the spot where the Thug
+      lay concealed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter unwound from his waist a long thin cord, to one of the ends of
+      which was attached a leaden ball, of the form and size of an egg; having
+      fastened the other end of this cord to his right wrist, the Strangler
+      again listened, and then disappeared, crawling through the tall grass in
+      the direction of the Indian, who still advanced slowly, without
+      interrupting his soft and plaintive song.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was a young fellow scarcely twenty, with a bronzed complexion, the
+      slave of Djalma, his vest of blue cotton was confined at the waist by a
+      parti-colored sash; he wore a red turban, and silver rings in his ears and
+      about his wrists. He was bringing a message to his master, who, during the
+      great heat of the day was reposing in the ajoupa, which stood at some
+      distance from the house he inhabited.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Arriving at a place where two paths separated, the slave, without
+      hesitation took that which led to the cabin, from which he was now scarce
+      forty paces distant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of those enormous Java butterflies, whose wings extend six or eight
+      inches in length, and offer to the eye two streaks of gold on a ground of
+      ultramarine, fluttering from leaf to leaf, alighted on a bush of Cape
+      jasmine, within the reach of the young Indian. The slave stopped in his
+      song, stood still, advanced first a foot, then a hand, and seized the
+      butterfly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly he sees a dark figure rise before him; he hears a whizzing noise
+      like that of a sling; he feels a cord, thrown with as much rapidity as
+      force, encircle his neck with a triple band; and, almost in the same
+      instant, the leaden ball strikes violently against the back of his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This attack was so abrupt and unforseen, that Djalma&rsquo;s servant could not
+      even utter a single cry, a single groan. He tottered&mdash;the Strangler
+      gave a vigorous pull at the cord&mdash;the bronzed countenance of the
+      slave became purple, and he fell upon his knees, convulsively moving his
+      arms. Then the Strangler threw him quite down, and pulled the cord so
+      violently, that the blood spurted from the skin. The victim struggled for
+      a moment&mdash;and all was over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During his short but intense agony, the murderer, kneeling before his
+      victim, and watching with ardent eye his least convulsions, seemed plunged
+      into an ecstasy of ferocious joy. His nostrils dilated, the veins of his
+      neck and temples were swollen, and the same savage laugh, which had curled
+      his lips at the aspect of the sleeping Djalma, again displayed his pointed
+      black teeth, which a nervous trembling of the jaws made to chatter. But
+      soon he crossed his arms upon his heaving breast, bowed his forehead, and
+      murmured some mysterious words, which sounded like an invocation or a
+      prayer. Immediately after, he returned to the contemplation of the dead
+      body. The hyena and the tiger-cat, who, before devouring, crouch beside
+      the prey that they have surprised or hunted down, have not a wilder or
+      more sanguinary look than this man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, remembering that his task was not yet accomplished tearing himself
+      unwillingly from the hideous spectacle, he unbound the cord from the neck
+      of his victim, fastened it round his own body, dragged the corpse out of
+      the path, and, without attempting to rob it of its silver rings, concealed
+      it in a thick part of the jungle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then the Strangler again began to creep on his knees and belly, till he
+      arrived at the cabin of Djalma&mdash;that cabin constructed of mats
+      suspended from bamboos. After listening attentively, he drew from his
+      girdle a knife, the sharp-pointed blade of which was wrapped in a
+      fig-leaf, and made in the matting an incision of three feet in length.
+      This was done with such quickness, and with so fine a blade, that the
+      light touch of the diamond cutting glass would have made more noise.
+      Seeing, by means of this opening, which was to serve him for a passage,
+      that Djalma was still fast asleep, the Thug, with incredible temerity,
+      glided into the cabin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII. THE TATTOOING
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he heavens, which had been till now of transparent blue, became gradually
+      of a greenish tint, and the sun was veiled in red, lurid vapor. This
+      strange light gave to every object a weird appearance, of which one might
+      form an idea, by looking at a landscape through a piece of copper colored
+      glass. In those climates, this phenomenon, when united with an increase of
+      burning heat, always announces the approach of a storm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From time to time there was a passing odor of sulphur; then the leaves,
+      slightly shaken by electric currents, would tremble upon their stalks;
+      till again all would return to the former motionless silence. The weight
+      of the burning atmosphere, saturated with sharp perfumes, became almost
+      intolerable. Large drops of sweat stood in pearls on the forehead of
+      Djalma, still plunged in enervating sleep&mdash;for it no longer resembled
+      rest, but a painful stupor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Strangler glided like a reptile along the sides of the ajoupa, and,
+      crawling on his belly, arrived at the sleeping-mat of Djalma, beside which
+      he squatted himself, so as to occupy as little space as possible. Then
+      began a fearful scene, by reason of the mystery and silence which
+      surrounded it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma&rsquo;s life was at the mercy of the Strangler. The latter, resting upon
+      his hands and knees, with his neck stretched forward, his eye fixed and
+      dilated, continued motionless as a wild beast about to spring. Only a
+      slight nervous trembling of the jaws agitated that mask of bronze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But soon his hideous features revealed a violent struggle that was passing
+      within him&mdash;a struggle between the thirst, the craving for the
+      enjoyment of murder, which the recent assassination of the slave had made
+      still more active, and the orders he had received not to attempt the life
+      of Djalma, though the design, which brought him to the ajoupa, might
+      perhaps be as fatal to the young Indian as death itself. Twice did the
+      Strangler, with look of flame, resting only on his left hand, seize with
+      his right the rope&rsquo;s end; and twice his hand fell&mdash;the instinct of
+      murder yielding to a powerful will, of which the Malay acknowledged the
+      irresistible empire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In him, the homicidal craving must have amounted to madness, for, in these
+      hesitations, he lost much precious time: at any moment, Djalma, whose
+      vigor, skill, and courage were known and feared, might awake from his
+      sleep, and, though unarmed, he would prove a terrible adversary. At length
+      the Thug made up his mind; with a suppressed sigh of regret, he set about
+      accomplishing his task.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This task would have appeared impossible to any one else. The reader may
+      judge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma, with his face turned towards the left, leaned his head upon his
+      curved arm. It was first necessary, without waking him, to oblige him to
+      turn his face towards the right (that is, towards the door), so that, in
+      case of his being half-roused, his first glance might not fall upon the
+      Strangler. The latter, to accomplish his projects, would have to remain
+      many minutes in the cabin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The heavens became darker; the heat arrived at its last degree of
+      intensity; everything combined to increase the torpor of the sleeper, and
+      so favor the Strangler&rsquo;s designs. Kneeling down close to Djalma, he began,
+      with the tips of his supple, well-oiled fingers, to stroke the brow,
+      temples, and eyelids of the young Indian, but with such extreme lightness,
+      that the contact of the two skins was hardly sensible. When this kind of
+      magnetic incantation had lasted for some seconds, the sweat, which bathed
+      the forehead of Djalma, became more abundant: he heaved a smothered sigh,
+      and the muscles of his face gave several twitches, for the strokings,
+      although too light to rouse him, yet caused in him a feeling of
+      indefinable uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Watching him with his restless and burning eye, the Strangler continued
+      his maneuvers with so much patience, that Djalma, still sleeping, but no
+      longer able to bear this vague, annoying sensation, raised his right hand
+      mechanically to his face, as if he would have brushed away an importunate
+      insect. But he had not strength to do it; almost immediately after, his
+      hand, inert and heavy, fell back upon his chest. The Strangler saw, by
+      this symptom, that he was attaining his object, and continued to stroke,
+      with the same address, the eyelids, brow, and temples.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon Djalma, more and more oppressed by heavy sleep, and having
+      neither strength nor will to raise his hand to his face, mechanically
+      turned round his head, which fell languidly upon his right shoulder,
+      seeking by this change of attitude, to escape from the disagreeable
+      sensation which pursued him. The first point gained, the Strangler could
+      act more freely.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10179m.jpg" alt="10179m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10179.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      To render as profound as possible the sleep he had half interrupted, he
+      now strove to imitate the vampire, and, feigning the action of a fan, he
+      rapidly moved his extended hands about the burning face of the young
+      Indian. Alive to a feeling of such sudden and delicious coolness, in the
+      height of suffocating heat, the countenance of Djalma brightened, his
+      bosom heaved, his half-opened lips drank in the grateful air, and he fell
+      into a sleep only the more invincible, because it had been at first
+      disturbed, and was now yielded to under the influence of a pleasing
+      sensation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sudden flash of lightning illumined the shady dome that sheltered the
+      ajoupa: fearing that the first clap of thunder might rouse the young
+      Indian, the Strangler hastened to complete his Task. Djalma lay on his
+      back, with his head resting on his right shoulder, and his left arm
+      extended; the Thug, crouching at his left side, ceased by degrees the
+      process of fanning; then, with incredible dexterity, he succeeded in
+      rolling up, above the elbow, the long wide sleeve of white muslin that
+      covered the left arm of the sleeper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He next drew from the pocket of his drawers a copper box, from which he
+      took a very fine, sharp-pointed needle, and a piece of a black-looking
+      root. He pricked this root several times with the needle, and on each
+      occasion there issued from it a white, glutinous liquid.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the Strangler thought the needle sufficiently impregnated with this
+      juice, he bent down, and began to blow gently over the inner surface of
+      Djalma&rsquo;s arm, so as to cause a fresh sensation of coolness; then, with the
+      point of his needle, he traced almost imperceptibly on the skin of the
+      sleeping youth some mysterious and symbolical signs. All this was
+      performed so cleverly and the point of the needle was so fine and keen,
+      that Djalma did not feel the action of the acid upon the skin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The signs, which the Strangler had traced, soon appeared on the surface,
+      at first in characters of a pale rose-color, as fine as a hair; but such
+      was the slowly corrosive power of the juice, that, as it worked and spread
+      beneath the skin, they would become in a few hours of a violet red, and as
+      apparent as they were now almost invisible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Strangler, having so perfectly succeeded in his project, threw a last
+      look of ferocious longing on the slumbering Indian, and creeping away from
+      the mat, regained the opening by which he had entered the cabin; next,
+      closely uniting the edges of the incision, so as to obviate all suspicion,
+      he disappeared just as the thunder began to rumble hoarsely in the
+      distance.(4)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (4) We read in the letters of the late Victor Jacquemont upon India, with
+      regard to the incredible dexterity of these men: &ldquo;They crawl on the
+      ground, ditches, in the furrows of fields, imitate a hundred different
+      voices, and dissipate the effect of any accidental noise by raising the
+      yelp of the jackal or note of some bird&mdash;then are silent, and another
+      imitates the call of the same animal in the distance. They can molest a
+      sleeper by all sorts of noises and slight touches, and make his body and
+      limbs take any position which suits their purpose.&rdquo; Count Edward de
+      Warren, in his excellent work on English India, which we shall have again
+      occasion to quote, expresses himself in the same manner as to the
+      inconceivable address of the Indians: &ldquo;They have the art,&rdquo; says he, &ldquo;to
+      rob you, without interrupting your sleep, of the very sheet in which you
+      are enveloped. This is not &lsquo;a traveller&rsquo;s tale.&rsquo; but a fact. The movements
+      of the bheel are those of the serpent. If you sleep in your tent, with a
+      servant lying across each entrance, the bheel will come and crouch on the
+      outside, in some shady corner, where he can hear the breathing of those
+      within. As soon as the European sleeps, he feels sure of success, for the
+      Asiatic will not long resist the attraction of repose. At the proper
+      moment, he makes a vertical incision in the cloth of the tent, on the spot
+      where he happens to be, and just large enough to admit him. He glides
+      through like a phantom, without making the least grain of sand creak
+      beneath his tread. He is perfectly naked, and all his body is rubbed over
+      with oil; a two-edged knife is suspended from his neck. He will squat down
+      close to your couch, and, with incredible coolness and dexterity, will
+      gather up the sheet in very little folds, so as to occupy the least
+      surface possible; then, passing to the other side, he will lightly tickle
+      the sleeper, whom he seems to magnetize, till the latter shrinks back
+      involuntarily, and ends by turning round, and leaving the sheet folded
+      behind him. Should he awake, and strive to seize the robber, he catches at
+      a slippery form, which slides through his hands like an eel; should he
+      even succeed in seizing him, it would be fatal&mdash;the dagger strikes
+      him to the heart, he falls bathed in his blood, and the assassin
+      disappears.&rdquo;&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX. THE SMUGGLER
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he tempest of the morning has long been over. The sun is verging towards
+      the horizon. Some hours have elapsed, since the Strangler introduced
+      himself into Djalma&rsquo;s cabin, and tattooed him with a mysterious sign
+      during his sleep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A horseman advances rapidly down a long avenue of spreading trees.
+      Sheltered by the thick and verdant arch, a thousand birds salute the
+      splendid evening with songs and circlings; red and green parrots climb, by
+      help of their hooked beaks, to the top of pink-blossomed acacias; large
+      Morea birds of the finest and richest blue, whose throats and long tails
+      change in the light to a golden brown, are chasing the prince oriels,
+      clothed in their glossy feathers of black and orange; Kolo doves, of a
+      changeable violet hue, are gently cooing by the side of the birds of
+      paradise, in whose brilliant plumage are mingled the prismatic colors of
+      the emerald and ruby, the topaz and sapphire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This avenue, a little raised, commanded a view of a small pond, which
+      reflected at intervals the green shade of tamarind trees. In the calm,
+      limpid waters, many fish were visible, some with silver scales and purple
+      fins, others gleaming with azure and vermilion; so still were they that
+      they looked as if set in a mass of bluish crystal, and, as they dwelt
+      motionless near the surface of the pool, on which played a dazzling ray of
+      the sun, they revelled in the enjoyment of the light and heat. A thousand
+      insects&mdash;living gems, with wings of flame&mdash;glided, fluttered and
+      buzzed over the transparent wave, in which, at an extraordinary depth,
+      were mirrored the variegated tints of the aquatic plants on the bank.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to give an adequate idea of the exuberant nature of this
+      scene, luxuriant in the sunlight, colors, and perfumes, which served, so
+      to speak, as a frame to the young and brilliant rider, who was advancing
+      along the avenue. It was Djalma. He had not yet perceived the indelible
+      marks, which the Strangler had traced upon his left arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His Japanese mare, of slender make, full of fire and vigor, is black as
+      night. A narrow red cloth serves instead of saddle. To moderate the
+      impetuous bounds of the animal, Djalma uses a small steel bit, with
+      headstall and reins of twisted scarlet silk, fine as a thread.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not one of those admirable riders, sculptured so masterly on the frieze of
+      the Parthenon, sits his horse more gracefully and proudly than this young
+      Indian, whose fine face, illumined by the setting sun, is radiant with
+      serene happiness; his eyes sparkle with joy, and his dilated nostrils and
+      unclosed lips inhale with delight the balmy breeze, that brings to him the
+      perfume of flowers and the scent of fresh leaves, for the trees are still
+      moist from the abundant rain that fell after the storm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A red cap, similar to that worn by the Greeks, surmounting the black locks
+      of Djalma, sets off to advantage the golden tint of his complexion; his
+      throat is bare; he is clad in his robe of white muslin with large sleeves,
+      confined at the waist by a scarlet sash; very full drawers, in white
+      cotton stuff, leave half uncovered his tawny and polished legs; their
+      classic curve stands out from the dark sides of the horse, which he
+      presses tightly between his muscular calves. He has no stirrups; his foot,
+      small and narrow, is shod with a sandal of morocco leather.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The rush of his thoughts, by turns impetuous and restrained, was expressed
+      in some degree by the pace he imparted to his horse&mdash;now bold and
+      precipitate, like the flight of unbridled imagination&mdash;now calm and
+      measured, like the reflection which succeeds an idle dream. But, in all
+      this fantastic course, his least movements were distinguished by a proud,
+      independent and somewhat savage grace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dispossessed of his paternal territory by the English, and at first
+      detained by them as a state-prisoner after the death of his father&mdash;who
+      (as M. Joshua Van Dael had written to M. Rodin) had fallen sword in hand&mdash;Djalma
+      had at length been restored to liberty. Abandoning the continent of India,
+      and still accompanied by General Simon, who had lingered hard by the
+      prison of his old friend&rsquo;s son, the young Indian came next to Batavia, the
+      birthplace of his mother, to collect the modest inheritance of his
+      maternal ancestors. And amongst this property, so long despised or
+      forgotten by his father, he found some important papers, and a medal
+      exactly similar to that worn by Rose and Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      General Simon was not more surprised than pleased at this discovery, which
+      not only established a tie of kindred between his wife and Djalma&rsquo;s
+      mother, but which also seemed to promise great advantages for the future.
+      Leaving Djalma at Batavia, to terminate some business there, he had gone
+      to the neighboring island of Sumatra, in the hope of finding a vessel that
+      would make the passage to Europe directly and rapidly; for it was now
+      necessary that, cost what it might, the young Indian also should be at
+      Paris on the 13th February, 1832. Should General Simon find a vessel ready
+      to sail for Europe, he was to return immediately, to fetch Djalma; and the
+      latter, expecting him daily, was now going to the pier of Batavia, hoping
+      to see the father of Rose and Blanche arrive by the mail boat from
+      Sumatra.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few words are here necessary on the early life of the son of Kadja sing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having lost his mother very young, and brought up with rude simplicity, he
+      had accompanied his father, whilst yet a child, to the great tiger hunts,
+      as dangerous as battles; and, in the first dawn of youth, he had followed
+      him to the stern bloody war, which he waged in defence of his country.
+      Thus living, from the time of his mother&rsquo;s death, in the midst of forests
+      and mountains and continual combats, his vigorous and ingenuous nature had
+      preserved itself pure, and he well merited the name of &ldquo;The Generous&rdquo;
+       bestowed on him. Born a prince, he was&mdash;which by no means follows&mdash;a
+      prince indeed. During the period of his captivity, the silent dignity of
+      his bearing had overawed his jailers. Never a reproach, never a complaint&mdash;a
+      proud and melancholy calm was all that he opposed to a treatment as unjust
+      as it was barbarous, until he was restored to freedom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having thus been always accustomed to a patriarchal life, or to a war of
+      mountaineers, which he had only quitted to pass a few months in prison,
+      Djalma knew nothing, so to speak, of civilized society. Without its
+      exactly amounting to a defect, he certainly carried his good qualities to
+      their extreme limits. Obstinately faithful to his pledged word, devoted to
+      the death, confiding to blindness, good almost to a complete forgetfulness
+      of himself, he was inflexible towards ingratitude, falsehood, or perfidy.
+      He would have felt no compunction to sacrifice a traitor, because, could
+      he himself have committed a treason, he would have thought it only just to
+      expiate it with his life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was, in a word, the man of natural feelings, absolute and entire. Such
+      a man, brought into contact with the temperaments, calculations,
+      falsehoods, deceptions, tricks, restrictions, and hollowness of a refined
+      society, such as Paris, for example, would, without doubt, form a very
+      curious subject for speculation. We raise this hypothesis, because, since
+      his journey to France had been determined on, Djalma had one fixed, ardent
+      desire&mdash;to be in Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In Paris&mdash;that enchanted city&mdash;of which, even in Asia, the land
+      of enchantment, so many marvelous tales were told.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What chiefly inflamed the fresh, vivid imagination of the young Indian,
+      was the thought of French women&mdash;those attractive Parisian beauties,
+      miracles of elegance and grace, who eclipsed, he was informed, even the
+      magnificence of the capitals of the civilized world. And at this very
+      moment, in the brightness of that warm and splendid evening, surrounded by
+      the intoxication of flowers and perfumes, which accelerated the pulses of
+      his young fiery heart, Djalma was dreaming of those exquisite creatures,
+      whom his fancy loved to clothe in the most ideal garbs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It seemed to him as if, at the end of the avenue, in the midst of that
+      sheet of golden light, which the trees encompassed with their full, green
+      arch, he could see pass and repass, white and sylph-like, a host of
+      adorable and voluptuous phantoms, that threw him kisses from the tips of
+      their rosy fingers. Unable to restrain his burning emotions, carried away
+      by a strange enthusiasm, Djalma uttered exclamations of joy, deep, manly,
+      and sonorous, and made his vigorous courser bound under him in the
+      excitement of a mad delight. Just then a sunbeam, piercing the dark vault
+      of the avenue, shone full upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For several minutes, a man had been advancing rapidly along a path, which,
+      at its termination, intersected the avenue diagonally. He stopped a moment
+      in the shade, looking at Djalma with astonishment. It was indeed a
+      charming sight, to behold, in the midst of a blaze of dazzling lustre,
+      this youth, so handsome, joyous, and ardent, clad in his white and flowing
+      vestments, gayly and lightly seated on his proud black mare, who covered
+      her red bridle with her foam, and whose long tail and thick mane floated
+      on the evening breeze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, with that reaction which takes place in all human desires, Djalma
+      soon felt stealing over him a sentiment of soft, undefinable melancholy.
+      He raised his hand to his eyes, now dimmed with moisture, and allowed the
+      reins to fall on the mane of his docile steed, which, instantly stopping,
+      stretched out its long neck, and turned its head in the direction of the
+      personage, whom it could see approaching through the coppice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This man, Mahal the Smuggler, was dressed nearly like European sailors. He
+      wore jacket and trousers of white duck, a broad red sash, and a very
+      low-crowned straw hat. His face was brown, with strongly-marked features,
+      and, though forty years of age, he was quite beardless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In another moment, Mahal was close to the young Indian. &ldquo;You are Prince
+      Djalma?&rdquo; said he, in not very good French, raising his hand respectfully
+      to his hat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What would you?&rdquo; said the Indian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are the son of Kadja-sing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once again, what would you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The friend of General Simon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General Simon?&rdquo; cried Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are going to meet him, as you have gone every evening, since you
+      expect his return from Sumatra?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, but how do you know all this?&rdquo; said the Indian looking at the
+      Smuggler with as much surprise as curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he not to land at Batavia, to-day or to-morrow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you sent by him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; said Mahal, with a distrustful air. &ldquo;But are you really the son
+      of Kadja-sing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I tell you&mdash;but where have you seen General Simon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you are the son of Kadja-sing,&rdquo; resumed Mahal, continuing to regard
+      Djalma with a suspicious eye, &ldquo;what is your surname?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My sire was called the &lsquo;Father of the Generous,&rsquo;&rdquo; answered the young
+      Indian, as a shade of sorrow passed over his fine countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These words appeared in part to convince Mahal of the identity of Djalma;
+      but, wishing doubtless to be still more certain, he resumed: &ldquo;You must
+      have received, two days ago, a letter from General Simon, written from
+      Sumatra?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but why so many questions?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To assure myself that you are really the son of Kadja-sing, and to
+      execute the orders I have received.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From whom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From General Simon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But where is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I have proof that you are Prince Djalma, I will tell you. I was
+      informed that you would be mounted on a black mare, with a red bridle. But&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By the soul of my mother! speak what you have to say!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell you all&mdash;if you can tell me what was the printed paper,
+      contained in the last letter that General Simon wrote you from Sumatra.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a cutting from a French newspaper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did it announce good or bad news for the general?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good news&mdash;for it related that, during his absence, they had
+      acknowledged the last rank and title bestowed on him by the Emperor, as
+      they had done for others of his brothers in arms, exiled like him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are indeed Prince Djalma,&rdquo; said the Smuggler, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      reflection. &ldquo;I may speak. General Simon landed last night in Java, but on
+      a desert part of the coast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On a desert part?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because he has to hide himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hide himself!&rdquo; exclaimed Djalma, in amazement; &ldquo;why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But where is he?&rdquo; asked Djalma, growing pale with alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is three leagues hence&mdash;near the sea-shore&mdash;in the ruins of
+      Tchandi.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Obliged to hide himself!&rdquo; repeated Djalma, and his countenance expressed
+      increasing surprise and anxiety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without being certain, I think it is because of a duel he fought in
+      Sumatra,&rdquo; said the Smuggler, mysteriously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A duel&mdash;with whom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know&mdash;I am not at all certain on the subject. But do you
+      know the ruins of Tchandi?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The general expects you there; that is what he ordered me to tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you came with him from Sumatra?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was pilot of the little smuggling coaster, that landed him in the night
+      on a lonely beach. He knew that you went every day to the mole, to wait
+      for him; I was almost sure that I should meet you. He gave me details
+      about the letter you received from him as a proof that he had sent me. If
+      he could have found the means of writing, he would have written.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he did not tell you why he was obliged to hide himself?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He told me nothing. Certain words made me suspect what I told you&mdash;a
+      duel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Knowing the mettle of General Simon, Djalma thought the suspicions of the
+      Smuggler not unfounded. After a moment&rsquo;s silence he said to him: &ldquo;Can you
+      undertake to lead home my horse? My dwelling is without the town&mdash;there,
+      in the midst of those trees&mdash;by the side of the new mosque. In
+      ascending the mountain of Tchandi, my horse would be in my way; I shall go
+      much faster on foot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know where you live; General Simon told me. I should have gone there if
+      I had not met you. Give me your horse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma sprang lightly to the ground, threw the bridle to Mahal, unrolled
+      one end of his sash, took out a silk purse, and gave it to the Smuggler,
+      saying: &ldquo;You have been faithful and obedient. Here!&mdash;it is a trifle&mdash;but
+      I have no more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kadja-sing was rightly called the &lsquo;Father of the Generous,&rsquo;&rdquo; said the
+      Smuggler, bowing with respect and gratitude. He took the road to Batavia,
+      leading Djalma&rsquo;s horse. The young Indian, on the contrary, plunged into
+      the coppice, and, walking with great strides, he directed his course
+      towards the mountain, on which were the ruins of Tchandi, where he could
+      not arrive before night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX. M. JOSHUA VAN DAEL.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>. Joshua Van Dael a Dutch merchant, and correspondent of M. Rodin, was
+      born at Batavia, the capital of the island of Java; his parents had sent
+      him to be educated at Pondicherry, in a celebrated religious house, long
+      established in that place, and belonging to the &ldquo;Society of Jesus.&rdquo; It was
+      there that he was initiated into the order as &ldquo;professor of the three
+      vows,&rdquo; or lay member, commonly called &ldquo;temporal coadjutor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Joshua was a man of probity that passed for stainless; of strict accuracy
+      in business, cold, careful, reserved, and remarkably skillful and
+      sagacious; his financial operations were almost always successful, for a
+      protecting power gave him ever in time, knowledge of events which might
+      advantageously influence his commercial transactions. The religious house
+      of Pondicherry was interested in his affairs, having charged him with the
+      exportation and exchange of the produce of its large possessions in this
+      colony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Speaking little, hearing much, never disputing, polite in the extreme&mdash;giving
+      seldom, but with choice and purpose&mdash;Joshua, without inspiring
+      sympathy, commanded generally that cold respect, which is always paid to
+      the rigid moralist; for instead of yielding to the influence of lax and
+      dissolute colonial manners, he appeared to live with great regularity, and
+      his exterior had something of austerity about it, which tended to overawe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The following scene took place at Batavia, while Djalma was on his way to
+      the ruins of Tchandi in the hope of meeting General Simon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Joshua had just retired into his cabinet, in which were many shelves
+      filled with paper boxes, and huge ledgers and cash boxes lying open upon
+      desks. The only window of this apartment, which was on the ground floor,
+      looked out upon a narrow empty court, and was protected externally by
+      strong iron bars; instead of glass, it was fitted with a Venetian blind,
+      because of the extreme heat of the climate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Joshua, having placed upon his desk a taper in a glass globe, looked at
+      the clock. &ldquo;Half-past nine,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;Mahal ought soon to be here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Saying this, he went out, passing through an antechamber, opened a second
+      thick door, studded with nail-heads, in the Dutch fashion, cautiously
+      entered the court (so as not to be heard by the people in the house), and
+      drew back the secret bolt of a gate six feet high, formidably garnished
+      with iron spikes. Leaving this gate unfastened, he regained his cabinet,
+      after he had successively and carefully closed the two other doors behind
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Joshua next seated himself at his desk, and took from a drawer a long
+      letter, or rather statement, commenced some time before, and continued day
+      by day. It is superfluous to observe, that the letter already mentioned,
+      as addressed to M. Rodin, was anterior to the liberation of Djalma and his
+      arrival at Batavia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The present statement was also addressed to M. Rodin, and Van Dael thus
+      went on with it:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fearing the return of General Simon, of which I had been informed by
+      intercepting his letters&mdash;I have already told you, that I had
+      succeeded in being employed by him as his agent here; having then read his
+      letters, and sent them on as if untouched to Djalma, I felt myself
+      obliged, from the pressure of the circumstances, to have recourse to
+      extreme measures&mdash;taking care always to preserve appearances, and
+      rendering at the same time a signal service to humanity, which last reason
+      chiefly decided me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A new danger imperiously commanded these measures. The steamship &lsquo;Ruyter&rsquo;
+      came in yesterday, and sails tomorrow in the course of the day. She is to
+      make the voyage to Europe via the Arabian Gulf; her passengers will
+      disembark at Suez, cross the Isthmus, and go on board another vessel at
+      Alexandria, which will bring them to France. This voyage, as rapid as it
+      is direct, will not take more than seven or eight weeks. We are now at the
+      end of October; Prince Djalma might then be in France by the commencement
+      of the month of January; and according to your instructions, of which I
+      know not the motive, but which I execute with zeal and submission, his
+      departure must be prevented at all hazards, because, you tell me, some of
+      the gravest interests of the Society would be compromised, by the arrival
+      of this young Indian in Paris before the 13th of February. Now, if I
+      succeed, as I hope, in making him miss this opportunity of the &lsquo;Ruyter&rsquo; it
+      will be materially impossible for him to arrive in France before the month
+      of April; for the &lsquo;Ruyter&rsquo; is the only vessel which makes the direct
+      passage, the others taking at least four or five months to reach Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before telling you the means which I have thought right to employ, to
+      detain Prince Djalma&mdash;of the success of which means I am yet
+      uncertain&mdash;it is well that you should be acquainted with the
+      following facts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have just discovered, in British India, a community whose members
+      call themselves &lsquo;Brothers of the Good Work,&rsquo; or &lsquo;Phansegars,&rsquo; which
+      signifies simply &lsquo;Thugs&rsquo; or &lsquo;Stranglers;&rsquo; these murderers do not shed
+      blood, but strangle their victims, less for the purpose of robbing them,
+      than in obedience to a homicidal vocation, and to the laws of an infernal
+      divinity named by them &lsquo;Bowanee.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot better give you an idea of this horrible sect, than by
+      transcribing here some lines from the introduction of a report by Colonel
+      Sleeman, who has hunted out this dark association with indefatigable zeal.
+      The report in question was published about two months ago. Here is the
+      extract; it is the colonel who speaks:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;From 1822 to 1824, when I was charged with the magistracy and civil
+      administration of the district of Nersingpore, not a murder, not the least
+      robbery was committed by an ordinary criminal, without my being
+      immediately informed of it; but if any one had come and told me at this
+      period, that a band of hereditary assassins by profession lived in the
+      village of Kundelie, within about four hundred yards of my court of
+      justice&mdash;that the beautiful groves of the village of Mundesoor,
+      within a day&rsquo;s march of my residence, formed one of the most frightful
+      marts of assassination in all India&mdash;that numerous bands of &lsquo;Brothers
+      of the Good Work,&rsquo; coming from Hindostan and the Deccan, met annually
+      beneath these shades, as at a solemn festival, to exercise their dreadful
+      vocation upon all the roads which cross each other in this locality&mdash;I
+      should have taken such a person for a madman, or one who had been imposed
+      upon by idle tales. And yet nothing could be truer; hundreds of travellers
+      had been buried every year in the groves of Mundesoor; a whole tribe of
+      assassins lived close to my door, at the very time I was supreme
+      magistrate of the province, and extended their devastations to the cities
+      of Poonah and Hyderabad. I shall never forget, when, to convince me of the
+      fact, one of the chiefs of the Stranglers, who had turned informer against
+      them, caused thirteen bodies to be dug up from the ground beneath my tent,
+      and offered to produce any number from the soil in the immediate
+      vicinity.&lsquo;(5)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These few words of Colonel Sleeman will give some idea of this dread
+      society, which has its laws, duties, customs, opposed to all other laws,
+      human and divine. Devoted to each other, even to heroism, blindly obedient
+      to their chiefs, who profess themselves the immediate representatives of
+      their dark divinity, regarding as enemies all who do not belong to them,
+      gaining recruits everywhere by a frightful system of proselytising&mdash;these
+      apostles of a religion of murder go preaching their abominable doctrines
+      in the shade, and spreading their immense net over the whole of India.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Three of their principal chiefs, and one of their adepts, flying from the
+      determined pursuit of the English governor-general, having succeeded in
+      making their escape, had arrived at the Straits of Malacca, at no great
+      distance from our island; a smuggler, who is also something of a pirate,
+      attached to their association, and by name Mahal, took them on board his
+      coasting vessel, and brought them hither, where they think themselves for
+      some time in safety&mdash;as, following the advice of the smuggler, they
+      lie concealed in a thick forest, in which are many ruined temples and
+      numerous subterranean retreats.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Amongst these chiefs, all three remarkably intelligent, there is one in
+      particular, named Faringhea, whose extraordinary energy and eminent
+      qualities make him every way redoubtable. He is of the mixed race, half
+      white and Hindoo, has long inhabited towns in which are European factories
+      and speaks English and French very well. The other two chiefs are a Negro
+      and a Hindoo; the adept is a Malay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The smuggler, Mahal, considering that he could obtain a large reward by
+      giving up these three chiefs and their adept, came to me, knowing, as all
+      the world knows, my intimate relations with a person who has great
+      influence with our governor. Two days ago, he offered me, on certain
+      conditions, to deliver up the Negro, the half-caste, the Hindoo, and the
+      Malay. These conditions are&mdash;a considerable sum of money, and a free
+      passage on board a vessel sailing for Europe or America, in order to
+      escape the implacable vengeance of the Thugs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I joyfully seized the occasion to hand over three such murderers to human
+      justice, and I promised Mahal to arrange matters for him with the
+      governor, but also on certain conditions, innocent in themselves, and
+      which concerned Djalma. Should my project succeed, I will explain myself
+      more at length; I shall soon know the result, for I expect Mahal every
+      minute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But before I close these despatches, which are to go tomorrow by the
+      &lsquo;Ruyter&rsquo;&mdash;in which vessel I have also engaged a passage for Mahal the
+      Smuggler, in the event of the success of my plans&mdash;I must include in
+      parentheses a subject of some importance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In my last letter, in which I announced to you the death of Djalma&rsquo;s
+      father, and his own imprisonment by the English, I asked for some
+      information as to the solvency of Baron Tripeaud, banker and manufacturer
+      at Paris, who has also an agency at Calcutta. This information will now be
+      useless, if what I have just learned should, unfortunately, turn out to be
+      correct, and it will be for you to act according to circumstances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This house at Calcutta owes considerable sums both to me and our
+      colleague at Pondicherry, and it is said that M. Tripeaud has involved
+      himself to a dangerous extent in attempting to ruin, by opposition, a very
+      flourishing establishment, founded some time ago by M. Francois Hardy, an
+      eminent manufacturer. I am assured that M. Tripeaud has already sunk and
+      lost a large capital in this enterprise: he has no doubt done a great deal
+      of harm to M. Francois Hardy; but he has also, they say, seriously
+      compromised his own fortune&mdash;and, were he to fail, the effects of his
+      disaster would be very fatal to us, seeing that he owes a large sum of
+      money to me and to us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In this state of things it would be very desirable if, by the employment
+      of the powerful means of every kind at our disposal, we could completely
+      discredit and break down the house of M. Francois Hardy, already shaken by
+      M. Tripeaud&rsquo;s violent opposition. In that case, the latter would soon
+      regain all he has lost; the ruin of his rival would insure his prosperity,
+      and our demands would be securely covered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless, it is painful, it is sad, to be obliged to have recourse to
+      these extreme measures, only to get back our own; but, in these days, are
+      we not surely justified in sometimes using the arms that are incessantly
+      turned against us? If we are reduced to such steps by the injustice and
+      wickedness of men, we may console ourselves with the reflection that we
+      only seek to preserve our worldly possessions, in order to devote them to
+      the greater glory of God; whilst, in the hands of our enemies, those very
+      goods are the dangerous instruments of perdition and scandal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After all it is merely a humble proposition that I submit to you. Were it
+      in my power to take an active part in the matter, I should do nothing of
+      myself. My will is not my own. It belongs, with all I possess, to those
+      whom I have sworn absolute obedience.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here a slight noise interrupted M. Joshua, and drew his attention from his
+      work. He rose abruptly, and went straight to the window. Three gentle taps
+      were given on the outside of one of the slats of the blind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it you, Mahal?&rdquo; asked M. Joshua, in a low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is I,&rdquo; was answered from without, also in a low tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the Malay?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has succeeded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really!&rdquo; cried M. Joshua, with an expression of great satisfaction; &ldquo;are
+      you sure of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite sure: there is no devil more clever and intrepid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And Djalma?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The parts of the letter, which I quoted, convinced him that I came from
+      General Simon, and that he would find him at the ruins of Tchandi.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore, at this moment&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma goes to the ruins, where he will encounter the black, the half
+      blood, and the Indian. It is there they have appointed to meet the Malay,
+      who tattooed the prince during his sleep.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you been to examine the subterraneous passage?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I went there yesterday. One of the stones of the pedestal of the statue
+      turns upon itself; the stairs are large; it will do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10193m.jpg" alt="10193m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10193.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the three chiefs have no suspicion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None&mdash;I saw them in the morning&mdash;and this evening the Malay
+      came to tell me all, before he went to join them at the ruins of Tchandi&mdash;for
+      he had remained hidden amongst the bushes, not daring to go there in the
+      daytime.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mahal&mdash;if you have told the truth, and if all succeed&mdash;your
+      pardon and ample reward are assured to you. Your berth has been taken on
+      board the &lsquo;Ruyter;&rsquo; you will sail to-morrow; you will thus be safe from
+      the malice of the Stranglers, who would follow you hither to revenge the
+      death of their chiefs, Providence having chosen you to deliver those three
+      great criminals to justice. Heaven will bless you!&mdash;Go and wait for
+      me at the door of the governor&rsquo;s house; I will introduce you. The matter
+      is so important that I do not hesitate to disturb him thus late in the
+      night. Go quickly!&mdash;I will follow on my side.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The steps of Mahal were distinctly audible, as he withdrew precipitately,
+      and then silence reigned once more in the house. Joshua returned to his
+      desk, and hastily added these words to the despatch, which he had before
+      commenced:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whatever may now happen, it will be impossible for Djalma to leave
+      Batavia at present. You may rest quite satisfied; he will not be at Paris
+      by the 13th of next February. As I foresaw, I shall have to be up all
+      night.&mdash;I am just going to the governor&rsquo;s. To-morrow I will add a few
+      lines to this long statement, which the steamship &lsquo;Ruyter&rsquo; will convey to
+      Europe.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having locked up his papers, Joshua rang the bell loudly, and, to the
+      great astonishment of his servants, not accustomed to see him leave home
+      in the middle of the night, went in all haste to the residence of the
+      governor of the island.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We now conduct the reader to the ruins of Tchandi.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (5) This report is extracted from Count Edward de Warren&rsquo;s excellent work,
+      &ldquo;British India in 1831.&rdquo;&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI. THE RUINS OF TCHANDI. To the storm in the middle of the
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      day, the approach of which so well served the Strangler&rsquo;s designs upon
+      Djalma, has succeeded a calm and serene night. The disk of the moon rises
+      slowly behind a mass of lofty ruins, situated on a hill, in the midst of a
+      thick wood, about three leagues from Batavia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Long ranges of stone, high walls of brick, fretted away by time, porticoes
+      covered with parasitical vegetation, stand out boldly from the sheet of
+      silver light which blends the horizon with the limpid blue of the heavens.
+      Some rays of the moon, gliding through the opening on one of these
+      porticoes, fall upon two colossal statues at the foot of an immense
+      staircase, the loose stones of which are almost entirely concealed by
+      grass, moss, and brambles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The fragments of one of these statues, broken in the middle, lie strewed
+      upon the ground; the other, which remains whole and standing, is frightful
+      to behold. It represents a man of gigantic proportions, with a head three
+      feet high; the expression of the countenance is ferocious, eyes of
+      brilliant slaty black are set beneath gray brows, the large, deep mouth
+      gapes immoderately, and reptiles have made their nest between the lips of
+      stone; by the light of the moon, a hideous swarm is there dimly visible. A
+      broad girdle, adorned with symbolic ornaments, encircles the body of this
+      statue, and fastens a long sword to its right side. The giant has four
+      extended arms, and, in his great hands, he bears an elephant&rsquo;s head, a
+      twisted serpent, a human skull, and a bird resembling a heron. The moon,
+      shedding her light on the profile of this statue, serves to augment the
+      weirdness of its aspect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here and there, enclosed in the half-crumbling walls of brick, are
+      fragments of stone bas-reliefs, very boldly cut; one of those in the best
+      preservation represents a man with the head of an elephant, and the wings
+      of a bat, devouring a child. Nothing can be more gloomy than these ruins,
+      buried among thick trees of a dark green, covered with frightful emblems,
+      and seen by the moonlight, in the midst of the deep silence of night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Against one of the walls of this ancient temple, dedicated to some
+      mysterious and bloody Javanese divinity, leans a kind of hut, rudely
+      constructed of fragments of brick and stone; the door, made of woven
+      rushes, is open, and a red light streams from it, which throws its rays on
+      the tall grass that covers the ground. Three men are assembled in this
+      hovel, around a clay-lamp, with a wick of cocoanut fibre steeped in
+      palm-oil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first of these three, about forty years of age, is poorly clad in the
+      European fashion; his pale, almost white, complexion, announces that he
+      belongs to the mixed race, being offspring of a white father and Indian
+      mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The second is a robust African negro, with thick lips, vigorous shoulders,
+      and lank legs; his woolly hair is beginning to turn gray; he is covered
+      with rags, and stands close beside the Indian. The third personage is
+      asleep, and stretched on a mat in the corner of the hovel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These three men are the three Thuggee chiefs, who, obliged to fly from the
+      continent of India, have taken refuge in Java, under the guidance of Mahal
+      the Smuggler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Malay does not return,&rdquo; said the half-blood, named Faringhea, the
+      most redoubtable chief of this homicidal sect: &ldquo;in executing our orders,
+      he has perhaps been killed by Djalma.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The storm of this morning brought every reptile out of the earth,&rdquo; said
+      the negro; &ldquo;the Malay must have been bitten, and his body ere now a nest
+      of serpents.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To serve the good work,&rdquo; proceeded Faringhea, with a gloomy air, &ldquo;one
+      must know how to brave death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to inflict it,&rdquo; added the negro.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A stifled cry, followed by some inarticulate words, here drew the
+      attention of these two men, who hastily turned their heads in the
+      direction of the sleeper. This latter was thirty years old at most. His
+      beardless face, of a bright copper color, his robe of coarse stuff, his
+      turban striped brown and yellow, showed that he belonged to the pure
+      Hindoo race. His sleep appeared agitated by some painful vision; an
+      abundant sweat streamed over his countenance, contracted by terror; he
+      spoke in his dream, but his words were brief and broken, and accompanied
+      with convulsive starts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Again that dream!&rdquo; said Faringhea to the negro. &ldquo;Always the remembrance
+      of that man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What man?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not remember, how, five years ago, that savage, Colonel Kennedy,
+      butcher of the Indians, came to the banks of the Ganges, to hunt the
+      tiger, with twenty horses, four elephants, and fifty servants?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes,&rdquo; said the negro; &ldquo;and we three, hunters of men, made a better
+      day&rsquo;s sport than he did. Kennedy, his horses, his elephants, and his
+      numerous servants did not get their tiger&mdash;but we got ours,&rdquo; he
+      added, with grim irony. &ldquo;Yes; Kennedy, that tiger with a human face, fell
+      into our ambush, and the brothers of the good work offered up their fine
+      prey to our goddess Bowanee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you remember, it was just at the moment when we gave the last tug to
+      the cord round Kennedy&rsquo;s neck, that we perceived on a sudden a traveller
+      close at hand. He had seen us, and it was necessary to make away with him.
+      Now, since that time,&rdquo; added Faringhea, &ldquo;the remembrance of the murder of
+      that man pursues our brother in his dreams,&rdquo; and he pointed to the
+      sleeping Indian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And even when he is awake,&rdquo; said the negro, looking at Faringhea with a
+      significant air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen!&rdquo; said the other, again pointing to the Indian, who, in the
+      agitation of his dream, recommenced talking in abrupt sentences; &ldquo;listen!
+      he is repeating the answers of the traveller, when we told him he must
+      die, or serve with us on Thuggee. His mind is still impressed&mdash;deeply
+      impressed&mdash;with those words.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, in fact, the Indian repeated aloud in his sleep, a sort of mysterious
+      dialogue, of which he himself supplied both questions and answers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Traveller,&rsquo; said he, in a voice broken by sudden pauses, &lsquo;why that black
+      mark on your forehead, stretching from one temple to the other? It is a
+      mark of doom and your look is sad as death. Have you been a victim? Come
+      with us; Kallee will avenge you. You have suffered?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Yes, I have
+      greatly suffered.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;For a long time?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Yes, for a very long
+      time.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;You suffer even now?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Yes, even now.&rsquo;&mdash;What do
+      you reserve for those who injure you?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;My pity.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Will you
+      not render blow for blow?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;I will return love for hate.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Who
+      are you, then, that render good for evil?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;I am one who loves, and
+      suffers, and forgives.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Brother, do you hear?&rdquo; said the negro to Faringhea; &ldquo;he has not forgotten
+      the words of the traveller before his death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The vision follows him. Listen! he will speak again. How pale he is!&rdquo;
+       Still under the influence of his dream, the Indian continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Traveller, we are three; we are brave; we have your life in our hands&mdash;you
+      have seen us sacrifice to the good work. Be one of us, or die&mdash;die&mdash;die!
+      Oh, that look! Not thus&mdash;do not look at me thus!&rsquo;&rdquo; As he uttered
+      these last words, the Indian made a sudden movement, as if to keep off
+      some approaching object, and awoke with a start. Then, passing his hand
+      over his moist forehead, he looked round him with a bewildered eye.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! again this dream, brother?&rdquo; said Faringhea. &ldquo;For a bold hunter of
+      men, you have a weak head. Luckily, you have a strong heart and arm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The other remained a moment silent, his face buried in his hands; then he
+      replied: &ldquo;It is long since I last dreamed of that traveller.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he not dead?&rdquo; said Faringhea, shrugging his shoulders. &ldquo;Did you not
+      yourself throw the cord around his neck?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied the Indian shuddering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did we not dig his grave by the side of Colonel Kennedy&rsquo;s? Did we not
+      bury him with the English butcher, under the sand and the rushes?&rdquo; said
+      the negro.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, we dug his grave,&rdquo; said the Indian, trembling; &ldquo;and yet, only a year
+      ago, I was seated one evening at the gate of Bombay, waiting for one of
+      our brothers&mdash;the sun was setting behind the pagoda, to the right of
+      the little hill&mdash;the scene is all before me now&mdash;I was seated
+      under a figtree&mdash;when I heard a slow, firm, even step, and, as I
+      turned round my head&mdash;I saw him&mdash;coming out of the town.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A vision,&rdquo; said the negro; &ldquo;always the same vision!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A vision,&rdquo; added Faringhea, &ldquo;or a vague resemblance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew him by the black mark on his forehead; it was none but he. I
+      remained motionless with fear, gazing at him with eyes aghast. He stopped,
+      bending upon me his calm, sad look. In spite of myself, I could not help
+      exclaiming: &lsquo;It is he!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Yes,&rsquo; he replied, in his gentle voice, &lsquo;it
+      is I. Since all whom thou killest must needs live again,&rsquo; and he pointed
+      to heaven as he spoke, &lsquo;why shouldst thou kill?&mdash;Hear me! I have just
+      come from Java; I am going to the other end of the world, to a country of
+      never-melting snow; but, here or there, on plains of fire or plains of
+      ice, I shall still be the same. Even so is it with the souls of those who
+      fall beneath thy kalleepra; in this world or up above, in this garb or in
+      another, the soul must still be a soul; thou canst not smite it. Why then
+      kill?&rsquo;&mdash;and shaking his head sorrowfully, he went on his way, walking
+      slowly, with downcast eyes; he ascended the hill of the pagoda; I watched
+      him as he went, without being able to move: at the moment the sun set, he
+      was standing on the summit of the hill, his tall figure thrown out against
+      the sky&mdash;and so he disappeared. Oh! it was he!&rdquo; added the Indian with
+      a shudder, after a long pause: &ldquo;it was none but he.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In this story the Indian had never varied, though he had often entertained
+      his companions with the same mysterious adventure. This persistency on his
+      part had the effect of shaking their incredulity, or at least of inducing
+      them to seek some natural cause for this apparently superhuman event.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; said Faringhea, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, &ldquo;the knot round
+      the traveller&rsquo;s neck got jammed, and some breath was left him, the air may
+      have penetrated the rushes with which we covered his grave, and so life
+      have returned to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; said the Indian, shaking his head, &ldquo;this man is not of our
+      race.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Explain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now I know it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen!&rdquo; said the Indian, in a solemn voice; &ldquo;the number of victims that
+      the children of Bowanee have sacrificed since the commencement of ages, is
+      nothing compared to the immense heap of dead and dying, whom this terrible
+      traveller leaves behind him in his murderous march.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He?&rdquo; cried the negro and Faringhea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, he!&rdquo; repeated the Hindoo, with a convinced accent, that made its
+      impression upon his companions. &ldquo;Hear me and tremble!&mdash;When I met
+      this traveller at the gates of Bombay, he came from Java, and was going
+      towards the north, he said. The very next day, the town was a prey to the
+      cholera, and we learned sometime after, that this plague had first broken
+      out here, in Java.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true,&rdquo; said the negro.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hear me still further!&rdquo; resumed the other. &ldquo;&lsquo;I am going towards the
+      north, to a country of eternal snow,&rsquo; said the traveller to me. The
+      cholera also went towards the north, passing through Muscat&mdash;Ispahan&mdash;Tauris&mdash;Tiflis&mdash;till
+      it overwhelmed Siberia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; said Faringhea, becoming thoughtful:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the cholera,&rdquo; resumed the Indian, &ldquo;only travelled its five or six
+      leagues a day&mdash;a man&rsquo;s tramp&mdash;never appeared in two places at
+      once&mdash;but swept on slowly, steadily,&mdash;even as a man proceeds.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the mention of this strange coincidence, the Hindoo&rsquo;s companions looked
+      at each other in amazement. After a silence of some minutes, the
+      awe-struck negro said to the last speaker: &ldquo;So you think that this man&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think that this man, whom we killed, restored to life by some infernal
+      divinity, has been commissioned to bear this terrible scourge over the
+      earth, and to scatter round his steps that death, from which he is himself
+      secure. Remember!&rdquo; added the Indian, with gloomy enthusiasm, &ldquo;this awful
+      wayfarer passed through Java&mdash;the cholera wasted Java. He passed
+      through Bombay&mdash;the cholera wasted Bombay. He went towards the north&mdash;the
+      cholera wasted the north.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the Indian fell into a profound reverie. The negro and
+      Faringhea were seized with gloomy astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Indian spoke the truth as to the mysterious march (still unexplained)
+      of that fearful malady, which has never been known to travel more than
+      five or six leagues a day, or to appear simultaneously in two spots.
+      Nothing can be more curious, than to trace out, on the maps prepared at
+      the period in question, the slow, progressive course of this travelling
+      pestilence, which offers to the astonished eye all the capricious
+      incidents of a tourist&rsquo;s journey. Passing this way rather than that&mdash;selecting
+      provinces in a country&mdash;towns in a province&mdash;one quarter in a
+      town&mdash;one street in a quarter&mdash;one house in a street&mdash;having
+      its place of residence and repose, and then continuing its slow,
+      mysterious, fear inspiring march.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The words of the Hindoo, by drawing attention to these dreadful
+      eccentricities, made a strong impression upon the minds of the negro and
+      Faringhea&mdash;wild natures, brought by horrible doctrines to the
+      monomania of murder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes&mdash;for this also is an established fact&mdash;there have been in
+      India members of an abominable community, who killed without motive,
+      without passion&mdash;killed for the sake of killing&mdash;for the
+      pleasure of murder&mdash;to substitute death for life&mdash;to make of a
+      living man a corpse, as they have themselves declared in one of their
+      examinations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mind loses itself in the attempt to penetrate the causes of these
+      monstrous phenomena. By what incredible series of events, have men been
+      induced to devote themselves to this priesthood of destruction? Without
+      doubt, such a religion could only flourish in countries given up, like
+      India, to the most atrocious slavery, and to the most merciless iniquity
+      of man to man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such a creed!&mdash;is it not the hate of exasperated humanity, wound up
+      to its highest pitch by oppression?&mdash;May not this homicidal sect,
+      whose origin is lost in the night of ages, have been perpetuated in these
+      regions, as the only possible protest of slavery against despotism? May
+      not an inscrutable wisdom have here made Phansegars, even as are made
+      tigers and serpents?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What is most remarkable in this awful sect, is the mysterious bond, which,
+      uniting its members amongst themselves, separates them from all other men.
+      They have laws and customs of their own, they support and help each other,
+      but for them there is neither country nor family; they owe no allegiance
+      save to a dark, invisible power, whose decrees they obey with blind
+      submission, and in whose name they spread themselves abroad, to make
+      corpses, according to their own savage expression.(6)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some moments the three Stranglers had maintained a profound silence.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10201m.jpg" alt="10201m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10201.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Outside the hut, the moon continued to throw great masses of white
+      radiance, and tall bluish shadows, over the imposing fabric of the ruins;
+      the stars sparkled in the heavens; from time to time, a faint breeze
+      rustled through the thick and varnished leaves of the bananas and the
+      palms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The pedestal of the gigantic statue, which, still entire, stood on the
+      left side of the portico, rested upon large flagstones, half hidden with
+      brambles. Suddenly, one of these stones appeared to fall in; and from the
+      aperture, which thus formed itself without noise, a man, dressed in
+      uniform, half protruded his body, looked carefully around him, and
+      listened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing the rays of the lamp, which lighted the interior of the hovel,
+      tremble upon the tall grass, he turned round to make a signal, and soon,
+      accompanied by two other soldiers, he ascended, with the greatest silence
+      and precaution, the last steps of the subterranean staircase, and went
+      gliding amongst the ruins. For a few moments, their moving shadows were
+      thrown upon the moonlit ground; then they disappeared behind some
+      fragments of broken wall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the instant when the large stone resumed its place and level, the heads
+      of many other soldiers might have been seen lying close in the excavation.
+      The half-caste, the Indian, and the negro, still seated thoughtfully in
+      the hut, did not perceive what was passing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (6) The following are some passages from the Count de Warren&rsquo;s very
+      curious book, &ldquo;British India in 1831:&rdquo; &ldquo;Besides the robbers, who kill for
+      the sake of the booty they hope to find upon travellers, there is a class
+      of assassins, forming an organized society, with chiefs of their own, a
+      slang-language, a science, a free-masonry, and even a religion, which has
+      its fanaticism and its devotion, its agents, emissaries, allies, its
+      militant forces, and its passive adherents, who contribute their money to
+      the good work. This is the community of the Thugs or Phansegars (deceivers
+      or stranglers, from thugna, to deceive, and phansna, to strangle), a
+      religious and economical society, which speculates with the human race by
+      exterminating men; its origin is lost in the night of ages.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Until 1810 their existence was unknown, not only to the European
+      conquerors, but even to the native governments. Between the years 1816 and
+      1830, several of their bands were taken in the act, and punished: but
+      until this last epoch, all the revelations made on the subject by officers
+      of great experience, had appeared too monstrous to obtain the attention or
+      belief of the public; they had been rejected and despised as the dreams of
+      a heated imagination. And yet for many years, at the very least for half a
+      century, this social wound had been frightfully on the increase, devouring
+      the population from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin and from Cutch to Assam.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was in the year 1830 that the revelations of a celebrated chief, whose
+      life was spared on condition of his denouncing his accomplices, laid bare
+      the whole system. The basis of the Thuggee Society is a religious belief&mdash;the
+      worship of Bowanee, a gloomy divinity, who is only pleased with carnage,
+      and detests above all things the human race. Her most agreeable sacrifices
+      are human victims, and the more of these her disciple may have offered up
+      in this world the more he will be recompensed in the next by all the
+      delights of soul and sense, by women always beautiful, and joys eternally
+      renewed. If the assassin meets the scaffold in his career, he dies with
+      the enthusiasm of a martyr, because he expects his reward. To obey his
+      divine mistress, he murders, without anger and without remorse, the old
+      man, woman and child; whilst, to his fellow-religionists, he may be
+      charitable, humane, generous, devoted, and may share all in common with
+      them, because, like himself, they are the ministers and adopted children
+      of Bowanee. The destruction of his fellow-creatures, not belonging to his
+      community&mdash;the diminution of the human race&mdash;that is the primary
+      object of his pursuit; it is not as a means of gain, for though plunder
+      may be a frequent, and doubtless an agreeable accessory, it is only
+      secondary in his estimation. Destruction is his end, his celestial
+      mission, his calling; it is also a delicious passion, the most captivating
+      of all sports&mdash;this hunting of men!&mdash;&lsquo;You find great pleasure,&rsquo;
+      said one of those that were condemned, &lsquo;in tracking the wild beast to his
+      den, in attacking the boar, the tiger, because there is danger to brave,
+      energy and courage to display. Think how this attraction must be
+      redoubled, when the contest is with man, when it is man that is to be
+      destroyed. Instead of the single faculty of courage, all must be called
+      into action&mdash;courage, cunning, foresight, eloquence, intrigue. What
+      springs to put in motion! what plans to develop! To sport with all the
+      passions, to touch the chords of love and friendship, and so draw the prey
+      into one&rsquo;s net&mdash;that is a glorious chase&mdash;it is a delight, a
+      rapture, I tell you!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whoever was in India in the years 1831 and 1832, must remember the stupor
+      and affright, which the discovery of this vast infernal machine spread
+      through all classes of society. A great number of magistrates and
+      administrators of provinces refused to believe in it, and could not be
+      brought to comprehend that such a system had so long preyed on the body
+      politic, under their eyes as it were, silently, and without betraying
+      itself.&rdquo;&mdash;See &ldquo;British India in 183,&rdquo; by Count Edward de Warren, 2
+      vols. in 8vo. Paris, 1844.&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. THE AMBUSCADE
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he half-blood Faringhea, wishing doubtless to escape from the dark
+      thoughts which the words of the Indian on the mysterious course of the
+      Cholera had raised within him, abruptly changed the subject of
+      conversation. His eye shone with lurid fire, and his countenance took an
+      expression of savage enthusiasm, as he cried: &ldquo;Bowanee will always watch
+      over us, intrepid hunters of men! Courage, brothers, courage! The world is
+      large; our prey is everywhere. The English may force us to quit India,
+      three chiefs of the good work&mdash;but what matter? We leave there our
+      brethren, secret, numerous, and terrible, as black scorpions, whose
+      presence is only known by their mortal sting. Exiles will widen our
+      domains. Brother, you shall have America!&rdquo; said he to the Hindoo, with an
+      inspired air. &ldquo;Brother, you shall have Africa!&rdquo; said he to the negro.
+      &ldquo;Brothers, I will take Europe! Wherever men are to be found, there must be
+      oppressors and victims&mdash;wherever there are victims, there must be
+      hearts swollen with hate&mdash;it is for us to inflame that hate with all
+      the ardor of vengeance! It is for us, servants of Bowanee, to draw towards
+      us, by seducing wiles, all whose zeal, courage, and audacity may be useful
+      to the cause. Let us rival each other in devotion and sacrifices; let us
+      lend each other strength, help, support! That all who are not with us may
+      be our prey, let us stand alone in the midst of all, against all, and in
+      spite of all. For us, there must be neither country nor family. Our family
+      is composed of our brethren; our country is the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This kind of savage eloquence made a deep impression on the negro and the
+      Indian, over whom Faringhea generally exercised considerable influence,
+      his intellectual powers being very superior to theirs, though they were
+      themselves two of the most eminent chiefs of this bloody association.
+      &ldquo;Yes, you are right, brother!&rdquo; cried the Indian, sharing the enthusiasm of
+      Faringhea; &ldquo;the world is ours. Even here, in Java, let us leave some trace
+      of our passage. Before we depart, let us establish the good work in this
+      island; it will increase quickly, for here also is great misery, and the
+      Dutch are rapacious as the English. Brother, I have seen in the marshy
+      rice-fields of this island, always fatal to those who cultivate them, men
+      whom absolute want forced to the deadly task&mdash;they were livid as
+      corpses&mdash;some of them worn out with sickness, fatigue, and hunger,
+      fell&mdash;never to rise again. Brothers, the good work will prosper in
+      this country!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The other evening,&rdquo; said the half-caste, &ldquo;I was on the banks of the lake,
+      behind a rock; a young woman came there&mdash;a few rags hardly covered
+      her lean and sun-scorched body&mdash;in her arms she held a little child,
+      which she pressed weeping to her milkless breast. She kissed it three
+      times, and said to it: &lsquo;You, at least, shall not be so unhappy as your
+      father&rsquo;&mdash;and she threw it into the lake. It uttered one wail, and
+      disappeared. On this cry, the alligators, hidden amongst the reeds, leaped
+      joyfully into the water. There are mothers here who kill their children
+      out of pity.&mdash;Brothers, the good work will prosper in this country!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning,&rdquo; said the negro, &ldquo;whilst they tore the flesh of one of his
+      black slaves with whips, a withered old merchant of Batavia left his
+      country-house to come to the town. Lolling in his palanquin, he received,
+      with languid indolence, the sad caresses of two of those girls, whom he
+      had bought, to people his harem, from parents too poor to give them food.
+      The palanquin, which held this little old man, and the girls, was carried
+      by twelve young and robust men. There are here, you see, mothers who in
+      their misery sell their own daughters&mdash;slaves that are scourged&mdash;men
+      that carry other men, like beasts of burden.&mdash;Brothers, the good work
+      will prosper in this country!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, in this country&mdash;and in every land of oppression, distress,
+      corruption, and slavery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Could we but induce Djalma to join us, as Mahal the Smuggler advised,&rdquo;
+       said the Indian, &ldquo;our voyage to Java would doubly profit us; for we should
+      then number among our band this brave and enterprising youth, who has so
+      many motives to hate mankind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will soon be here; let us envenom his resentments.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remind him of his father&rsquo;s death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of the massacre of his people!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His own captivity!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only let hatred inflame his heart, and he will be ours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The negro, who had remained for some time lost in thought, said suddenly:
+      &ldquo;Brothers, suppose Mahal the Smuggler were to betray us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He&rdquo; cried the Hindoo, almost with indignation; &ldquo;he gave us an asylum on
+      board his bark; he secured our flight from the Continent; he is again to
+      take us with him to Bombay, where we shall find vessels for America,
+      Europe, Africa.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What interest would Mahal have to betray us?&rdquo; said Faringhea. &ldquo;Nothing
+      could save him from the vengeance of the sons of Bowanee, and that he
+      knows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; said the black, &ldquo;he promised to get Djalma to come hither this
+      evening, and, once amongst us, he must needs be our own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was it not the Smuggler who told us to order the Malay to enter the
+      ajoupa of Djalma, to surprise him during his sleep, and, instead of
+      killing him as he might have done, to trace the name of Bowanee upon his
+      arm? Djalma will thus learn to judge of the resolution, the cunning and
+      obedience of our brethren, and he will understand what he has to hope or
+      fear from such men. Be it through admiration or through terror, he must
+      become one of us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if he refuses to join us, notwithstanding the reasons he has to hate
+      mankind?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then&mdash;Bowanee will decide his fate,&rdquo; said Faringhea, with a gloomy
+      look; &ldquo;I have my plan.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But will the Malay succeed in surprising Djalma during his sleep?&rdquo; said
+      the negro.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is none nobler, more agile, more dexterous, than the Malay,&rdquo; said
+      Faringhea. &ldquo;He once had the daring to surprise in her den a black panther,
+      as she suckled her cub. He killed the dam, and took away the young one,
+      which he afterwards sold to some European ship&rsquo;s captain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Malay has succeeded!&rdquo; exclaimed the Indian, listening to a singular
+      kind of hoot, which sounded through the profound silence of the night and
+      of the woods.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it is the scream of the vulture seizing its prey,&rdquo; said the negro,
+      listening in his turn; &ldquo;it is also the signal of our brethren, after they
+      have seized their prey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few minutes, the Malay appeared at the door of the hut. He had wound
+      around him a broad length of cotton, adorned with bright colored stripes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; said the negro, anxiously; &ldquo;have you succeeded?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma must bear all his life the mark of the good work,&rdquo; said the Malay,
+      proudly. &ldquo;To reach him, I was forced to offer up to Bowanee a man who
+      crossed my path&mdash;I have left his body under the brambles, near the
+      ajoupa. But Djalma is marked with the sign. Mahal the Smuggler was the
+      first to know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And Djalma did not awake?&rdquo; said the Indian, confounded by the Malay&rsquo;s
+      adroitness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had he awoke,&rdquo; replied the other, calmly, &ldquo;I should have been a dead man&mdash;as
+      I was charged to spare his life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because his life may be more useful to us than his death,&rdquo; said the
+      half-caste. Then, addressing the Malay, he added: &ldquo;Brother, in risking
+      life for the good work, you have done to-day what we did yesterday, what
+      we may do again to-morrow. This time, you obey; another you will command.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We all belong to Bowanee,&rdquo; answered the Malay. &ldquo;What is there yet to do?&mdash;I
+      am ready.&rdquo; Whilst he thus spoke, his face was turned towards the door of
+      the hut; on a sudden, he said in a low voice: &ldquo;Here is Djalma. He
+      approaches the cabin. Mahal has not deceived us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He must not see me yet,&rdquo; said Faringhea, retiring to an obscure corner of
+      the cabin, and hiding himself under a mat; &ldquo;try to persuade him. If he
+      resists&mdash;I have my project.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had Faringhea disappeared, saying these words, when Djalma arrived
+      at the door of the hovel. At sight of those three personages with their
+      forbidding aspect, Djalma started in surprise. But ignorant that these men
+      belonged to the Phansegars, and knowing that, in a country where there are
+      no inns, travellers often pass the night under a tent, or beneath the
+      shelter of some ruins, he continued to advance towards them. After the
+      first moment, he perceived by the complexion and the dress of one of these
+      men, that he was an Indian, and he accosted him in the Hindoo language: &ldquo;I
+      thought to have found here a European&mdash;a Frenchman&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Frenchman is not yet come,&rdquo; replied the Indian; &ldquo;but he will not be
+      long.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Guessing by Djalma&rsquo;s question the means which Mahal had employed to draw
+      him into the snare, the Indian hoped to gain time by prolonging his error.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You knew this Frenchman?&rdquo; asked Djalma of the Phansegar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He appointed us to meet here, as he did you,&rdquo; answered the Indian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For what?&rdquo; inquired Djalma, more and more astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will know when he arrives.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General Simon told you to be at this place?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, General Simon,&rdquo; replied the Indian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a moment&rsquo;s pause, during which Djalma sought in vain to explain
+      to himself this mysterious adventure. &ldquo;And who are you?&rdquo; asked he, with a
+      look of suspicion; for the gloomy silence of the Phansegar&rsquo;s two
+      companions, who stared fixedly at each other, began to give him some
+      uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are yours, if you will be ours,&rdquo; answered the Indian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no need of you&mdash;nor you of me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who knows?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are deceived. The English killed your father, a king; made you a
+      captive; proscribed you, you have lost all your possessions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this cruel reminder, the countenance of Djalma darkened. He started,
+      and a bitter smile curled his lip. The Phansegar continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your father was just and brave&mdash;beloved by his subjects&mdash;they
+      called him &lsquo;Father of the Generous,&rsquo; and he was well named. Will you leave
+      his death unavenged? Will the hate, which gnaws at your heart, be without
+      fruit?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My father died with arms in his hand. I revenged his death on the English
+      whom I killed in war. He, who has since been a father to me, and who
+      fought also in the same cause, told me, that it would now be madness to
+      attempt to recover my territory from the English. When they gave me my
+      liberty, I swore never again to set foot in India&mdash;and I keep the
+      oaths I make.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those who despoiled you, who took you captive, who killed your father&mdash;were
+      men. Are there not other men, on whom you can avenge yourself! Let your
+      hate fall upon them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, who speak thus of men, are not a man!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, and those who resemble me, are more than men. We are, to the rest of
+      the human race, what the bold hunter is to the wild beasts, which they run
+      down in the forest. Will you be, like us, more than a man? Will you glut
+      surely, largely, safely&mdash;the hate which devours your heart, for all
+      the evil done you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your words become more and more obscure: I have no hatred in my heart,&rdquo;
+       said Djalma. &ldquo;When an enemy is worthy of me, I fight with him; when he is
+      unworthy, I despise him. So that I have no hate&mdash;either for brave men
+      or cowards.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Treachery!&rdquo; cried the negro on a sudden, pointing with rapid gesture to
+      the door, for Djalma and the Indian had now withdrawn a little from it,
+      and were standing in one corner of the hovel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the shout of the negro, Faringhea, who had not been perceived by
+      Djalma, threw off abruptly the mat which covered him, drew his crease,
+      started up like a tiger, and with one bound was out of the cabin. Then,
+      seeing a body of soldiers advancing cautiously in a circle, he dealt one
+      of them a mortal stroke, threw down two others, and disappeared in the
+      midst of the ruins. All this passed so instantaneously, that, when Djalma
+      turned round, to ascertain the cause of the negro&rsquo;s cry of alarm,
+      Faringhea had already disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The muskets of several soldiers, crowding to the door, were immediately
+      pointed at Djalma and the three Stranglers, whilst others went in pursuit
+      of Faringhea. The negro, the Malay, and the Indian, seeing the
+      impossibility of resistance, exchanged a few rapid words, and offered
+      their hands to the cords, with which some of the soldiers had provided
+      themselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Dutch captain, who commanded the squad, entered the cabin at this
+      moment. &ldquo;And this other one?&rdquo; said he, pointing out Djalma to the
+      soldiers, who were occupied in binding the three Phansegars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Each in his turn, captain!&rdquo; said an old sergeant. &ldquo;We come to him next.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma had remained petrified with surprise, not understanding what was
+      passing round him; but, when he saw the sergeant and two soldiers approach
+      with ropes to bind him, he repulsed them with violent indignation, and
+      rushed towards the door where stood the officer. The soldiers, who had
+      supposed that Djalma would submit to his fate with the same impassibility
+      as his companions, were astounded by this resistance, and recoiled some
+      paces, being struck in spite of themselves, with the noble and dignified
+      air of the son of Kadja-sing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why would you bind me like these men?&rdquo; cried Djalma, addressing himself
+      in Hindostanee to the officer, who understood that language from his long
+      service in the Dutch colonies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why would we bind you, wretch?&mdash;because you form part of this band
+      of assassins. What?&rdquo; added the officer in Dutch, speaking to the soldiers,
+      &ldquo;are you afraid of him?&mdash;Tie the cord tight about his wrists; there
+      will soon be another about his neck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are mistaken,&rdquo; said Djalma, with a dignity and calmness which
+      astonished the officer; &ldquo;I have hardly been in this place a quarter of an
+      hour&mdash;I do not know these men. I came here to meet a Frenchman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not a Phansegar like them?&mdash;Who will believe the falsehood?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Them!&rdquo; cried Djalma, with so natural a movement and expression of horror,
+      that with a sign the officer stopped the soldiers, who were again
+      advancing to bind the son of Kadja-sing; &ldquo;these men form part of that
+      horrible band of murderers! and you accuse me of being their accomplice!&mdash;Oh,
+      in this case, sir! I am perfectly at ease,&rdquo; said the young man, with a
+      smile of disdain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will not be sufficient to say that you are tranquil,&rdquo; replied the
+      officer; &ldquo;thanks to their confessions, we now know by what mysterious
+      signs to recognize the Thugs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10209m.jpg" alt="10209m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10209.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I repeat, sir, that I hold these murderers in the greatest horror, and
+      that I came here&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The negro, interrupting Djalma, said to the officer with a ferocious joy:
+      &ldquo;You have hit it; the sons of the good work do know each other by marks
+      tattooed on their skin. For us, the hour has come&mdash;we give our necks
+      to the cord. Often enough have we twined it round the necks of those who
+      served not with us the good work. Now, look at our arms, and look at the
+      arms of this youth!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The officer, misinterpreting the words of the negro, said to Djalma: &ldquo;It
+      is quite clear, that if, as this negro tells us, you do not bear on your
+      arm the mysterious symbol&mdash;(we are going to assure ourselves of the
+      fact), and if you can explain your presence here in a satisfactory manner,
+      you may be at liberty within two hours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not understand me,&rdquo; said the negro to the officer; &ldquo;Prince Djalma
+      is one of us, for he bears on his left arm the name of Bowanee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! he is like us, a son of Kale!&rdquo; added the Malay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is like us, a Phansegar,&rdquo; said the Indian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The three men, irritated at the horror which Djalma had manifested on
+      learning that they were Phansegars, took a savage pride in making it
+      believed that the son of Kadja-sing belonged to their frightful
+      association.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you to answer?&rdquo; said the officer to Djalma. The latter again
+      gave a look of disdainful pity, raised with his right hand his long, wide
+      left sleeve, and displayed his naked arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What audacity!&rdquo; cried the officer, for on the inner part of the fore arm,
+      a little below the bend, the name of the Bowanee, in bright red Hindoo
+      characters, was distinctly visible. The officer ran to the Malay, and
+      uncovered his arm; he saw the same word, the same signs. Not yet
+      satisfied, he assured himself that the negro and the Indian were likewise
+      so marked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wretch!&rdquo; cried he, turning furiously towards Djalma; &ldquo;you inspire even
+      more horror than your accomplices. Bind him like a cowardly assassin,&rdquo;
+       added he to the soldiers; &ldquo;like a cowardly assassin, who lies upon the
+      brink of the grave, for his execution will not be long delayed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Struck with stupor, Djalma, who for some moments had kept his eye riveted
+      on the fatal mark, was unable to pronounce a word, or make the least
+      movement: his powers of thought seemed to fail him, in presence of this
+      incomprehensible fact.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would you dare deny this sign?&rdquo; said the officer to him, with
+      indignation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot deny what I see&mdash;what is,&rdquo; said Djalma, quite overcome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is lucky that you confess at last,&rdquo; replied the officer. &ldquo;Soldiers,
+      keep watch over him and his accomplices&mdash;you answer for them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost believing himself the sport of some wild dream. Djalma offered no
+      resistance, but allowed himself to be bound and removed with mechanical
+      passiveness. The officer, with part of his soldiers, hoped still to
+      discover Faringhea amongst the ruins; but his search was vain, and, after
+      spending an hour in fruitless endeavors, he set out for Batavia, where the
+      escort of the prisoners had arrived before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Some hours after these events, M. Joshua van Dael thus finished his long
+      despatch, addressed to M. Rodin, of Paris:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Circumstances were such, that I could not act otherwise; and, taking all
+      into consideration, it is a very small evil for a great good. Three
+      murderers are delivered over to justice, and the temporary arrest of
+      Djalma will only serve to make his innocence shine forth with redoubled
+      luster.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Already this morning I went to the governor, to protest in favor of our
+      young prince. &lsquo;As it was through me,&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;that those three great
+      criminals fell into the hands of the authorities, let them at least show
+      me some gratitude, by doing everything to render clear as day the
+      innocence of Prince Djalma, so interesting by reason of his misfortunes
+      and noble qualities. Most certainly,&rsquo; I added, &lsquo;when I came yesterday to
+      inform the governor, that the Phansegars would be found assembled in the
+      ruins of Tchandi, I was far from anticipating that any one would confound
+      with those wretches the adopted son of General Simon, an excellent man,
+      with whom I have had for some time the most honorable relations. We must,
+      then, at any cost, discover the inconceivable mystery that has placed
+      Djalma in this dangerous position;&rsquo; and, I continued, &lsquo;so convinced am I
+      of his innocence, that, for his own sake, I would not ask for any favor on
+      his behalf. He will have sufficient courage and dignity to wait patiently
+      in prison for the day of justice.&rsquo; In all this, you see, I spoke nothing
+      but the truth, and had not to reproach myself with the least deception,
+      for nobody in the world is more convinced than I am of Djalma&rsquo;s innocence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The governor answered me as I expected, that morally he felt as certain
+      as I did of the innocence of the young prince, and would treat him with
+      all possible consideration; but that it was necessary for justice to have
+      its course, because it would be the only way of demonstrating the
+      falsehood of the accusation, and discovering by what unaccountable
+      fatality that mysterious sign was tattooed upon Djalma&rsquo;s arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mahal the Smuggler, who alone could enlighten justice on this subject,
+      will in another hour have quitted Batavia, to go on board the &lsquo;Ruyter,&rsquo;
+      which will take him to Egypt; for he has a note from me to the captain, to
+      certify that he is the person for whom I engaged and paid the passage. At
+      the same time, he will be the bearer of this long despatch, for the
+      &lsquo;Ruyter&rsquo; is to sail in an hour, and the last letter-bag for Europe was
+      made up yesterday evening. But I wished to see the governor this morning,
+      before closing the present.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thus, then, is Prince Djalma enforced detained for a month, and, this
+      opportunity of the &lsquo;Ruyter&rsquo; once lost, it is materially impossible that
+      the young Indian can be in France by the 13th of next February. You see,
+      therefore, that, even as you ordered, so have I acted according to the
+      means at my disposal&mdash;considering only the end which justifies them&mdash;for
+      you tell me a great interest of the society is concerned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In your hands, I have been what we all ought to be in the hands of our
+      superiors&mdash;a mere instrument: since, for the greater glory of God, we
+      become corpses with regard to the will.(7) Men may deny our unity and
+      power, and the times appear opposed to us; but circumstances only change;
+      we are ever the same.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Obedience and courage, secrecy and patience, craft and audacity, union
+      and devotion&mdash;these become us, who have the world for our country,
+      our brethren for family, Rome for our Queen!
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                       &ldquo;J. V.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      About ten o&rsquo;clock in the morning, Mahal the Smuggler set out with this
+      despatch (sealed) in his possession, to board the &ldquo;Ruyter.&rdquo; An hour later,
+      the dead body of this same Mahal, strangled by Thuggee, lay concealed
+      beneath some reeds on the edge of a desert strand, whither he had gone to
+      take boat to join the vessel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When at a subsequent period, after the departure of the steamship, they
+      found the corpse of the smuggler, M. Joshua sought in vain for the
+      voluminous packet, which he had entrusted to his care. Neither was there
+      any trace of the note which Mahal was to have delivered to the captain of
+      the &ldquo;Ruyter,&rdquo; in order to be received as passenger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally, the searches and bushwhacking ordered throughout the country for
+      the purpose of discovering Faringhea, were of no avail. The dangerous
+      chief of the Stranglers was never seen again in Java.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (7) It is known that the doctrine of passive and absolute obedience, the
+      main-spring of the Society of Jesus, is summed up in those terrible words
+      of the dying Loyola: &ldquo;Every member of the Order shall be, in the hands of
+      his superiors, even as a corpse (Perinde ac Cadaver).&rdquo;&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIII. M. RODIN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>hree months have elapsed since Djalma was thrown into Batavia Prison
+      accused of belonging to the murderous gang of Megpunnas. The following
+      scene takes place in France, at the commencement of the month of February,
+      1832, in Cardoville Manor House, an old feudal habitation standing upon
+      the tall cliffs of Picardy, not far from Saint Valery, a dangerous coast
+      on which almost every year many ships are totally wrecked, being driven on
+      shore by the northwesters, which render the navigation of the Channel so
+      perilous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the interior of the Castle is heard the howling of a violent tempest,
+      which has arisen during the night; a frequent formidable noise, like the
+      discharge of artillery, thunders in the distance, and is repeated by the
+      echoes of the shore; it is the sea breaking with fury against the high
+      rocks which are overlooked by the ancient Manor House.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is about seven o&rsquo;clock in the morning. Daylight is not yet visible
+      through the windows of a large room situated on the ground-floor. In this
+      apartment, in which a lamp is burning, a woman of about sixty years of
+      age, with a simple and honest countenance, dressed as a rich farmer&rsquo;s wife
+      of Picardy, is already occupied with her needle-work, notwithstanding the
+      early hour. Close by, the husband of this woman, about the same age as
+      herself, is seated at a large table, sorting and putting up in bags divers
+      samples of wheat and oats. The face of this white-haired man is
+      intelligent and open, announcing good sense and honesty, enlivened by a
+      touch of rustic humor; he wears a shooting-jacket of green cloth, and long
+      gaiters of tan-colored leather, which half conceal his black velveteen
+      breeches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The terrible storm which rages without renders still more agreeable the
+      picture of this peaceful interior. A rousing fire burns in a broad
+      chimney-place faced with white marble, and throws its joyous light on the
+      carefully polished floor; nothing can be more cheerful than the old
+      fashioned chintz hangings and curtains with red Chinese figures upon a
+      white ground, and the panels over the door painted with pastoral scenes in
+      the style of Watteau. A clock of Sevres china, and rosewood furniture
+      inlaid with green&mdash;quaint and portly furniture, twisted into all
+      sorts of grotesque shapes&mdash;complete the decorations of this
+      apartment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Out-doors, the gale continued to howl furiously, and sometimes a gust of
+      wind would rush down the chimney, or shake the fastenings of the windows.
+      The man who was occupied in sorting the samples of grain was M. Dupont,
+      bailiff of Cardoville manor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Holy Virgin!&rdquo; said his wife; &ldquo;what dreadful weather, my dear! This M.
+      Rodin, who is to come here this morning, as the Princess de Saint Dizier&rsquo;s
+      steward announced to us, picked out a very bad day for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, in truth, I have rarely heard such a hurricane. If M. Rodin has
+      never seen the sea in its fury, he may feast his eyes to-day with the
+      sight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can it be that brings this M. Rodin, my dear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faith! I know nothing about it. The steward tells me in his letter to
+      show M. Rodin the greatest attention, and to obey him as if he were my
+      master. It will be for him to explain himself, and for me to execute his
+      orders, since he comes on the part of the princess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By rights he should come from Mademoiselle Adrienne, as the land belongs
+      to her since the death of the duke her father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but the princess being aunt to the young lady, her steward manages
+      Mademoiselle Adrienne&rsquo;s affairs&mdash;so whether one or the other, it
+      amounts to the same thing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May be M. Rodin means to buy the estate. Though, to be sure, that stout
+      lady who came from Paris last week on purpose to see the chateau appeared
+      to have a great wish for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words the bailiff began to laugh with a sly look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is there to laugh at, Dupont?&rdquo; asked his wife, a very good creature,
+      but not famous for intelligence or penetration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I laugh,&rdquo; answered Dupont, &ldquo;to think of the face and figure of that
+      enormous woman: with such a look, who the devil would call themselves
+      Madame de la Sainte-Colombe&mdash;Mrs. Holy Dove? A pretty saint, and a
+      pretty dove, truly! She is round as a hogshead, with the voice of a
+      town-crier; has gray moustachios like an old grenadier, and without her
+      knowing it, I heard her say to her servant: &lsquo;Stir your stumps, my hearty!&rsquo;&mdash;and
+      yet she calls herself Sainte-Colombe!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How hard on her you are, Dupont; a body don&rsquo;t choose one&rsquo;s name. And, if
+      she has a beard, it is not the lady&rsquo;s fault.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;but it is her fault to call herself Sainte-Colombe. Do you
+      imagine it her true name? Ah, my poor Catherine, you are yet very green in
+      some things.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;While you, my poor Dupont, are well read in slander! This lady seems very
+      respectable. The first thing she asked for on arriving was the chapel of
+      the Castle, of which she had heard speak. She even said that she would
+      make some embellishments in it; and, when I told her we had no church in
+      this little place, she appeared quite vexed not to have a curate in the
+      village.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, to be sure! that&rsquo;s the first thought of your upstarts&mdash;to play
+      the great lady of the parish, like your titled people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame de la Sainte-Colombe need not play the great lady, because she is
+      one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She! a great lady? Oh, lor&rsquo;!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;only see how she was dressed, in scarlet gown, and violet
+      gloves like a bishop&rsquo;s; and, when she took off her bonnet, she had a
+      diamond band round her head-dress of false, light hair, and diamond
+      ear-drops as large as my thumb, and diamond rings on every finger! None of
+      your tuppenny beauties would wear so many diamonds in the middle of the
+      day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are a pretty judge!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is not all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you mean to say there&rsquo;s more?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She talked of nothing but dukes, and marquises, and counts, and very rich
+      gentlemen, who visit at her house, and are her most intimate friends; and
+      then, when she saw the summer house in the park, half-burnt by the
+      Prussians, which our late master never rebuilt, she asked, &lsquo;What are those
+      ruins there?&rsquo; and I answered: &lsquo;Madame, it was in the time of the Allies
+      that the pavilion was burnt.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Oh, my clear,&rsquo; cried she; &lsquo;our
+      allies, good, dear allies! they and the Restoration began my fortune!&rsquo; So
+      you see, Dupont, I said to myself directly: &lsquo;She was no doubt one of the
+      noble women who fled abroad&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame de la Sainte-Colombe!&rdquo; cried the bailiff, laughing heartily. &ldquo;Oh,
+      my poor, poor wife!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it is all very well; but because you have been three years at Paris,
+      don&rsquo;t think yourself a conjurer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Catherine, let&rsquo;s drop it: you will make me say some folly, and there are
+      certain things which dear, good creatures like you need never know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell what you are driving at, only try to be less slanderous&mdash;for,
+      after all, should Madame de la Sainte-Colombe buy the estate, will you be
+      sorry to remain as her bailiff, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not I&mdash;for we are getting old, my good Catherine; we have lived here
+      twenty years, and we have been too honest to provide for our old days by
+      pilfering&mdash;and truly, at our age, it would be hard to seek another
+      place, which perhaps we should not find. What I regret is, that
+      Mademoiselle Adrienne should not keep the land; it seems that she wished
+      to sell it, against the will of the princess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good gracious, Dupont! is it not very extraordinary that Mademoiselle
+      Adrienne should have the disposal of her large fortune so early in life?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faith! simple enough. Our young lady, having no father or mother, is
+      mistress of her property, besides having a famous little will of her own.
+      Dost remember, ten years ago, when the count brought her down here one
+      summer?&mdash;what an imp of mischief! and then what eyes! eh?&mdash;how
+      they sparkled, even then!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true that Mademoiselle Adrienne had in her look&mdash;an expression&mdash;a
+      very uncommon expression for her age.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If she has kept what her witching, luring face promised, she must be very
+      pretty by this time, notwithstanding the peculiar color of her hair&mdash;for,
+      between ourselves, if she had been a tradesman&rsquo;s daughter, instead of a
+      young lady of high birth, they would have called it red.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There again! more slander.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! against Mademoiselle Adrienne? Heaven forbid&mdash;I always thought
+      that she would be as good as pretty, and it is not speaking ill of her to
+      say she has red hair. On the contrary, it always appears to me so fine, so
+      bright, so sunny, and to suit so well her snowy complexion and black eyes,
+      that in truth I would not have had it other than it was; and I am sure,
+      that now this very color of her hair, which would be a blemish in any one
+      else, must only add to the charm of Mademoiselle Adrienne&rsquo;s face. She must
+      have such a sweet vixen look!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! to be candid, she really was a vixen&mdash;always running about the
+      park, aggravating her governess, climbing the trees&mdash;in fact, playing
+      all manner of naughty tricks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I grant you, Mademoiselle Adrienne was a chip of the old block; but then
+      what wit, what engaging ways, and above all, what a good heart!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;that she certainly had. Once I remember she gave her shawl and
+      her new merino frock to a poor little beggar girl, and came back to the
+      house in her petticoat, and bare arms.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, an excellent heart&mdash;but headstrong&mdash;terribly headstrong!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10217m.jpg" alt="10217m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10217.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;that she was; and &lsquo;tis likely to finish badly, for it seems
+      that she does things at Paris&mdash;oh! such things&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What things?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear; I can hardly venture&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fell, but what are they?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why,&rdquo; said the worthy dame, with a sort of embarrassment and confusion,
+      which showed how much she was shocked by such enormities, &ldquo;they say, that
+      Mademoiselle Adrienne never sets foot in a church, but lives in a kind of
+      heathen temple in her aunt&rsquo;s garden, where she has masked women to dress
+      her up like a goddess, and scratches them very often, because she gets
+      tipsy&mdash;without mentioning, that every night she plays on a hunting
+      horn of massive gold&mdash;all which causes the utmost grief and despair
+      to her poor aunt the princess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here the bailiff burst into a fit of laughter, which interrupted his wife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now tell me,&rdquo; said he, when this first access of hilarity was over,
+      &ldquo;where did you get these fine stories about Mademoiselle Adrienne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From Rene&rsquo;s wife, who went to Paris to look for a child to nurse; she
+      called at Saint-Dizier House, to see Madame Grivois, her godmother.&mdash;Now
+      Madame Grivois is first bedchamber woman to the princess&mdash;and she it
+      was who told her all this&mdash;and surely she ought to know, being in the
+      house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, a fine piece of goods that Grivois! once she was a regular bad &lsquo;un,
+      but now she professes to be as over-nice as her mistress; like master like
+      man, they say. The princess herself, who is now so stiff and starched,
+      knew how to carry on a lively game in her time. Fifteen years ago, she was
+      no such prude: do you remember that handsome colonel of hussars, who was
+      in garrison at Abbeville? an exiled noble who had served in Russia, whom
+      the Bourbons gave a regiment on the Restoration?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;I remember him; but you are really too backbiting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not a bit&mdash;I only speak the truth. The colonel spent his whole time
+      here, and every one said he was very warm with this same princess, who is
+      now such a saint. Oh! those were the jolly times. Every evening, some new
+      entertainment at the chateau. What a fellow that colonel was, to set
+      things going; how well he could act a play!&mdash;I remember&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The bailiff was unable to proceed. A stout maid-servant, wearing the
+      costume and cap of Picardy, entered in haste, and thus addressed her
+      mistress: &ldquo;Madame, there is a person here that wants to speak to master;
+      he has come in the postmaster&rsquo;s calash from Saint-Valery, and he says that
+      he is M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin?&rdquo; said the bailiff rising. &ldquo;Show him in directly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A moment after, M. Rodin made his appearance. According to his custom, he
+      was dressed even more than plainly. With an air of great humility, he
+      saluted the bailiff and his wife, and at a sign from her husband, the
+      latter withdrew. The cadaverous countenance of M. Rodin, his almost
+      invisible lips, his little reptile eyes, half concealed by their flabby
+      lids, and the sordid style of his dress, rendered his general aspect far
+      from prepossessing; yet this man knew how, when it was necessary, to
+      affect, with diabolical art, so much sincerity and good-nature&mdash;his
+      words were so affectionate and subtly penetrating&mdash;that the
+      disagreeable feeling of repugnance, which the first sight of him generally
+      inspired, wore off little by little, and he almost always finished by
+      involving his dupe or victim in the tortuous windings of an eloquence as
+      pliant as it was honeyed and perfidious; for ugliness and evil have their
+      fascination, as well as what is good and fair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The honest bailiff looked at this man with surprise, when he thought of
+      the pressing recommendation of the steward of the Princess de Saint
+      Dizier; he had expected to see quite another sort of personage, and,
+      hardly able to dissemble his astonishment, he said to him: &ldquo;Is it to M.
+      Rodin that I have the honor to speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; and here is another letter from the steward of the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray, sir, draw near the fire, whilst I just see what is in this letter.
+      The weather is so bad,&rdquo; continued the bailiff, obligingly, &ldquo;may I not
+      offer you some refreshment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand thanks, my dear sir; I am off again in an hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst M. Dupont read, M. Rodin threw inquisitive glances round the
+      chamber; like a man of skill and experience, he had frequently drawn just
+      and useful inductions from those little appearances, which, revealing a
+      taste or habit, give at the same time some notion of a character; on this
+      occasion, however, his curiosity was at fault.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good, sir,&rdquo; said the bailiff, when he had finished reading; &ldquo;the
+      steward renews his recommendation, and tells me to attend implicitly to
+      your commands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir, they will amount to very little, and I shall not trouble you
+      long.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will be no trouble, but an honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, I know how much your time must be occupied, for, as soon as one
+      enters this chateau, one is struck with the good order and perfect keeping
+      of everything in it&mdash;which proves, my dear sir, what excellent care
+      you take of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir, you flatter me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Flatter you?&mdash;a poor old man like myself has something else to think
+      of. But to come to business: there is a room here which is called the
+      Green Chamber?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; the room which the late Count-Duke de Cardoville used for a
+      study.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will have the goodness to take me there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, it is not in my power to do so. After the death of the
+      Count-Duke, and when the seals were removed, a number of papers were shut
+      up in a cabinet in that room, and the lawyers took the keys with them to
+      Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here are those keys,&rdquo; said M. Rodin, showing to the bailiff a large and a
+      small key tied together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! that is different. You come to look for papers?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;for certain papers&mdash;and also far a small mahogany casket,
+      with silver clasps&mdash;do you happen to know it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; I have often seen it on the count&rsquo;s writing-table. It must be
+      in the large, lacquered cabinet, of which you have the key.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will conduct me to this chamber, as authorized by the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; the princess continues in good health?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly so. She lives altogether above worldly things.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And Mademoiselle Adrienne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my dear sir!&rdquo; said M. Rodin, with a sigh of deep contrition and
+      grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven, sir! has any calamity happened to Mademoiselle Adrienne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In what sense do you mean it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is she ill?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no&mdash;she is, unfortunately, as well as she is beautiful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately!&rdquo; cried the bailiff, in surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, yes! for when beauty, youth, and health are joined to an evil
+      spirit of revolt and perversity&mdash;to a character which certainly has
+      not its equal upon earth&mdash;it would be far better to be deprived of
+      those dangerous advantages, which only become so many causes of perdition.
+      But I conjure you, my dear sir, let us talk of something else: this
+      subject is too painful,&rdquo; said M. Rodin, with a voice of deep emotion,
+      lifting the tip of his little finger to the corner of his right eye, as if
+      to stop a rising tear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The bailiff did not see the tear, but he saw the gesture, and he was
+      struck with the change in M. Rodin&rsquo;s voice. He answered him, therefore,
+      with much sympathy: &ldquo;Pardon my indiscretion, sir; I really did not know&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is I who should ask pardon for this involuntary display of feeling&mdash;tears
+      are so rare with old men&mdash;but if you had seen, as I have, the despair
+      of that excellent princess, whose only fault has been too much kindness,
+      too much weakness, with regard to her niece&mdash;by which she has
+      encouraged her&mdash;but, once more, let us talk of something else, my
+      dear sir!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s pause, during which M. Rodin seemed to recover from his
+      emotion, he said to Dupont: &ldquo;One part of my mission, my dear sir&mdash;that
+      which relates to the Green Chamber&mdash;I have now told you; but there is
+      yet another. Before coming to it, however, I must remind you of a
+      circumstance you have perhaps forgotten&mdash;namely, that some fifteen or
+      sixteen years ago, the Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny, then colonel of the hussars in
+      garrison at Abbeville, spent some time in this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! what a dashing officer was there! It was only just now, that I
+      was talking about him to my wife. He was the life of the house!&mdash;how
+      well he could perform plays&mdash;particularly the character of a
+      scapegrace. In the Two Edmonds, for instance, he would make you die with
+      laughing, in that part of a drunken soldier&mdash;and then, with what a
+      charming voice he sang Joconde, sir&mdash;better than they could sing it
+      at Paris!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, having listened complacently to the bailiff, said to him: &ldquo;You
+      doubtless know that, after a fierce duel he had with a furious
+      Bonapartist, one General Simon, the Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny (whose private
+      secretary I have now the honor to be) left the world for the church.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10145m.jpg" alt="10145m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10145.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir! is it possible? That fine officer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That fine officer&mdash;brave, noble, rich, esteemed, and flattered&mdash;abandoned
+      all those advantages for the sorry black gown; and, notwithstanding his
+      name, position, high connections, his reputation as a great preacher, he
+      is still what he was fourteen years ago&mdash;a plain abbe&mdash;whilst so
+      many, who have neither his merit nor his virtues, are archbishops and
+      cardinals.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Rodin expressed himself with so much goodness, with such an air of
+      conviction, and the facts he cited appeared to be so incontestable, that
+      M. Dupont could not help exclaiming: &ldquo;Well, sir, that is splendid
+      conduct!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Splendid? Oh, no!&rdquo; said M. Rodin, with an inimitable expression of
+      simplicity; &ldquo;it is quite a matter of course when one has a heart like M.
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s. But amongst all his good qualities, he has particularly that
+      of never forgetting worthy people&mdash;people of integrity, honor,
+      conscience&mdash;and therefore, my dear M. Dupont, he has not forgotten
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, the most noble marquis deigns to remember&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Three days ago, I received a letter from him, in which he mentions your
+      name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he then at Paris?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will be there soon, if not there now. He went to Italy about three
+      months ago, and, during his absence, he received a very sad piece of news&mdash;the
+      death of his mother, who was passing the autumn on one of the estates of
+      the Princess de Saint-Dizier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, indeed! I was not aware of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it was a cruel grief to him; but we must all resign ourselves to the
+      will of Providence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And with regard to what subject did the marquis do me the honor to
+      mention my name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am going to tell you. First of all, you must know that this house is
+      sold. The bill of sale was signed the day before my departure from Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! that renews all my uneasiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray, why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am afraid that the new proprietors may not choose to keep me as their
+      bailiff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now see what a lucky chance! It is just on that subject that I am going
+      to speak to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly. Knowing the interest which the marquis feels for you, I am
+      particularly desirous that you should keep this place, and I will do all
+      in my power to serve you, if&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, sir!&rdquo; cried Dupont, interrupting Rodin; &ldquo;what gratitude do I not owe
+      you! It is Heaven that sends you to me!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, my dear sir, you flatter me in your turn; but I ought to tell you,
+      that I&rsquo;m obliged to annex a small condition to my support.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, by all means! Only name it, sir&mdash;name it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The person who is about to inhabit this mansion, is an old lady in every
+      way worthy of veneration; Madame de la Sainte-Colombe is the name of this
+      respectable&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir?&rdquo; said the bailiff, interrupting Rodin; &ldquo;Madame de la Sainte
+      Colombe the lady who has bought us out?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, she came last week to see the estate. My wife persists that she
+      is a great lady; but&mdash;between ourselves&mdash;judging by certain
+      words that I heard her speak&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are full of penetration, my dear M. Dupont. Madame de la Sainte
+      Colombe is far from being a great lady. I believe she was neither more nor
+      less than a milliner, under one of the wooden porticoes of the Palais
+      Royal. You see, that I deal openly with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And she boasted of all the noblemen, French and foreign, who used to
+      visit her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, they came to buy bonnets for their wives! However, the fact is,
+      that, having gained a large fortune and, after being in youth and middle
+      age&mdash;indifferent&mdash;alas! more than indifferent to the salvation
+      of her soul&mdash;Madame de la Sainte-Colombe is now in a likely way to
+      experience grace&mdash;which renders her, as I told you, worthy of
+      veneration, because nothing is so respectable as a sincere repentance&mdash;always
+      providing it to be lasting. Now to make the good work sure and effectual,
+      we shall need your assistance, my dear M. Dupont.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mine, sir! what can I do in it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A great deal; and I will explain to you how. There is no church in this
+      village, which stands at an equal distance from either of two parishes.
+      Madame de la Sainte-Colombe, wishing to make choice of one of the two
+      clergymen, will naturally apply to you and Madame Dupont, who have long
+      lived in these parts, for information respecting them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! in that case the choice will soon be made. The incumbent of Danicourt
+      is one of the best of men.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now that is precisely what you must not say to Madame de la Sainte
+      Colombe.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must, on the contrary, much praise, without ceasing, the curate of
+      Roiville, the other parish, so as to decide this good lady to trust
+      herself to his care.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why, sir, to him rather than to the other?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&mdash;because, if you and Madame Dupont succeed in persuading Madame
+      de la Sainte-Colombe to make the choice I wish, you will be certain to
+      keep your place as bailiff. I give you my word of it, and what I promise I
+      perform.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not doubt, sir, that you have this power,&rdquo; said Dupont, convinced by
+      Rodin&rsquo;s manner, and the authority of his words; &ldquo;but I should like to know&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word more,&rdquo; said Rodin, interrupting him; &ldquo;I will deal openly with
+      you, and tell you why I insist on the preference which I beg you to
+      support. I should be grieved if you saw in all this the shadow of an
+      intrigue. It is only for the purpose of doing a good action. The curate of
+      Roiville, for whom I ask your influence, is a man for whom M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      feels a deep interest. Though very poor, he has to support an aged mother.
+      Now, if he had the spiritual care of Madame de la Sainte Colombe, he would
+      do more good than any one else, because he is full of zeal and patience;
+      and then it is clear he would reap some little advantages, by which his
+      old mother might profit&mdash;there you see is the secret of this mighty
+      scheme. When I knew that this lady was disposed to buy an estate in the
+      neighborhood of our friend&rsquo;s parish, I wrote about it to the marquis; and
+      he, remembering you, desired me to ask you to render him this small
+      service, which, as you see, will not remain without a recompense. For I
+      tell you once more, and I will prove it, that I have the power to keep you
+      in your place as bailiff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir,&rdquo; replied Dupont, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, &ldquo;you are so
+      frank and obliging, that I will imitate your sincerity. In the same degree
+      that the curate of Danicourt is respected and loved in this country, the
+      curate of Roiville, whom you wish me to prefer to him, is dreaded for his
+      intolerance&mdash;and, moreover&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, and what more?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, then, they say&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, what do they say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say&mdash;he is a Jesuit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Upon these words, M. Rodin burst into so hearty a laugh that the bailiff
+      was quite struck dumb with amazement&mdash;for the countenance of M. Rodin
+      took a singular expression when he laughed. &ldquo;A Jesuit!&rdquo; he repeated, with
+      redoubled hilarity; &ldquo;a Jesuit!&mdash;Now really, my dear M. Dupont, for a
+      man of sense, experience, and intelligence, how can you believe such idle
+      stories?&mdash;A Jesuit&mdash;are there such people as Jesuits?&mdash;in
+      our time, above all, can you believe such romance of the Jacobins,
+      hobgoblins of the old freedom lovers?&mdash;Come, come; I wager, you have
+      read about them in the Constitutionnel!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, sir, they say&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heavens! what will they not say?&mdash;But wise men, prudent men
+      like you, do not meddle with what is said&mdash;they manage their own
+      little matters, without doing injury to any one, and they never sacrifice,
+      for the sake of nonsense, a good place, which secures them a comfortable
+      provision for the rest of their days. I tell you frankly, however much I
+      may regret it, that should you not succeed in getting the preference for
+      my man, you will not remain bailiff here.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; said poor Dupont, &ldquo;it will not be my fault, if this lady,
+      hearing a great deal in praise of the other curate, should prefer him to
+      your friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! but if, on the other hand, persons who have long lived in the
+      neighborhood&mdash;persons worthy of confidence, whom she will see every
+      day&mdash;tell Madame de la Sainte-Colombe a great deal of good of my
+      friend, and a great deal of harm of the other curate, she will prefer the
+      former, and you will continue bailiff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir&mdash;that would be calumny!&rdquo; cried Dupont.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pshaw, my dear M. Dupont!&rdquo; said Rodin, with an air of sorrowful and
+      affectionate reproach, &ldquo;how can you think me capable of giving you evil
+      counsel?&mdash;I was only making a supposition. You wish to remain bailiff
+      on this estate. I offer you the certainty of doing so&mdash;it is for you
+      to consider and decide.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word more&mdash;or rather one more condition&mdash;as important as
+      the other. Unfortunately, we have seen clergymen take advantage of the age
+      and weakness of their penitents, unfairly to benefit either themselves or
+      others: I believe our protege incapable of any such baseness&mdash;but, in
+      order to discharge my responsibility&mdash;and yours also, as you will
+      have contributed to his appointment&mdash;I must request that you will
+      write to me twice a week, giving the most exact detail of all that you
+      have remarked in the character, habits, connections, pursuits, of Madame
+      de la Sainte Colombe&mdash;for the influence of a confessor, you see,
+      reveals itself in the whole conduct of life, and I should wish to be fully
+      edified by the proceedings of my friend, without his being aware of it&mdash;or,
+      if anything blameable were to strike you, I should be immediately informed
+      of it by this weekly correspondence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir&mdash;that would be to act as a spy?&rdquo; exclaimed the unfortunate
+      bailiff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, my dear M. Dupont! how can you thus brand the sweetest, most
+      wholesome of human desires&mdash;mutual confidence?&mdash;I ask of you
+      nothing else&mdash;I ask of you to write to me confidentially the details
+      of all that goes on here. On these two conditions, inseparable one from
+      the other, you remain bailiff; otherwise, I shall be forced, with grief
+      and regret, to recommend some one else to Madame de la Sainte-Colombe.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg you, sir,&rdquo; said Dupont, with emotion, &ldquo;Be generous without any
+      conditions!&mdash;I and my wife have only this place to give us bread, and
+      we are too old to find another. Do not expose our probity of forty years&rsquo;
+      standing to be tempted by the fear of want, which is so bad a counsellor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear M. Dupont, you are really a great child: you must reflect upon
+      this, and give me your answer in the course of a week.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! I implore you&mdash;&rdquo; The conversation was here interrupted by a
+      loud report, which was almost instantaneously repeated by the echoes of
+      the cliffs. &ldquo;What is that?&rdquo; said M. Rodin. Hardly had he spoken, when the
+      same noise was again heard more distinctly than before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the sound of cannon,&rdquo; cried Dupont, rising; &ldquo;no doubt a ship in
+      distress, or signaling for a pilot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear,&rdquo; said the bailiffs wife, entering abruptly, &ldquo;from the terrace,
+      we can see a steamer and a large ship nearly dismasted&mdash;they are
+      drifting right upon the shore&mdash;the ship is firing minute gulls&mdash;it
+      will be lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it is terrible!&rdquo; cried the bailiff, taking his hat and preparing to
+      go out, &ldquo;to look on at a shipwreck, and be able to do nothing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can no help be given to these vessels?&rdquo; asked M. Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If they are driven upon the reefs, no human power can save them; since
+      the last equinox two ships have been lost on this coast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lost with all on board?&mdash;Oh, very frightful,&rdquo; said M. Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In such a storm, there is but little chance for the crew; no matter,&rdquo;
+       said the bailiff, addressing his wife, &ldquo;I will run down to the rocks with
+      the people of the farm, and try to save some of them, poor creatures!&mdash;Light
+      large fires in several rooms&mdash;get ready linen, clothes, cordials&mdash;I
+      scarcely dare hope to save any, but we must do our best. Will you come
+      with me, M. Rodin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should think it a duty, if I could be at all useful, but I am too old
+      and feeble to be of any service,&rdquo; said M. Rodin, who was by no means
+      anxious to encounter the storm. &ldquo;Your good lady will be kind enough to
+      show me the Green Chamber, and when I have found the articles I require, I
+      will set out immediately for Paris, for I am in great haste.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, sir. Catherine will show you. Ring the big bell,&rdquo; said the
+      bailiff to his servant; &ldquo;let all the people of the farm meet me at the
+      foot of the cliff, with ropes and levers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear,&rdquo; replied Catherine; &ldquo;but do not expose yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kiss me&mdash;it will bring me luck,&rdquo; said the bailiff; and he started at
+      a full run, crying: &ldquo;Quick! quick; by this time not a plank may remain of
+      the vessels.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear madam,&rdquo; said Rodin, always impassible, &ldquo;will you be obliging
+      enough to show me the Green Chamber?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Please to follow me, sir,&rdquo; answered Catherine, drying her tears&mdash;for
+      she trembled on account of her husband, whose courage she well knew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV. THE TEMPEST
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sea is raging. Mountainous waves of dark green, marbled with white
+      foam, stand out, in high, deep undulations, from the broad streak of red
+      light, which extends along the horizon. Above are piled heavy masses of
+      black and sulphurous vapor, whilst a few lighter clouds of a reddish gray,
+      driven by the violence of the wind, rush across the murky sky.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The pale winter sun, before he quite disappears in the great clouds,
+      behind which he is slowly mounting, casts here and there some oblique rays
+      upon the troubled sea, and gilds the transparent crest of some of the
+      tallest waves. A band of snow-white foam boils and rages as far as the eye
+      can reach, along the line of the reefs that bristle on this dangerous
+      coast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Half-way up a rugged promontory, which juts pretty far into the sea, rises
+      Cardoville Castle; a ray of the sun glitters upon its windows; its brick
+      walls and pointed roofs of slate are visible in the midst of this sky
+      loaded with vapors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A large, disabled ship, with mere shreds of sail still fluttering from the
+      stumps of broken masts, drives dead upon the coast. Now she rolls her
+      monstrous hull upon the waves&mdash;now plunges into their trough. A flash
+      is seen, followed by a dull sound, scarcely perceptible in the midst of
+      the roar of the tempest. That gun is the last signal of distress from this
+      lost vessel, which is fast forging on the breakers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same moment, a steamer, with its long plume of black smoke, is
+      working her way from east to west, making every effort to keep at a
+      distance from the shore, leaving the breakers on her left. The dismasted
+      ship, drifting towards the rocks, at the mercy of the wind and tide, must
+      some time pass right ahead of the steamer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, the rush of a heavy sea laid the steamer upon her side; the
+      enormous wave broke furiously on her deck; in a second the chimney was
+      carried away, the paddle box stove in, one of the wheels rendered useless.
+      A second white-cap, following the first, again struck the vessel
+      amidships, and so increased the damage that, no longer answering to the
+      helm, she also drifted towards the shore, in the same direction as the
+      ship. But the latter, though further from the breakers, presented a
+      greater surface to the wind and sea, and so gained upon the steamer in
+      swiftness that a collision between the two vessels became imminent&mdash;a
+      new clanger added to all the horrors of the now certain wreck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The ship was an English vessel, the &ldquo;Black Eagle,&rdquo; homeward bound from
+      Alexandria, with passengers, who arriving from India and Java, via the Red
+      Sea, had disembarked at the Isthmus of Suez, from on board the steamship
+      &ldquo;Ruyter.&rdquo; The &ldquo;Black Eagle,&rdquo; quitting the Straits of Gibraltar, had gone
+      to touch at the Azores. She headed thence for Portsmouth, when she was
+      overtaken in the Channel by the northwester. The steamer was the &ldquo;William
+      Tell,&rdquo; coming from Germany, by way of the Elbe, and bound, in the last
+      place, for Hamburg to Havre.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These two vessels, the sport of enormous rollers, driven along by tide and
+      tempest, were now rushing upon the breakers with frightful speed. The deck
+      of each offered a terrible spectacle; the loss of crew and passengers
+      appeared almost certain, for before them a tremendous sea broke on jagged
+      rocks, at the foot of a perpendicular cliff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The captain of the &ldquo;Black Eagle,&rdquo; standing on the poop, holding by the
+      remnant of a spar, issued his last orders in this fearful extremity with
+      courageous coolness. The smaller boats had been carried away by the waves;
+      it was in vain to think of launching the long-boat; the only chance of
+      escape in case the ship should not be immediately dashed to pieces on
+      touching the rocks, was to establish a communication with the land by
+      means of a life-line&mdash;almost the last resort for passing between the
+      shore and a stranded vessel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The deck was covered with passengers, whose cries and terror augmented the
+      general confusion. Some, struck with a kind of stupor, and clinging
+      convulsively to the shrouds, awaited their doom in a state of stupid
+      insensibility. Others wrung their hands in despair, or rolled upon the
+      deck uttering horrible imprecations. Here, women knelt down to pray;
+      there, others hid their faces in their hands, that they might not see the
+      awful approach of death. A young mother, pale as a specter, holding her
+      child clasped tightly to her bosom, went supplicating from sailor to
+      sailor, and offering a purse full of gold and jewels to any one that would
+      take charge of her son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These cries, and tears, and terror contrasted with the stern and silent
+      resignation of the sailors. Knowing the imminence of the inevitable
+      danger, some of them stripped themselves of part of their clothes, waiting
+      for the moment to make a last effort, to dispute their lives with the fury
+      of the waves; others renouncing all hope, prepared to meet death with
+      stoical indifference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here and there, touching or awful episodes rose in relief, if one may so
+      express it, from this dark and gloomy background of despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A young man of about eighteen or twenty, with shiny black hair, copper
+      colored complexion, and perfectly regular and handsome features,
+      contemplated this scene of dismay and horror with that sad calmness
+      peculiar to those who have often braved great perils; wrapped in a cloak,
+      he leaned his back against the bulwarks, with his feet resting against one
+      of the bulkheads. Suddenly, the unhappy mother, who, with her child in her
+      arms, and gold in her hand, had in vain addressed herself to several of
+      the mariners, to beg them to save her boy, perceiving the young man with
+      the copper-colored complexion, threw herself on her knees before him, and
+      lifted her child towards him with a burst of inexpressible agony. The
+      young man took it, mournfully shook his head, and pointed to the furious
+      waves&mdash;but, with a meaning gesture, he appeared to promise that he
+      would at least try to save it. Then the young mother, in a mad transport
+      of hope, seized the hand of the youth, and bathed it with her tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Further on, another passenger of the &ldquo;Black Eagle,&rdquo; seemed animated by
+      sentiments of the most active pity. One would hardly have given him
+      five-and-twenty years of age. His long, fair locks fell in curls on either
+      side of his angelic countenance. He wore a black cassock and white
+      neck-band. Applying himself to comfort the most desponding, he went from
+      one to the other, and spoke to them pious words of hope and resignation;
+      to hear him console some, and encourage others, in language full of
+      unction, tenderness, and ineffable charity, one would have supposed him
+      unaware or indifferent to the perils that he shared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On his fine, mild features, was impressed a calm and sacred intrepidity, a
+      religious abstraction from every terrestrial thought; from time to time,
+      he raised to heaven his large blue eyes, beaming with gratitude, love, and
+      serenity, as if to thank God for having called him to one of those
+      formidable trials in which the man of humanity and courage may devote
+      himself for his brethren, and, if not able to rescue them at all, at least
+      die with them, pointing to the sky. One might almost have taken him for an
+      angel, sent down to render less cruel the strokes of inexorable fate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Strange contrast! not far from this young man&rsquo;s angelic beauty, there was
+      another being, who resembled an evil spirit!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Boldly mounted on what was left of the bowsprit, to which he held on by
+      means of some remaining cordage, this man looked down upon the terrible
+      scene that was passing on the deck. A grim, wild joy lighted up his
+      countenance of a dead yellow, that tint peculiar to those who spring from
+      the union of the white race with the East. He wore only a shirt and linen
+      drawers; from his neck was suspended, by a cord, a cylindrical tin box,
+      similar to that in which soldiers carry their leave of absence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The more the danger augmented, the nearer the ship came to the breakers,
+      or to a collision with the steamer, which she was now rapidly approaching&mdash;a
+      terrible collision, which would probably cause the two vessels to founder
+      before even they touched the rocks&mdash;the more did the infernal joy of
+      this passenger reveal itself in frightful transports. He seemed to long,
+      with ferocious impatience, for the moment when the work of destruction
+      should be accomplished. To see him thus feasting with avidity on all the
+      agony, the terror, and the despair of those around him, one might have
+      taken him for the apostle of one of those sanguinary deities, who, in
+      barbarous countries, preside over murder and carnage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time the &ldquo;Black Eagle,&rdquo; driven by the wind and waves, came so near
+      the &ldquo;William Tell&rdquo; that the passengers on the deck of the nearly
+      dismantled steamer were visible from the first-named vessel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These passengers were no longer numerous. The heavy sea, which stove in
+      the paddle-box and broke one of the paddles, had also carried away nearly
+      the whole of the bulwarks on that side; the waves, entering every instant
+      by this large opening, swept the decks with irresistible violence, and
+      every time bore away with them some fresh victims.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amongst the passengers, who seemed only to have escaped this danger to be
+      hurled against the rocks, or crushed in the encounter of the two vessels,
+      one group was especially worthy of the most tender and painful interest.
+      Taking refuge abaft, a tall old man, with bald forehead and gray
+      moustache, had lashed himself to a stanchion, by winding a piece of rope
+      round his body, whilst he clasped in his arms, and held fast to his
+      breast, two girls of fifteen or sixteen, half enveloped in a pelisse of
+      reindeer-skin. A large, fallow, Siberian dog, dripping with water, and
+      barking furiously at the waves, stood close to their feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These girls, clasped in the arms of the old man, also pressed close to
+      each other; but, far from being lost in terror, they raised their eyes to
+      heaven, full of confidence and ingenuous hope, as though they expected to
+      be saved by the intervention of some supernatural power.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A frightful shriek of horror and despair, raised by the passengers of both
+      vessels, was heard suddenly above the roar of the tempest. At the moment
+      when, plunging deeply between two waves, the broadside of the steamer was
+      turned towards the bows of the ship, the latter, lifted to a prodigious
+      height on a mountain of water, remained, as it were, suspended over the
+      &ldquo;William Tell,&rdquo; during the second which preceded the shock of the two
+      vessels.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are sights of so sublime a horror, that it is impossible to describe
+      them. Yet, in the midst of these catastrophes, swift as thought, one
+      catches sometimes a momentary glimpse of a picture, rapid and fleeting, as
+      if illumined by a flash of lightning.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10233m.jpg" alt="10233m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10233.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Thus, when the &ldquo;Black Eagle,&rdquo; poised aloft by the flood, was about to
+      crash down upon the &ldquo;William Tell,&rdquo; the young man with the angelic
+      countenance and fair, waving locks bent over the prow of the ship, ready
+      to cast himself into the sea to save some victim. Suddenly, he perceived
+      on board the steamer, on which he looked down from the summit of the
+      immense wave, the two girls extending their arms towards him in
+      supplication. They appeared to recognize him, and gazed on him with a sort
+      of ecstacy and religious homage!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a second, in spite of the horrors of the tempest, in spite of the
+      approaching shipwreck, the looks of those three beings met. The features
+      of the young man were expressive of sudden and profound pity; for the
+      maidens with their hands clasped in prayer, seemed to invoke him as their
+      expected Saviour. The old man, struck down by the fall of a plank, lay
+      helpless on the deck. Soon all disappeared together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A fearful mass of water dashed the &ldquo;Black Eagle&rdquo; down upon the &ldquo;William
+      Tell,&rdquo; in the midst of a cloud of boiling foam. To the dreadful crash of
+      the two great bodies of wood and iron, which splintering against one
+      another, instantly foundered, one loud cry was added&mdash;a cry of agony
+      and death&mdash;the cry of a hundred human creatures swallowed up at once
+      by the waves!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And then&mdash;nothing more was visible!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few moments after, the fragments of the two vessels appeared in the
+      trough of the sea, and on the caps of the waves&mdash;with here and there
+      the contracted arms, the livid and despairing faces of some unhappy
+      wretches, striving to make their way to the reefs along the shore, at the
+      risk of being crushed to death by the shock of the furious breakers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV. THE SHIPWRECK.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hile the bailiff was gone to the sea-shore, to render help to those of
+      the passengers who might escape from the inevitable shipwreck, M. Rodin,
+      conducted by Catherine to the Green Chamber, had there found the articles
+      that he was to take with him to Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After passing two hours in this apartment, very indifferent to the fate of
+      the shipwrecked persons, which alone absorbed the attention of the
+      inhabitants of the Castle, Rodin returned to the chamber commonly occupied
+      by the bailiff, a room which opened upon a long gallery. When he entered
+      it he found nobody there. Under his arm he held a casket, with silver
+      fastenings, almost black from age, whilst one end of a large red morocco
+      portfolio projected from the breast-pocket of his half buttoned great
+      coat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Had the cold and livid countenance of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s secretary been
+      able to express joy otherwise than by a sarcastic smile, his features
+      would have been radiant with delight; for, just then, he was under the
+      influence of the most agreeable thoughts. Having placed the casket upon a
+      table, it was with marked satisfaction that he thus communed with himself:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+&ldquo;All goes well. It was prudent to keep these papers here till this
+moment, for one must always be on guard against the diabolical spirit of
+that Adrienne de Cardoville, who appears to guess instinctively what it
+is impossible she should know. Fortunately, the time approaches when we
+shall have no more need to fear her. Her fate will be a cruel one; it
+must be so. Those proud, independent characters are at all times our
+natural enemies&mdash;they are so by their very essence&mdash;how much more when
+they show themselves peculiarly hurtful and dangerous! As for La Sainte
+Colombe, the bailiff is sure to act for us; between what the fool
+calls his conscience, and the dread of being at his age deprived of a
+livelihood, he will not hesitate. I wish to have him because he will
+serve us better than a stranger; his having been here twenty years will
+prevent all suspicion on the part of that dull and narrow-minded woman.
+Once in the hands of our man at Roiville, I will answer for the result.
+The course of all such gross and stupid women is traced beforehand:
+in their youth, they serve the devil; in riper years, they make others
+serve him; in their old age, they are horribly afraid of him; and this
+fear must continue till she has left us the Chateau de Cardoville,
+which, from its isolated position, will make us an excellent college.
+All then goes well. As for the affair of the medals, the 13th of
+February approaches, without news from Joshua&mdash;evidently, Prince Djalma
+is still kept prisoner by the English in the heart of India, or I must
+have received letters from Batavia. The daughters of General Simon will
+be detained at Leipsic for at least a month longer. All our foreign
+relations are in the best condition. As for our internal affairs&mdash;&rdquo;
+
+ Here M. Rodin was interrupted in the current of his reflections by the
+entrance of Madame Dupont, who was zealously engaged in preparations to
+give assistance in case of need.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said she to the servant, &ldquo;light a fire in the next room; put this
+      warm wine there; your master may be in every minute.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear madam,&rdquo; said Rodin to her, &ldquo;do they hope to save any of
+      these poor creatures?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! I do not know, sir. My husband has been gone nearly two hours. I am
+      terribly uneasy on his account. He is so courageous, so imprudent, if once
+      he thinks he can be of any service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Courageous even to imprudence,&rdquo; said Rodin to himself, impatiently; &ldquo;I do
+      not like that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; resumed Catherine, &ldquo;I have here at hand my hot linen, my cordials&mdash;heaven
+      grant it may all be of use!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We may at least hope so, my dear madam. I very much regretted that my age
+      and weakness did not permit me to assist your excellent husband. I also
+      regret not being able to wait for the issue of his exertions, and to wish
+      him joy if successful&mdash;for I am unfortunately compelled to depart, my
+      moments are precious. I shall be much obliged if you will have the
+      carriage got ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Sir; I will see about it directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word, my dear, good Madame Dupont. You are a woman of sense, and
+      excellent judgment. Now I have put your husband in the way to keep, if he
+      will, his situation as bailiff of the estate&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it possible? What gratitude do we not owe you! Without this place what
+      would become of us at our time of life?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have only saddled my promise with two conditions&mdash;mere trifles&mdash;he
+      will explain all that to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, sir! we shall regard you as our deliverer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are too good. Only, on two little conditions&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If there were a hundred, sir we should gladly accept them. Think what we
+      should be without this place&mdash;penniless&mdash;absolutely penniless!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I reckon upon you then; for the interest of your husband, you will try to
+      persuade him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Missus! I say, missus! here&rsquo;s master come back,&rdquo; cried a servant, rushing
+      into the chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has he many with him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, missus; he is alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alone! alone?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite alone, missus.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A few moments after, M. Dupont entered the room; his clothes were
+      streaming with water; to keep his hat on in the midst of the storm, he had
+      tied it down to his head by means of his cravat, which was knotted under
+      his chin; his gaiters were covered with chalky stains.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There I have thee, my dear love!&rdquo; cried his wife, tenderly embracing him.
+      &ldquo;I have been so uneasy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Up to the present moment&mdash;THREE SAVED.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God be praised, my dear M. Dupont!&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;at least your efforts
+      will not have been all in vain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Three, only three?&rdquo; said Catherine. &ldquo;Gracious heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I only speak of those I saw myself, near the little creek of Goelands.
+      Let us hope there may be more saved on other parts of the coast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, indeed; happily, the shore is not equally steep in all parts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where are these interesting sufferers, my dear sir?&rdquo; asked Rodin, who
+      could not avoid remaining a few instants longer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are mounting the cliffs, supported by our people. As they cannot
+      walk very fast, I ran on before to console my wife, and to take the
+      necessary measures for their reception. First of all, my dear, you must
+      get ready some women&rsquo;s clothes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is then a woman amongst the persons saved?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are two girls&mdash;fifteen or sixteen years of age at the most&mdash;mere
+      children&mdash;and so pretty!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor little things!&rdquo; said Rodin, with an affectation of interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The person to whom they owe their lives is with them. He is a real hero!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A hero?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; only fancy&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can tell me all this by and by. Just slip on this dry warm
+      dressing-gown, and take some of this hot wine. You are wet through.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll not refuse, for I am almost frozen to death. I was telling you that
+      the person who saved these young girls was a hero; and certainly his
+      courage was beyond anything one could have imagined. When I left here with
+      the men of the farm, we descended the little winding path, and arrived at
+      the foot of the cliff&mdash;near the little creek of Goelands, fortunately
+      somewhat sheltered from the waves by five or six enormous masses of rock
+      stretching out into the sea. Well, what should we find there? Why, the two
+      young girls I spoke of, in a swoon, with their feet still in the water,
+      and their bodies resting against a rock, as though they had been placed
+      there by some one, after being withdrawn from the sea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear children! it is quite touching!&rdquo; said M. Rodin, raising, as usual,
+      the tip of his little finger to the corner of his right eye, as though to
+      dry a tear, which was very seldom visible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What struck me was their great resemblance to each other,&rdquo; resumed the
+      bailiff; &ldquo;only one in the habit of seeing them could tell the difference.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Twin&mdash;sisters, no doubt,&rdquo; said Madame Dupont.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of the poor things,&rdquo; continued the bailiff, &ldquo;held between her clasped
+      hands a little bronze medal, which was suspended from her neck by a chain
+      of the same material.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin generally maintained a very stooping posture; but at these last
+      words of the bailiff, he drew himself up suddenly, whilst a faint color
+      spread itself over his livid cheeks. In any other person, these symptoms
+      would have appeared of little consequence; but in Rodin, accustomed for
+      long years to control and dissimulate his emotions, they announced no
+      ordinary excitement. Approaching the bailiff, he said to him in a slightly
+      agitated voice, but still with an air of indifference: &ldquo;It was doubtless a
+      pious relic. Did you see what was inscribed on this medal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; I did not think of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the two young girls were like one another&mdash;very much like, you
+      say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So like, that one would hardly know which was which. Probably they are
+      orphans, for they are dressed in mourning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! dressed in mourning?&rdquo; said M. Rodin, with another start.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! orphans so young!&rdquo; said Madame Dupont, wiping her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As they had fainted away, we carried them further on to a place where the
+      sand was quite dry. While we were busy about this, we saw the head of a
+      man appear from behind one of the rocks, which he was trying to climb,
+      clinging to it by one hand; we ran to him, and luckily in the nick of
+      time, for he was clean worn out, and fell exhausted into the arms of our
+      men. It was of him I spoke when I talked of a hero; for, not content with
+      having saved the two young girls by his admirable courage, he had
+      attempted to rescue a third person, and had actually gone back amongst the
+      rocks and breakers&mdash;but his strength failed him, and, without the aid
+      of our men, he would certainly have been washed away from the ridge to
+      which he clung.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He must indeed be a fine fellow!&rdquo; said Catherine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, with his head bowed upon his breast, seemed quite indifferent to
+      this conversation. The dismay and stupor, in which he had been plunged,
+      only increased upon reflection. The two girls, who had just been saved,
+      were fifteen years of age; were dressed in mourning; were so like, that
+      one might be taken for the other; one of them wore round her neck a chain
+      with a bronze medal; he could scarcely doubt that they were the daughters
+      of General Simon. But how could those sisters be amongst the number of
+      shipwrecked passengers? How could they have escaped from the prison at
+      Leipsic? How did it happen, that he had not been informed of it? Could
+      they have fled, or had they been set at liberty? How was it possible that
+      he should not be apprise of such an event? But these secondary thoughts,
+      which offered themselves in crowds to the mind of M. Rodin, were swallowed
+      up in the one fact: &ldquo;the daughters of General Simon are here!&rdquo;&mdash;His
+      plan, so laboriously laid, was thus entirely destroyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I speak of the deliverer of these young girls,&rdquo; resumed the bailiff,
+      addressing his wife, and without remarking M. Rodin&rsquo;s absence of mind,
+      &ldquo;you are expecting no doubt to see a Hercules?&mdash;well, he is
+      altogether the reverse. He is almost a boy in look, with fair, sweet face,
+      and light, curling locks. I left him a cloak to cover him, for he had
+      nothing on but his shirt, black knee-breeches, and a pair of black worsted
+      stockings&mdash;which struck me as singular.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, it was certainly not a sailor&rsquo;s dress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Besides, though the ship was English, I believe my hero is a Frenchman,
+      for he speaks our language as well as we do. What brought the tears to my
+      eyes, was to see the young girls, when they came to themselves. As soon as
+      they saw him, they threw themselves at his feet, and seemed to look up to
+      him and thank him, as one would pray. Then they cast their eyes around
+      them, as if in search of some other person, and, having exchanged a few
+      words, they fell sobbing into each other&rsquo;s arms.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a dreadful thing it is! How many poor creatures must have perished!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When we quitted the rocks, the sea had already cast ashore seven dead
+      bodies, besides fragments of the wrecks, and packages. I spoke to some of
+      the coast-guard, and they will remain all day on the look-out; and if, as
+      I hope, any more should escape with life, they are to be brought here. But
+      surely that is the sound of voices!&mdash;yes, it is our shipwrecked
+      guests!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The bailiff and his wife ran to the door of the room&mdash;that door,
+      which opened on the long gallery&mdash;whilst Rodin, biting convulsively
+      his flat nails, awaited with angry impatience the arrival of the
+      strangers. A touching picture soon presented itself to his view.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the end of the dark some gallery, only lighted on one side by several
+      windows, three persons, conducted by a peasant, advanced slowly. This
+      group consisted of the two maidens, and the intrepid young man to whom
+      they owed their lives. Rose and Blanche were on either side of their
+      deliverer, who, walking with great difficulty, supported himself lightly
+      on their arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though he was full twenty-five years of age, the juvenile countenance of
+      this man made him appear younger. His long, fair hair, parted on the
+      forehead, streamed wet and smooth over the collar of a large brown cloak,
+      with which he had been covered. It would be difficult to describe the
+      adorable expression of goodness in his pale, mild face, as pure as the
+      most ideal creations of Raphael&rsquo;s pencil&mdash;for that divine artist
+      alone could have caught the melancholy grace of those exquisite features,
+      the serenity of that celestial look, from eyes limpid and blue as those of
+      an archangel, or of a martyr ascended to the skies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes, of a martyr! for a blood-red halo already encircled that beauteous
+      head. Piteous sight to see! just above his light eyebrows, and rendered
+      still more visible by the effect of the cold, a narrow cicatrix, from a
+      wound inflicted many months before, appeared to encompass his fair
+      forehead with a purple band; and (still more sad!) his hands had been
+      cruelly pierced by a crucifixion&mdash;his feet had suffered the same
+      injury&mdash;and, if he now walked with so much difficulty, it was that
+      his wounds had reopened, as he struggled over the sharp rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This young man was Gabriel, the priest attached to the foreign mission,
+      the adopted son of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife. He was a priest and martyr&mdash;for,
+      in our days, there are still martyrs, as in the time when the Caesars
+      flung the early Christians to the lions and tigers of the circus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes, in our days, the children of the people&mdash;for it is almost always
+      amongst them that heroic and disinterested devotion may still be found&mdash;the
+      children of the people, led by an honorable conviction, because it is
+      courageous and sincere, go to all parts of the world, to try and propagate
+      their faith, and brave both torture and death with the most unpretending
+      valor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How many of them, victims of some barbarous tribe, have perished, obscure
+      and unknown, in the midst of the solitudes of the two worlds!&mdash;And
+      for these humble soldiers of the cross, who have nothing but their faith
+      and their intrepidity, there is never reserved on their return (and they
+      seldom do return) the rich and sumptuous dignities of the church. Never
+      does the purple or the mitre conceal their scarred brows and mutilated
+      limbs; like the great majority of other soldiers, they die forgotten.(8)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In their ingenuous gratitude, the daughters of General Simon, as soon as
+      they recovered their senses after the shipwreck, and felt themselves able
+      to ascend the cliffs, would not leave to any other person the care of
+      sustaining the faltering steps of him who had rescued them from certain
+      death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The black garments of Rose and Blanche streamed with water; their faces
+      were deadly pale, and expressive of deep grief; the marks of recent tears
+      were on their cheeks, and, with sad, downcast eyes, they trembled both
+      from agitation and cold, as the agonizing thought recurred to them, that
+      they should never again see Dagobert, their friend and guide; for it was
+      to him that Gabriel had stretched forth a helping hand, to assist him to
+      climb the rocks. Unfortunately the strength of both had failed, and the
+      soldier had been carried away by a retreating wave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sight of Gabriel was a fresh surprise for Rodin, who had retired on
+      one side, in order to observe all; but this surprise was of so pleasant a
+      nature, and he felt so much joy in beholding the missionary safe after
+      such imminent peril, that the painful impression, caused by the view of
+      General Simon&rsquo;s daughters, was a little softened. It must not be
+      forgotten, that the presence of Gabriel in Paris, on the 13th of February,
+      was essential to the success of Rodin&rsquo;s projects.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10241m.jpg" alt="10241m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10241.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The bailiff and his wife, who were greatly moved at sight of the orphans,
+      approached them with eagerness. Just then a farm-boy entered the room,
+      crying: &ldquo;Sir! sir! good news&mdash;two more saved from the wreck!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blessing and praise to God for it!&rdquo; said the missionary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where are they?&rdquo; asked the bailiff, hastening towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is one who can walk, and is following behind me with Justin; the
+      other was wounded against the rocks, and they are carrying him on a litter
+      made of branches.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will run and have him placed in the room below,&rdquo; said the bailiff, as
+      he went out. &ldquo;Catherine, you can look to the young ladies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the shipwrecked man who can walk&mdash;where is he?&rdquo; asked the
+      bailiff&rsquo;s wife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here he is,&rdquo; said the peasant, pointing to some one who came rapidly
+      along the gallery; &ldquo;when he heard that the two young ladies were safe in
+      the chateau&mdash;though he is old, and wounded in the head, he took such
+      great strides, that it was all I could do to get here before him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had the peasant pronounced these words, when Rose and Blanche,
+      springing up by a common impulse, flew to the door. They arrived there at
+      the same moment as Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier, unable to utter a syllable, fell on his knees at the
+      threshold, and extended his arms to the daughters of General Simon; while
+      Spoil-sport, running to them licked their hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the emotion was too much for Dagobert; and, when he had clasped the
+      orphans in his arms, his head fell backward, and he would have sunk down
+      altogether, but for the care of the peasants. In spite of the observations
+      of the bailiff&rsquo;s wife, on their state of weakness and agitation, the two
+      young girls insisted on accompanying Dagobert, who was carried fainting
+      into an adjoining apartment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of the soldier, Rodin&rsquo;s face was again violently contracted, for
+      he had till then believed that the guide of General Simon&rsquo;s daughters was
+      dead. The missionary, worn out with fatigue, was leaning upon a chair, and
+      had not yet perceived Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A new personage, a man with a dead yellow complexion, now entered the
+      room, accompanied by another peasant, who pointed out Gabriel to him. This
+      man, who had just borrowed a smock-frock and a pair of trousers,
+      approached the missionary, and said to him in French but with a foreign
+      accent: &ldquo;Prince Djalma has just been brought in here. His first word was
+      to ask for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What does that man say?&rdquo; cried Rodin, in a voice of thunder; for, at the
+      name of Djalma, he had sprung with one bound to Gabriel&rsquo;s side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin!&rdquo; exclaimed the missionary, falling back in surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin,&rdquo; cried the other shipwrecked person; and from that moment, he
+      kept his eye fixed on the correspondent of M. Van Dael.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You here, sir?&rdquo; said Gabriel, approaching Rodin with an air of deference,
+      not unmixed with fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What did that man say to you?&rdquo; repeated Rodin, in an excited tone. &ldquo;Did
+      he not utter the name of Prince Djalma?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; Prince Djalma was one of the passengers on board the English
+      ship, which came from Alexandria, and in which we have just been wrecked.
+      This vessel touched at the Azores, where I then was; the ship that brought
+      me from Charlestown having been obliged to put in there, and being likely
+      to remain for some time, on account of serious damage, I embarked on board
+      the &lsquo;Black Eagle,&rsquo; where I met Prince Djalma. We were bound to Portsmouth,
+      and from thence my intention was to proceed to France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin did not care to interrupt Gabriel. This new shock had completely
+      paralyzed his thoughts. At length, like a man who catches at a last hope,
+      which he knows beforehand to be vain, he said to Gabriel: &ldquo;Can you tell me
+      who this Prince Djalma is?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A young man as good as brave&mdash;the son of an East Indian king,
+      dispossessed of his territory by the English.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, turning towards the other shipwrecked man, the missionary said to
+      him with anxious interest: &ldquo;How is the Prince? are his wounds dangerous?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are serious contusions, but they will not be mortal,&rdquo; answered the
+      other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heaven be praised!&rdquo; said the missionary, addressing Rodin; &ldquo;here, you
+      see, is another saved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better,&rdquo; observed Rodin, in a quick, imperious tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will go see him,&rdquo; said Gabriel, submissively. &ldquo;You have no orders to
+      give me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you be able to leave this place in two or three hours,
+      notwithstanding your fatigue?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If it be necessary&mdash;yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is necessary. You will go with me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel only bowed in reply, and Rodin sank confounded into a chair, while
+      the missionary went out with the peasant. The man with the sallow
+      complexion still lingered in a corner of the room, unperceived by Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This man was Faringhea, the half-caste, one of the three chiefs of the
+      Stranglers. Having escaped the pursuit of the soldiers in the ruins of
+      Tchandi, he had killed Mahal the Smuggler, and robbed him of the
+      despatches written by M. Joshua Van Dael to Rodin, as also of the letter
+      by which the smuggler was to have been received as passenger on board the
+      &ldquo;Ruyter.&rdquo; When Faringhea left the hut in the ruins of Tchandi, he had not
+      been seen by Djalma; and the latter, when he met him on shipboard, after
+      his escape (which we shall explain by and by), not knowing that he
+      belonged to the sect of Phansegars, treated him during the voyage as a
+      fellow-countryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, with his eye fixed and haggard, his countenance of a livid hue,
+      biting his nails to the quick in silent rage, did not perceive the half
+      caste, who quietly approached him and laying his hand familiarly on his
+      shoulder, said to him: &ldquo;Your name is Rodin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What now?&rdquo; asked the other, starting, and raising his head abruptly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your name is Rodin?&rdquo; repeated Faringhea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. What do you want?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You live in the Rue du Milieu-des-Ursins, Paris?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. But, once more, what do you want?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing now, brother: hereafter, much!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And Faringhea, retiring, with slow steps, left Rodin alarmed at what had
+      passed; for this man, who scarcely trembled at anything, had quailed
+      before the dark look and grim visage of the Strangler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (8) We always remember with emotion the end of a letter written, two or
+      three years ago, by one of these young and valiant missionaries, the son
+      of poor parents in Beauce. He was writing to his mother from the heart of
+      Japan, and thus concluded his letter: &ldquo;Adieu, my dear mother! they say
+      there is much danger where I am now sent to. Pray for me, and tell all our
+      good neighbors that I think of them very often.&rdquo; These few words,
+      addressed from the centre of Asia to poor peasants in a hamlet of France,
+      are only the more touching from their very simplicity&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI. THE DEPARTURE FOR PARIS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he most profound silence reigns throughout Cardoville House. The tempest
+      has lulled by degrees, and nothing is heard from afar but the hoarse
+      murmur of the waves, as they wash heavily the shore.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert and the orphans have been lodged in warm and comfortable
+      apartments on the first-floor of the chateau. Djalma, too severely hurt to
+      be carried upstairs, has remained in a room below. At the moment of the
+      shipwreck, a weeping mother had placed her child in his arms. He had
+      failed in the attempt to snatch this unfortunate infant from certain
+      death, but his generous devotion had hampered his movements, and when
+      thrown upon the rocks, he was almost dashed to pieces. Faringhea, who has
+      been able to convince him of his affection, remains to watch over him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel, after administering consolation to Djalma, has rescinded to the
+      chamber allotted to him; faithful to the promise he made to Rodin, to be
+      ready to set out in two hours, he has not gone to bed; but, having dried
+      his clothes, he has fallen asleep in a large, high-backed arm-chair,
+      placed in front of a bright coal-fire. His apartment is situated near
+      those occupied by Dagobert and the two sisters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Spoil-sport, probably quite at his ease in so respectable a dwelling, has
+      quitted the door of Rose and Blanche&rsquo;s chamber, to lie down and warm
+      himself at the hearth, by the side of which the missionary is sleeping.
+      There, with his nose resting on his outstretched paws, he enjoys a feeling
+      of perfect comfort and repose, after so many perils by land and sea. We
+      will not venture to affirm, that he thinks habitually of poor old Jovial;
+      unless we recognize as a token of remembrance on his part, his
+      irresistible propensity to bite all the white horses he has met with, ever
+      since the death of his venerable companion, though before, he was the most
+      inoffensive of dogs with regard to horses of every color.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently one of the doors of the chamber opened, and the two sisters
+      entered timidly. Awake for some minutes, they had risen and dressed
+      themselves, feeling still some uneasiness with respect to Dagobert; though
+      the bailiff&rsquo;s wife, after showing them to their room, had returned again
+      to tell them that the village doctor found nothing serious in the hurt of
+      the old soldier, still they hoped to meet some one belonging to the
+      chateau, of whom they could make further inquiries about him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The high back of the old-fashioned arm-chair, in which Gabriel was
+      sleeping, completely screened him from view; but the orphans, seeing their
+      canine friend lying quietly at his feet, thought it was Dagobert reposing
+      there, and hastened towards him on tip-toe. To their great astonishment,
+      they saw Gabriel fast asleep, and stood still in confusion, not daring to
+      advance or recede, for fear of waking him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The long, light hair of the missionary was no longer wet, and now curled
+      naturally round his neck and shoulders; the paleness of his complexion was
+      the more striking, from the contrast afforded by the deep purple of the
+      damask covering of the arm-chair. His beautiful countenance expressed a
+      profound melancholy, either caused by the influence of some painful dream,
+      or else that he was in the habit of keeping down, when awake, some sad
+      regrets, which revealed themselves without his knowledge when he was
+      sleeping. Notwithstanding this appearance of bitter grief, his features
+      preserved their character of angelic sweetness, and seemed endowed with an
+      inexpressible charm, for nothing is more touching than suffering goodness.
+      The two young girls cast down their eyes, blushed simultaneously, and
+      exchanged anxious glances, as if to point out to each other the slumbering
+      missionary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He sleeps, sister,&rdquo; said Rose in a low voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better,&rdquo; replied Blanche, also in a whisper, making a sign of
+      caution; &ldquo;we shall now be able to observe him well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, for we durst not do so, in coming from the sea hither.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look! what a sweet countenance!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is just the same as we saw him in our dreams.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When he promised he would protect us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And he has not failed us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But here, at least, he is visible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not as it was in the prison at Leipsic, during that dark night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so&mdash;he has again rescued us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without him, we should have perished this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, sister, it seems to me, that in our dreams his countenance shone
+      with light.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you know it dazzled us to look at him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then he had not so sad a mien.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was because he came then from heaven; now he is upon earth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sister, had he then that bright red scar round his forehead?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no! we should have certainly perceived it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And these other marks on his hands?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he has been wounded, how can he be an archangel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not, sister? If he received those wounds in preventing evil, or in
+      helping the unfortunate, who, like us, were about to perish?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right. If he did not run any danger for those he protects, it
+      would be less noble.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a pity that he does not open his eye!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Their expression is so good, so tender!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did he not speak of our mother, by the way?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We were not alone with him; he did not like to do so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But now we are alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If we were to pray to him to speak to us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans looked doubtingly at each other, with charming simplicity; a
+      bright glow suffused their cheeks, and their young bosoms heaved gently
+      beneath their black dresses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right. Let us kneel down to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sister! our hearts beat so!&rdquo; said Blanche, believing rightly, that
+      Rose felt exactly as she did. &ldquo;And yet it seems to do us good. It is as if
+      some happiness were going to befall us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sisters, having approached the arm-chair on tip-toe, knelt down with
+      clasped hands, one to the right the other to the left of the young priest.
+      It was a charming picture. Turning their lovely faces towards him, they
+      said in a low whisper, with a soft, sweet voice, well suited to their
+      youthful appearance: &ldquo;Gabriel! speak to us of our mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On this appeal, the missionary gave a slight start, half-opened his eyes,
+      and, still in a state of semi-consciousness, between sleep and waking,
+      beheld those two beauteous faces turned towards him, and heard two gentle
+      voices repeat his name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who calls me?&rdquo; said he, rousing himself, and raising his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is Blanche and Rose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now Gabriel&rsquo;s turn to blush, for he recognized the young girls he
+      had saved. &ldquo;Rise, my sisters!&rdquo; said he to them; &ldquo;you should kneel only
+      unto God.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans obeyed, and were soon beside him, holding each other by the
+      hand. &ldquo;You know my name, it seems,&rdquo; said the missionary with a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, we have not forgotten it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told it you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yourself.&rdquo; &ldquo;I?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;when you came from our mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, my sisters?&rdquo; said the missionary, unable to comprehend the words of
+      the orphans. &ldquo;You are mistaken. I saw you to-day for the first time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But in our dreams?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;do you not remember?&mdash;in our dreams.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In Germany&mdash;three months ago, for the first time. Look at us well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel could not help smiling at the simplicity of Rose and Blanche, who
+      expected him to remember a dream of theirs; growing more and more
+      perplexed, he repeated: &ldquo;In your dreams?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly; when you gave us such good advice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And when we were so sorrowful in prison, your words, which we remembered,
+      consoled us, and gave us courage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was it not you, who delivered us from the prison at Leipsic, in that dark
+      night, when we were not able to see you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What other but you would thus have come to our help, and to that of our
+      old friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We told him, that you would love him, because he loved us, although he
+      would not believe in angels.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this morning, during the tempest, we had hardly any fear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because we expected you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning&mdash;yes, my sisters&mdash;it pleased heaven to send me to
+      your assistance. I was coming from America, but I have never been in
+      Leipsic. I could not, therefore, have let you out of prison. Tell me, my
+      sisters,&rdquo; added he, with a benevolent smile, &ldquo;for whom do you take me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For a good angel whom we have seen already in dreams, sent by our mother
+      from heaven to protect us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear sisters, I am only a poor priest. It is by mere chance, no doubt,
+      that I bear some resemblance to the angel you have seen in your dreams,
+      and whom you could not see in any other manner&mdash;for angels are not
+      visible to mortal eye.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Angels are not visible?&rdquo; said the orphans, looking sorrowfully at each
+      other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter, my dear sisters,&rdquo; said Gabriel, taking them affectionately by
+      the hand; &ldquo;dreams, like everything else, come from above. Since the
+      remembrance of your mother was mixed up with this dream, it is twice
+      blessed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10249m.jpg" alt="10249m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10249.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      At this moment a door opened, and Dagobert made his appearance. Up to this
+      time, the orphans, in their innocent ambition to be protected by an
+      archangel, had quite forgotten the circumstance that Dagobert&rsquo;s wife had
+      adopted a forsaken child, who was called Gabriel, and who was now a priest
+      and missionary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier, though obstinate in maintaining that his hurt was only a
+      blank wound (to use a term of General Simon&rsquo;s), had allowed it to be
+      carefully dressed by the surgeon of the village, and now wore a black
+      bandage, which concealed one half of his forehead, and added to the
+      natural grimness of his features. On entering the room, he was not a
+      little surprised to see a stranger holding the hands of Rose and Blanche
+      familiarly in his own. This surprise was natural, for Dagobert did not
+      know that the missionary had saved the lives of the orphans, and had
+      attempted to save his also.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of the storm, tossed about by the waves, and vainly striving
+      to cling to the rocks, the soldier had only seen Gabriel very imperfectly,
+      at the moment when, having snatched the sisters from certain death, the
+      young priest had fruitlessly endeavored to come to his aid. And when,
+      after the shipwreck, Dagobert had found the orphans in safety beneath the
+      roof of the Manor House, he fell, as we have already stated, into a swoon,
+      caused by fatigue, emotion, and the effects of his wound&mdash;so that he
+      had again no opportunity of observing the features of the missionary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The veteran began to frown from beneath his black bandage and thick, gray
+      brows, at beholding a stranger so familiar with Rose and Blanche; but the
+      sisters ran to throw themselves into his arms, and to cover him with
+      filial caresses. His anger was soon dissipated by these marks of
+      affection, though he continued, from time to time, to cast a suspicious
+      glance at the missionary, who had risen from his seat, but whose
+      countenance he could not well distinguish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is your wound?&rdquo; asked Rose, anxiously. &ldquo;They told us it was not
+      dangerous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does it still pain?&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, children; the surgeon of the village would bandage me up in this
+      manner. If my head was carbonadoes with sabre cuts, I could not have more
+      wrappings. They will take me for an old milksop; it is only a blank wound,
+      and I have a good mind to&mdash;&rdquo; And therewith the soldier raised one of
+      his hands to the bandage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you leave that alone?&rdquo; cried Rose catching his arm. &ldquo;How can you be
+      so unreasonable&mdash;at your age?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well! don&rsquo;t scold! I will do what you wish, and keep it on.&rdquo; Then,
+      drawing the sisters to one end of the room, he said to them in a low
+      voice, whilst he looked at the young priest from the corner of his eye:
+      &ldquo;Who is that gentleman who was holding your hands when I came in? He has
+      very much the look of a curate. You see, my children, you must be on your
+      guard; because&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He?&rdquo; cried both sisters at once, turning towards Gabriel. &ldquo;Without him,
+      we should not now be here to kiss you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What&rsquo;s that?&rdquo; cried the soldier, suddenly drawing up his tall figure, and
+      gazing full at the missionary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is our guardian angel,&rdquo; resumed Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without him,&rdquo; said Rose, &ldquo;we must have perished this morning in the
+      shipwreck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! it is he, who&mdash;&rdquo; Dagobert could say no more. With swelling
+      heart, and tears in his eyes, he ran to the missionary, offered him both
+      his hands, and exclaimed in a tone of gratitude impossible to describe:
+      &ldquo;Sir, I owe you the lives of these two children. I feel what a debt that
+      service lays upon me. I will not say more&mdash;because it includes
+      everything!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, as if struck with a sudden recollection, he cried: &ldquo;Stop! when I was
+      trying to cling to a rock, so as not to be carried away by the waves, was
+      it not you that held out your hand to me? Yes&mdash;that light hair&mdash;that
+      youthful countenance&mdash;yes&mdash;it was certainly you&mdash;now I am
+      sure of it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unhappily, sir, my strength failed me, and I had the anguish to see you
+      fall back into the sea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can say nothing more in the way of thanks than what I have already
+      said,&rdquo; answered Dagobert, with touching simplicity: &ldquo;in preserving these
+      children you have done more for me than if you had saved my own life. But
+      what heart and courage!&rdquo; added the soldier, with admiration; &ldquo;and so
+      young, with such a girlish look!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so,&rdquo; cried Blanche, joyfully, &ldquo;our Gabriel came to your aid also?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel!&rdquo; said Dagobert interrupting Blanche, and addressing himself to
+      the priest. &ldquo;Is your name Gabriel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel!&rdquo; repeated the soldier, more and more surprised. &ldquo;And a priest!&rdquo;
+       added he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A priest of the foreign missions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who&mdash;who brought you up?&rdquo; asked the soldier, with increasing
+      astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An excellent and generous woman, whom I revere as the best of mothers:
+      for she had pity on me, a deserted infant, and treated me ever as her
+      son.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Frances Baudoin&mdash;was it not?&rdquo; said the soldier, with deep emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was, sir,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, astonished in his turn. &ldquo;But how do you
+      know this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The wife of a soldier, eh?&rdquo; continued Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, of a brave soldier&mdash;who, from the most admirable devotion, is
+      even now passing his life in exile&mdash;far from his wife&mdash;far from
+      his son, my dear brother&mdash;for I am proud to call him by that name&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My Agricola!&mdash;my wife!&mdash;when did you leave them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! is it possible! You the father of Agricola?&mdash;Oh! I knew not,
+      until now,&rdquo; cried Gabriel, clasping his hands together, &ldquo;I knew not all
+      the gratitude that I owed to heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And my wife! my child!&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, in a trembling voice; &ldquo;how are
+      they? have you news of them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The accounts I received, three months ago, were excellent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; it is too much,&rdquo; cried Dagobert; &ldquo;it is too much!&rdquo; The veteran was
+      unable to proceed; his feelings stifled his words, and fell back exhausted
+      in a chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now Rose and Blanche recalled to mind that portion of their father&rsquo;s
+      letter which related to the child named Gabriel, whom the wife of Dagobert
+      had adopted; then they also yielded to transports of innocent joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our Gabriel is the same as yours&mdash;what happiness!&rdquo; cried Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my children! he belongs to you as well as to me. We have all our
+      part in him.&rdquo; Then, addressing Gabriel, the soldier added with
+      affectionate warmth: &ldquo;Your hand, my brave boy! give me your hand!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! you are too good to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;that&rsquo;s it&mdash;thank me!&mdash;after all thou has done for
+      us!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does my adopted mother know of your return?&rdquo; asked Gabriel, anxious to
+      escape from the praises of the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wrote to her five months since, but said that I should come alone;
+      there was a reason for it, which I will explain by and by. Does she still
+      live in the Rue Brise-Miche? It was there Agricola was born.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She still lives there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case, she must have received my letter. I wished to write to her
+      from the prison at Leipsic, but it was impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From prison! Have you just come out of prison?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I come straight from Germany, by the Elbe and Hamburg, and I should
+      be still at Leipsic, but for an event which the Devil must have had a hand
+      in&mdash;a good sort of devil, though.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean? Pray explain to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That would be difficult, for I cannot explain it to myself. These little
+      ladies,&rdquo; he added, pointing with a smile to Rose and Blanche, &ldquo;pretended
+      to know more about it than I did, and were continually repeating: &lsquo;It was
+      the angel that came to our assistance, Dagobert&mdash;the good angel we
+      told thee of&mdash;though you said you would rather have Spoil sport to
+      defend us&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel, I am waiting for you,&rdquo; said a stern voice, which made the
+      missionary start. They all turned round instantly, whilst the dog uttered
+      a deep growl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Rodin. He stood in the doorway leading to the corridor. His
+      features were calm and impassive, but he darted a rapid, piercing glance
+      at the soldier and sisters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is that man?&rdquo; said Dagobert, very little prepossessed in favor of
+      Rodin, whose countenance he found singularly repulsive. &ldquo;What the mischief
+      does he want?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must go with him,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, in a tone of sorrowful constraint.
+      Then, turning to Rodin, he added: &ldquo;A thousand pardons! I shall be ready in
+      a moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, stupefied with amazement, &ldquo;going the very instant
+      we have just met? No, by my faith! you shall not go. I have too much to
+      tell you, and to ask in return. We will make the journey together. It will
+      be a real treat for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is impossible. He is my superior, and I must obey him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your superior?&mdash;why, he&rsquo;s in citizen&rsquo;s dress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is not obliged to wear the ecclesiastical garb.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rubbish! since he is not in uniform, and there is no provost-marshal in
+      your troop, send him to the&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, I would not hesitate a minute, if it were possible to
+      remain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was right in disliking the phi of that man,&rdquo; muttered Dagobert between
+      his teeth. Then he added, with an air of impatience and vexation: &ldquo;Shall I
+      tell him that he will much oblige us by marching off by himself?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg you not to do so,&rdquo; said Gabriel; &ldquo;it would be useless; I know my
+      duty, and have no will but my superior&rsquo;s. As soon as you arrive in Paris,
+      I will come and see you, as also my adopted mother, and my dear brother,
+      Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well&mdash;if it must be. I have been a soldier, and know what
+      subordination is,&rdquo; said Dagobert, much annoyed. &ldquo;One must put a good face
+      on bad fortune. So, the day after to-morrow, in the Rue Brise-Miche, my
+      boy; for they tell me I can be in Paris by to-morrow evening, and we set
+      out almost immediately. But I say&mdash;there seems to be a strict
+      discipline with you fellows!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it is strict and severe,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, with a shudder, and a
+      stifled sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, shake hands&mdash;and let&rsquo;s say farewell for the present. After
+      all, twenty-four hours will soon pass away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu! adieu!&rdquo; replied the missionary, much moved, whilst he returned the
+      friendly pressure of the veteran&rsquo;s hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, Gabriel!&rdquo; added the orphans, sighing also, and with tears in their
+      eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, my sisters!&rdquo; said Gabriel&mdash;and he left the room with Rodin,
+      who had not lost a word or an incident of this scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two hours after, Dagobert and the orphans had quitted the Castle for
+      Paris, not knowing that Djalma was left at Cardoville, being still too
+      much injured to proceed on his journey. The half-caste, Faringhea,
+      remained with the young prince, not wishing, he said, to desert a fellow
+      countryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We now conduct the reader to the Rue Brise-Miche, the residence of
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s wife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII. DAGOBERT&rsquo;S WIFE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he following scenes occur in Paris, on the morrow of the day when the
+      shipwrecked travellers were received in Cardoville House.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing can be more gloomy than the aspect of the Rue Brise-Miche, one end
+      of which leads into the Rue Saint-Merry, and the other into the little
+      square of the Cloister, near the church. At this end, the street, or
+      rather alley&mdash;for it is not more than eight feet wide&mdash;is shut
+      in between immense black, muddy dilapidated walls, the excessive height of
+      which excludes both air and light; hardly, during the longest days of the
+      year, is the sun able to throw into it a few straggling beams; whilst,
+      during the cold damps of winter, a chilling fog, which seems to penetrate
+      everything, hangs constantly above the miry pavement of this species of
+      oblong well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was about eight o&rsquo;clock in the evening; by the faint, reddish light of
+      the street lamp, hardly visible through the haze, two men, stopping at the
+      angle of one of those enormous walls, exchanged a few words together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&rdquo; said one, &ldquo;you understand all about it. You are to watch in the
+      street, till you see them enter No. 5.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All right!&rdquo; answered the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And when you see &lsquo;em enter so as to make quite sure of the game, go up to
+      Frances Baudoin&rsquo;s room&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Under the cloak of asking where the little humpbacked workwoman lives&mdash;the
+      sister of that gay girl, the Queen of the Bacchanals.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;and you must try and find out her address also&mdash;from her
+      humpbacked sister, if possible&mdash;for it is very important. Women of
+      her feather change their nests like birds, and we have lost track of her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make yourself easy; I will do my best with Hump, to learn where her
+      sister hangs out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, to give you steam, I&rsquo;ll wait for you at the tavern opposite the
+      Cloister, and we&rsquo;ll have a go of hot wine on your return.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll not refuse, for the night is deucedly cold.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t mention it! This morning the water friz on my sprinkling-brush, and
+      I turned as stiff as a mummy in my chair at the church-door. Ah, my boy! a
+      distributor of holy water is not always upon roses!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Luckily, you have the pickings&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well&mdash;good luck to you! Don&rsquo;t forget the Fiver, the little
+      passage next to the dyer&rsquo;s shop.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;all right!&rdquo; and the two men separated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One proceeded to the Cloister Square; the other towards the further end of
+      the street, where it led into the Rue Saint-Merry. This latter soon found
+      the number of the house he sought&mdash;a tall, narrow building, having,
+      like all the other houses in the street, a poor and wretched appearance.
+      When he saw he was right, the man commenced walking backwards and forwards
+      in front of the door of No. 5.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If the exterior of these buildings was uninviting, the gloom and squalor
+      of the interior cannot be described. The house No. 5 was, in a special
+      degree, dirty and dilapidated. The water, which oozed from the wall,
+      trickled down the dark and filthy staircase. On the second floor, a wisp
+      of straw had been laid on the narrow landing-place, for wiping the feet
+      on; but this straw, being now quite rotten, only served to augment the
+      sickening odor, which arose from want of air, from damp, and from the
+      putrid exhalations of the drains. The few openings, cut at rare intervals
+      in the walls of the staircase, could hardly admit more than some faint
+      rays of glimmering light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this quarter, one of the most populous in Paris, such houses as these,
+      poor, cheerless, and unhealthy, are generally inhabited by the working
+      classes. The house in question was of the number. A dyer occupied the
+      ground floor; the deleterious vapors arising from his vats added to the
+      stench of the whole building. On the upper stories, several artisans
+      lodged with their families, or carried on their different trades. Up four
+      flights of stairs was the lodging of Frances Baudoin, wife of Dagobert. It
+      consisted of one room, with a closet adjoining, and was now lighted by a
+      single candle. Agricola occupied a garret in the roof.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10257m.jpg" alt="10257m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10257.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Old grayish paper, broken here and there by the cracks covered the crazy
+      wall, against which rested the bed; scanty curtains, running upon an iron
+      rod, concealed the windows; the brick floor, not polished, but often
+      washed, had preserved its natural color. At one end of this room was a
+      round iron stove, with a large pot for culinary purposes. On the wooden
+      table, painted yellow, marbled with brown, stood a miniature house made of
+      iron&mdash;a masterpiece of patience and skill, the work of Agricola
+      Baudoin, Dagobert&rsquo;s son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A plaster crucifix hung up against the wall, surrounded by several
+      branches of consecrated box-tree, and various images of saints, very
+      coarsely colored, bore witness to the habits of the soldier&rsquo;s wife.
+      Between the windows stood one of those old walnut-wood presses, curiously
+      fashioned, and almost black with time; an old arm-chair, covered with
+      green cotton velvet (Agricola&rsquo;s first present to his mother), a few rush
+      bottomed chairs, and a worktable on which lay several bags of coarse,
+      brown cloth, completed the furniture of this room, badly secured by a
+      worm-eaten door. The adjoining closet contained a few kitchen and
+      household utensils.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mean and poor as this interior may perhaps appear, it would not seem so to
+      the greater number of artisans; for the bed was supplied with two
+      mattresses, clean sheets, and a warm counterpane; the old-fashioned press
+      contained linen; and, moreover, Dagobert&rsquo;s wife occupied all to herself a
+      room as large as those in which numerous families, belonging to honest and
+      laborious workmen, often live and sleep huddled together&mdash;only too
+      happy if the boys and girls can have separate beds, or if the sheets and
+      blankets are not pledged at the pawnbroker&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances Baudoin, seated beside the small stove, which, in the cold and
+      damp weather, yielded but little warmth, was busied in preparing her son
+      Agricola&rsquo;s evening meal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s wife was about fifty years of age; she wore a close jacket of
+      blue cotton, with white flowers on it, and a stuff petticoat; a white
+      handkerchief was tied round her head, and fastened under the chin. Her
+      countenance was pale and meagre, the features regular, and expressive of
+      resignation and great kindness. It would have been difficult to find a
+      better, a more courageous mother. With no resource but her labor, she had
+      succeeded, by unwearied energy, in bringing up not only her own son
+      Agricola, but also Gabriel, the poor deserted child, of whom, with
+      admirable devotion, she had ventured to take charge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In her youth, she had, as it were, anticipated the strength of later life,
+      by twelve years of incessant toil, rendered lucrative by the most violent
+      exertions, and accompanied by such privations as made it almost suicidal.
+      Then (for it was a time of splendid wages, compared to the present), by
+      sleepless nights and constant labor, she contrived to earn about two
+      shillings (fifty sous) a day, and with this she managed to educate her son
+      and her adopted child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the end of these twelve years, her health was ruined, and her strength
+      nearly exhausted; but, at all events, her boys had wanted for nothing, and
+      had received such an education as children of the people can obtain. About
+      this time, M. Francois Hardy took Agricola as an apprentice, and Gabriel
+      prepared to enter the priest&rsquo;s seminary, under the active patronage of M.
+      Rodin, whose communications with the confessor of Frances Baudoin had
+      become very frequent about the year 1820.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This woman (whose piety had always been excessive) was one of those simple
+      natures, endowed with extreme goodness, whose self-denial approaches to
+      heroism, and who devote themselves in obscurity to a life of martyrdom&mdash;pure
+      and heavenly minds, in whom the instincts of the heart supply the place of
+      the intellect!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The only defect, or rather the necessary consequence of this extreme
+      simplicity of character, was the invincible determination she displayed in
+      yielding to the commands of her confessor, to whose influence she had now
+      for many years been accustomed to submit. She regarded this influence as
+      most venerable and sacred; no mortal power, no human consideration, could
+      have prevented her from obeying it. Did any dispute arise on the subject,
+      nothing could move her on this point; she opposed to every argument a
+      resistance entirely free from passion&mdash;mild as her disposition, calm
+      as her conscience&mdash;but, like the latter, not to be shaken. In a word,
+      Frances Baudoin was one of those pure, but uninstructed and credulous
+      beings, who may sometimes, in skillful and dangerous hands, become,
+      without knowing it, the instruments of much evil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some time past, the bad state of her health, and particularly the
+      increasing weakness of her sight, had condemned her to a forced repose;
+      unable to work more than two or three hours a day, she consumed the rest
+      of her time at church.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances rose from her seat, pushed the coarse bags at which she had been
+      working to the further end of the table, and proceeded to lay the cloth
+      for her son&rsquo;s supper, with maternal care and solicitude. She took from the
+      press a small leathern bag, containing an old silver cup, very much
+      battered, and a fork and spoon, so worn and thin, that the latter cut like
+      a knife. These, her only plate (the wedding present of Dagobert) she
+      rubbed and polished as well as she was able, and laid by the side of her
+      son&rsquo;s plate. They were the most precious of her possessions, not so much
+      for what little intrinsic value might attach to them, as for the
+      associations they recalled; and she had often shed bitter tears, when,
+      under the pressure of illness or want of employment, she had been
+      compelled to carry these sacred treasures to the pawnbroker&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances next took, from the lower shelf of the press, a bottle of water,
+      and one of wine about three-quarters full, which she also placed near her
+      son&rsquo;s plate; she then returned to the stove, to watch the cooking of the
+      supper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though Agricola was not much later than usual, the countenance of his
+      mother expressed both uneasiness and grief; one might have seen, by the
+      redness of her eyes, that she had been weeping a good deal. After long and
+      painful uncertainty, the poor woman had just arrived at the conviction
+      that her eyesight, which had been growing weaker and weaker, would soon be
+      so much impaired as to prevent her working even the two or three hours a
+      day which had lately been the extent of her labors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Originally an excellent hand at her needle, she had been obliged, as her
+      eyesight gradually failed her, to abandon the finer for the coarser sorts
+      of work, and her earnings had necessarily diminished in proportion; she
+      had at length been reduced to the necessity of making those coarse bags
+      for the army, which took about four yards of sewing, and were paid at the
+      rate of two sous each, she having to find her own thread. This work, being
+      very hard, she could at most complete three such bags in a day, and her
+      gains thus amounted to threepence (six sous)!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It makes one shudder to think of the great number of unhappy females,
+      whose strength has been so much exhausted by privations, old age, or
+      sickness, that all the labor of which they are capable, hardly suffices to
+      bring them in daily this miserable pittance. Thus do their gains diminish
+      in exact proportion to the increasing wants which age and infirmity must
+      occasion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Happily, Frances had an efficient support in her son. A first-rate
+      workman, profiting by the just scale of wages adopted by M. Hardy, his
+      labor brought him from four to five shillings a day&mdash;more than double
+      what was gained by the workmen of many other establishments. Admitting
+      therefore that his mother were to gain nothing, he could easily maintain
+      both her and himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the poor woman, so wonderfully economical that she denied herself even
+      some of the necessaries of life, had of late become ruinously liberal on
+      the score of the sacristy, since she had adopted the habit of visiting
+      daily the parish church. Scarcely a day passed but she had masses sung, or
+      tapers burnt, either for Dagobert, from whom she had been so long
+      separated, or for the salvation of her son Agricola, whom she considered
+      on the high-road to perdition. Agricola had so excellent a heart, so loved
+      and revered his mother, and considered her actions in this respect
+      inspired by so touching a sentiment, that he never complained when he saw
+      a great part of his week&rsquo;s wages (which he paid regularly over to his
+      mother every Saturday) disappear in pious forms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yet now and then he ventured to remark to Frances, with as much respect as
+      tenderness, that it pained him to see her enduring privations injurious at
+      her age, because she preferred incurring these devotional expenses. But
+      what answer could he make to this excellent mother, when she replied with
+      tears: &ldquo;My child, &lsquo;tis for the salvation of your father and yours too.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To dispute the efficacy of masses, would have been venturing on a subject
+      which Agricola, through respect for his mother&rsquo;s religious faith, never
+      discussed. He contented himself, therefore, with seeing her dispense with
+      comforts she might have enjoyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A discreet tap was heard at the door. &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; said Frances. The person
+      came in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVIII. THE SISTER OF THE BACCHANAL QUEEN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he person who now entered was a girl of about eighteen, short, and very
+      much deformed. Though not exactly a hunchback, her spine was curved; her
+      breast was sunken, and her head deeply set in the shoulders. Her face was
+      regular, but long, thin, very pale, and pitted with the small pox; yet it
+      expressed great sweetness and melancholy. Her blue eyes beamed with
+      kindness and intelligence. By a strange freak of nature, the handsomest
+      woman would have been proud of the magnificent hair twisted in a coarse
+      net at the back of her head. She held an old basket in her hand. Though
+      miserably clad, the care and neatness of her dress revealed a powerful
+      struggle with her poverty. Notwithstanding the cold, she wore a scanty
+      frock made of print of an indefinable color, spotted with white; but it
+      had been so often washed, that its primitive design and color had long
+      since disappeared. In her resigned, yet suffering face, might be read a
+      long familiarity with every form of suffering, every description of
+      taunting. From her birth, ridicule had ever pursued her. We have said that
+      she was very deformed, and she was vulgarly called &ldquo;Mother Bunch.&rdquo; Indeed
+      it was so usual to give her this grotesque name, which every moment
+      reminded her of her infirmity, that Frances and Agricola, though they felt
+      as much compassion as other people showed contempt for her, never called
+      her, however, by any other name.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10265m.jpg" alt="10265m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10265.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch, as we shall therefore call her in future, was born in the
+      house in which Dagobert&rsquo;s wife had resided for more than twenty years; and
+      she had, as it were, been brought up with Agricola and Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are wretches fatally doomed to misery. Mother Bunch had a very
+      pretty sister, on whom Perrine Soliveau, their common mother, the widow of
+      a ruined tradesman, had concentrated all her affection, while she treated
+      her deformed child with contempt and unkindness. The latter would often
+      come, weeping, to Frances, on this account, who tried to console her, and
+      in the long evenings amused her by teaching her to read and sew.
+      Accustomed to pity her by their mother&rsquo;s example, instead of imitating
+      other children, who always taunted and sometimes even beat her, Agricola
+      and Gabriel liked her, and used to protect and defend her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was about fifteen, and her sister Cephyse was about seventeen, when
+      their mother died, leaving them both in utter poverty. Cephyse was
+      intelligent, active, clever, but different to her sister; she had the
+      lively, alert, hoydenish character which requires air, exercise and
+      pleasures&mdash;a good girl enough, but foolishly spoiled by her mother.
+      Cephyse, listening at first to Frances&rsquo;s good advice, resigned herself to
+      her lot; and, having learnt to sew, worked like her sister, for about a
+      year. But, unable to endure any longer the bitter privations her
+      insignificant earnings, notwithstanding her incessant toil, exposed her to&mdash;privations
+      which often bordered on starvation&mdash;Cephyse, young, pretty, of warm
+      temperament, and surrounded by brilliant offers and seductions&mdash;brilliant,
+      indeed, for her, since they offered food to satisfy her hunger, shelter
+      from the cold, and decent raiment, without being obliged to work fifteen
+      hours a day in an obscure and unwholesome hovel&mdash;Cephyse listened to
+      the vows of a young lawyer&rsquo;s clerk, who forsook her soon after. She formed
+      a connection with another clerk, whom she (instructed by the examples set
+      her), forsook in turn for a bagman, whom she afterwards cast off for other
+      favorites. In a word, what with changing and being forsaken, Cephyse, in
+      the course of one or two years, was the idol of a set of grisettes,
+      students and clerks; and acquired such a reputation at the balls on the
+      Hampstead Heaths of Paris, by her decision of character, original turn of
+      mind, and unwearied ardor in all kinds of pleasures, and especially her
+      wild, noisy gayety, that she was termed the Bacchanal Queen, and proved
+      herself in every way worthy of this bewildering royalty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From that time poor Mother Bunch only heard of her sister at rare
+      intervals. She still mourned for her, and continued to toil hard to gain
+      her three-and-six a week. The unfortunate girl, having been taught sewing
+      by Frances, made coarse shirts for the common people and the army. For
+      these she received half-a-crown a dozen. They had to be hemmed, stitched,
+      provided with collars and wristbands, buttons, and button holes; and at
+      the most, when at work twelve and fifteen hours a day, she rarely
+      succeeded in turning out more than fourteen or sixteen shirts a week&mdash;an
+      excessive amount of toil that brought her in about three shillings and
+      fourpence a week. And the case of this poor girl was neither accidental
+      nor uncommon. And this, because the remuneration given for women&rsquo;s work is
+      an example of revolting injustice and savage barbarism. They are paid not
+      half as much as men who are employed at the needle: such as tailors, and
+      makers of gloves, or waistcoats, etc.&mdash;no doubt because women can
+      work as well as men&mdash;because they are more weak and delicate&mdash;and
+      because their need may be twofold as great when they become mothers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Well, Mother Bunch fagged on, with three-and-four a week. That is to say,
+      toiling hard for twelve or fifteen hours every day; she succeeded in
+      keeping herself alive, in spite of exposure to hunger, cold, and poverty&mdash;so
+      numerous were her privations. Privations? No! The word privation expresses
+      but weakly that constant and terrible want of all that is necessary to
+      preserve the existence God gives; namely, wholesome air and shelter,
+      sufficient and nourishing food and warm clothing. Mortification would be a
+      better word to describe that total want of all that is essentially vital,
+      which a justly organized state of society ought&mdash;yes&mdash;ought
+      necessarily to bestow on every active, honest workman and workwoman, since
+      civilization has dispossessed them of all territorial right, and left them
+      no other patrimony than their hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The savage does not enjoy the advantage of civilization; but he has, at
+      least, the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, the fish of the sea,
+      and the fruits of the earth, to feed him, and his native woods for shelter
+      and for fuel. The civilized man, disinherited of these gifts, considering
+      the rights of property as sacred, may, in return for his hard daily labor,
+      which enriches his country, demand wages that will enable him to live in
+      the enjoyment of health: nothing more, and nothing less. For is it living,
+      to drag along on the extreme edge which separates life from the grave, and
+      even there continually struggle against cold, hunger, and disease? And to
+      show how far the mortification which society imposes thus inexorably on
+      its millions of honest, industrious laborers (by its careless disregard of
+      all the questions which concern the just remuneration of labor), may
+      extend, we will describe how this poor girl contrived to live on three
+      shillings and sixpence a week.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Society, perhaps, may then feel its obligation to so many unfortunate
+      wretches for supporting, with resignation, the horrible existence which
+      leaves them just sufficient life to feel the worst pangs of humanity. Yes:
+      to live at such a price is virtue! Yes, society thus organized, whether it
+      tolerates or imposes so much misery, loses all right to blame the poor
+      wretches who sell themselves not through debauchery, but because they are
+      cold and famishing. This poor girl spent her wages as follows:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    Six pounds of bread, second quality........0 8 1/2
+    Four pails of water................0 2
+    Lard or dripping (butter being out of the question)0 5
+    Coarse salt....................0 0 3/4
+    A bushel of charcoal...............0 4
+    A quart of dried vegetables............0 3
+    Three quarts of potatoes..............0 2
+    Dips........................0 3 1/4
+    Thread and needles.................0 2 1/2
+                                                      ______
+                                                       2 7
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      To save charcoal, Mother Bunch prepared soup only two or three times a
+      week at most, on a stove that stood on the landing of the fourth story. On
+      other days she ate it cold. There remained nine or ten pence a week for
+      clothes and lodging. By rare good fortune, her situation was in one
+      respect an exception to the lot of many others. Agricola, that he might
+      not wound her delicacy, had come to a secret arrangement with the
+      housekeeper, and hired a garret for her, just large enough to hold a small
+      bed, a chair, and a table; for which the sempstress had to pay five
+      shillings a year. But Agricola, in fulfilment of his agreement with the
+      porter, paid the balance, to make up the actual rent of the garret, which
+      was twelve and sixpence. The poor girl had thus about eighteenpence a
+      month left for her other expenses. But many workwomen, whose position is
+      less fortunate than hers, since they have neither home nor family, buy a
+      piece of bread and some other food to keep them through the day; and at
+      night patronize the &ldquo;twopenny rope,&rdquo; one with another, in a wretched room
+      containing five or six beds, some of which are always engaged by men, as
+      male lodgers are by far the most abundant. Yes; and in spite of the
+      disgust that a poor and virtuous girl must feel at this arrangement, she
+      must submit to it; for a lodging-house keeper cannot have separate rooms
+      for females. To furnish a room, however meanly, the poor workwoman must
+      possess three or four shillings in ready money. But how save this sum, out
+      of weekly earnings of a couple of florins, which are scarcely sufficient
+      to keep her from starving, and are still less sufficient to clothe her?
+      No! no! The poor wretch must resign herself to this repugnant
+      cohabitation; and so, gradually, the instinct of modesty becomes weakened;
+      the natural sentiment of chastity, that saved her from the &ldquo;gay life,&rdquo;
+       becomes extinct; vice appears to be the only means of improving her
+      intolerable condition; she yields; and the first &ldquo;man made of money,&rdquo; who
+      can afford a governess for his children, cries out against the depravity
+      of the lower orders! And yet, painful as the condition of the working
+      woman is, it is relatively fortunate. Should work fail her for one day,
+      two days, what then? Should sickness come&mdash;sickness almost always
+      occasioned by unwholesome food, want of fresh air, necessary attention,
+      and good rest; sickness, often so enervating as to render work impossible;
+      though not so dangerous as to procure the sufferer a bed in an hospital&mdash;what
+      becomes of the hapless wretches then? The mind hesitates, and shrinks from
+      dwelling on such gloomy pictures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This inadequacy of wages, one terrible source only of so many evils, and
+      often of so many vices, is general, especially among women; and, again
+      this is not private wretchedness, but the wretchedness which afflicts
+      whole classes, the type of which we endeavor to develop in Mother Bunch.
+      It exhibits the moral and physical condition of thousands of human
+      creatures in Paris, obliged to subsist on a scanty four shillings a week.
+      This poor workwoman, then, notwithstanding the advantages she unknowingly
+      enjoyed through Agricola&rsquo;s generosity, lived very miserably; and her
+      health, already shattered, was now wholly undermined by these constant
+      hardships. Yet, with extreme delicacy, though ignorant of the little
+      sacrifice already made for her by Agricola, Mother Bunch pretended she
+      earned more than she really did, in order to avoid offers of service which
+      it would have pained her to accept, because she knew the limited means of
+      Frances and her son, and because it would have wounded her natural
+      delicacy, rendered still more sensitive by so many sorrows and
+      humiliations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, singular as it may appear, this deformed body contained a loving and
+      generous soul&mdash;a mind cultivated even to poetry; and let us add, that
+      this was owing to the example of Agricola Baudoin, with whom she had been
+      brought up, and who had naturally the gift. This poor girl was the first
+      confidant to whom our young mechanic imparted his literary essays; and
+      when he told her of the charm and extreme relief he found in poetic
+      reverie, after a day of hard toil, the workwoman, gifted with strong
+      natural intelligence, felt, in her turn, how great a resource this would
+      be to her in her lonely and despised condition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One day, to Agricola&rsquo;s great surprise, who had just read some verses to
+      her, the sewing-girl, with smiles and blushes, timidly communicated to him
+      also a poetic composition. Her verses wanted rhythm and harmony, perhaps;
+      but they were simple and affecting, as a non-envenomed complaint entrusted
+      to a friendly hearer. From that day Agricola and she held frequent
+      consultations; they gave each other mutual encouragement: but with this
+      exception, no one else knew anything of the girl&rsquo;s poetical essays, whose
+      mild timidity made her often pass for a person of weak intellect. This
+      soul must have been great and beautiful, for in all her unlettered strains
+      there was not a word of murmuring respecting her hard lot: her note was
+      sad, but gentle&mdash;desponding, but resigned; it was especially the
+      language of deep tenderness&mdash;of mournful sympathy&mdash;of angelic
+      charity for all poor creatures consigned, like her, to bear the double
+      burden of poverty and deformity. Yet she often expressed a sincere
+      free-spoken admiration of beauty, free from all envy or bitterness; she
+      admired beauty as she admired the sun. But, alas! many were the verses of
+      hers that Agricola had never seen, and which he was never to see.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young mechanic, though not strictly handsome, had an open masculine
+      face; was as courageous as kind; possessed a noble, glowing, generous
+      heart, a superior mind, and a frank, pleasing gayety of spirits. The young
+      girl, brought up with him, loved him as an unfortunate creature can love,
+      who, dreading cruel ridicule, is obliged to hide her affection in the
+      depths of her heart, and adopt reserve and deep dissimulation. She did not
+      seek to combat her love; to what purpose should she do so? No one would
+      ever know it. Her well known sisterly affection for Agricola explained the
+      interest she took in all that concerned him; so that no one was surprised
+      at the extreme grief of the young workwoman, when, in 1830, Agricola,
+      after fighting intrepidly for the people&rsquo;s flag, was brought bleeding home
+      to his mother. Dagobert&rsquo;s son, deceived, like others, on this point, had
+      never suspected, and was destined never to suspect, this love for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the poorly-clad girl who entered the room in which Frances was
+      preparing her son&rsquo;s supper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it you, my poor love,&rdquo; said she; &ldquo;I have not seen you since morning:
+      have you been ill? Come and kiss me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young girl kissed Agricola&rsquo;s mother, and replied: &ldquo;I was very busy
+      about some work, mother; I did not wish to lose a moment; I have only just
+      finished it. I am going down to fetch some charcoal&mdash;do you want
+      anything while I&rsquo;m out?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, my child, thank you. But I am very uneasy. It is half-past eight,
+      and Agricola is not come home.&rdquo; Then she added, after a sigh: &ldquo;He kills
+      himself with work for me. Ah, I am very unhappy, my girl; my sight is
+      quite going. In a quarter of an hour after I begin working, I cannot see
+      at all&mdash;not even to sew sacks. The idea of being a burden to my son
+      drives me distracted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, don&rsquo;t, ma&rsquo;am, if Agricola heard you say that&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know the poor boy thinks of nothing but me, and that augments my
+      vexation. Only I think that rather than leave me, he gives up the
+      advantages that his fellow-workmen enjoy at Hardy&rsquo;s, his good and worthy
+      master&mdash;instead of living in this dull garret, where it is scarcely
+      light at noon, he would enjoy, like the other workmen, at very little
+      expense, a good light room, warm in winter, airy in summer, with a view of
+      the garden. And he is so fond of trees! not to mention that this place is
+      so far from his work, that it is quite a toil to him to get to it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, when he embraces you he forgets his fatigue, Mrs. Baudoin,&rdquo; said
+      Mother Bunch; &ldquo;besides, he knows how you cling to the house in which he
+      was born. M. Hardy offered to settle you at Plessy with Agricola, in the
+      building put up for the workmen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my child; but then I must give up church. I can&rsquo;t do that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But&mdash;be easy, I hear him,&rdquo; said the hunchback, blushing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sonorous, joyous voice was heard singing on the stairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At least, I&rsquo;ll not let him see that I have been crying,&rdquo; said the good
+      mother, drying her tears. &ldquo;This is the only moment of rest and ease from
+      toil he has&mdash;I must not make it sad to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIX. AGRICOLA BAUDOIN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>ur blacksmith poet, a tall young man, about four-and-twenty years of age,
+      was alert and robust, with ruddy complexion, dark hair and eyes, and
+      aquiline nose, and an open, expressive countenance. His resemblance to
+      Dagobert was rendered more striking by the thick brown moustache which he
+      wore according to the fashion; and a sharp-pointed imperial covered his
+      chin. His cheeks, however, were shaven, Olive color velveteen trousers, a
+      blue blouse, bronzed by the forge smoke, a black cravat, tied carelessly
+      round his muscular neck, a cloth cap with a narrow vizor, composed his
+      dress. The only thing which contrasted singularly with his working
+      habiliments was a handsome purple flower, with silvery pistils, which he
+      held in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-evening, mother,&rdquo; said he, as he came to kiss Frances immediately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, with a friendly nod, he added, &ldquo;Good-evening, Mother Bunch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are very late, my child,&rdquo; said Frances, approaching the little stove
+      on which her son&rsquo;s simple meal was simmering; &ldquo;I was getting very
+      anxious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Anxious about me, or about my supper, dear mother?&rdquo; said Agricola, gayly.
+      &ldquo;The deuce! you won&rsquo;t excuse me for keeping the nice little supper waiting
+      that you get ready for me, for fear it should be spoilt, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the blacksmith tried to kiss his mother again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have done, you naughty boy; you&rsquo;ll make me upset the pan.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That would be a pity, mother; for it smells delightfully. Let&rsquo;s see what
+      it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait half a moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll swear, now, you have some of the fried potatoes and bacon I&rsquo;m so
+      fond of.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Being Saturday, of course!&rdquo; said Frances, in a tone of mild reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; rejoined Agricola, exchanging a smile of innocent cunning with
+      Mother Bunch; &ldquo;but, talking of Saturday, mother, here are my wages.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank ye, child; put the money in the cupboard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, dear!&rdquo; cried the young sempstress, just as Agricola was about to put
+      away the money, &ldquo;what a handsome flower you have in your hand, Agricola. I
+      never saw a finer. In winter, too! Do look at it, Mrs. Baudoin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See there, mother,&rdquo; said Agricola, taking the flower to her; &ldquo;look at it,
+      admire it, and especially smell it. You can&rsquo;t have a sweeter perfume; a
+      blending of vanilla and orange blossom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed, it does smell nice, child. Goodness! how handsome!&rdquo; said Frances,
+      admiringly; &ldquo;where did you find it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Find it, my good mother!&rdquo; repeated Agricola, smilingly: &ldquo;do you think
+      folks pick up such things between the Barriere du Maine and the Rue
+      Brise-Miche?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How did you get it then?&rdquo; inquired the sewing girl, sharing in Frances&rsquo;s
+      curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you would like to know? Well, I&rsquo;ll satisfy you, and explain why I
+      came home so late; for something else detained me. It has been an evening
+      of adventures, I promise you. I was hurrying home, when I heard a low,
+      gentle barking at the corner of the Rue de Babylone; it was just about
+      dusk, and I could see a very pretty little dog, scarce bigger than my
+      fist, black and tan, with long, silky hair, and ears that covered its
+      paws.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lost, poor thing, I warrant,&rdquo; said Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve hit it. I took up the poor thing, and it began to lick my hands.
+      Round its neck was a red satin ribbon, tied in a large bow; but as that
+      did not bear the master&rsquo;s name, I looked beneath it, and saw a small
+      collar, made of a gold plate and small gold chains. So I took a Lucifer
+      match from my &lsquo;bacco-box, and striking a light, I read, &lsquo;FRISKY belongs to
+      Hon. Miss Adrienne de Cardoville, No. 7, Rue de Babylone.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you were just in the street,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just so. Taking the little animal under my arm, I looked about me till I
+      came to a long garden wall, which seemed to have no end, and found a small
+      door of a summer-house, belonging no doubt to the large mansion at the
+      other end of the park; for this garden looked just like a park. So,
+      looking up I saw &lsquo;No. 7,&rsquo; newly painted over a little door with a grated
+      slide. I rang; and in a few minutes, spent, no doubt, in observing me
+      through the bars (for I am sure I saw a pair of eyes peeping through), the
+      gate opened. And now, you&rsquo;ll not believe a word I have to say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not, my child?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because it seems like a fairy tale.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10273m.jpg" alt="10273m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10273.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A fairy tale?&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, as if she was really her namesake of
+      elfish history.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For, all the world it does. I am quite astounded, even now, at my
+      adventure; it is like the remembrance of a dream.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, let us have it,&rdquo; said the worthy mother, so deeply interested that
+      she did not perceive her son&rsquo;s supper was beginning to burn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First,&rdquo; said the blacksmith, smiling at the curiosity he had excited, &ldquo;a
+      young lady opened the door to me, but so lovely, so beautifully and
+      gracefully dressed, that you would have taken her for a beautiful portrait
+      of past times. Before I could say a word, she exclaimed, &lsquo;Ah! dear me,
+      sir, you have brought back Frisky; how happy Miss Adrienne will be! Come,
+      pray come in instantly; she would so regret not having an opportunity to
+      thank you in person!&rsquo; And without giving me time to reply, she beckoned me
+      to follow her. Oh, dear mother, it is quite out of my power to tell you,
+      the magnificence I saw, as I passed through a small saloon, partially
+      lighted, and full of perfume! It would be impossible. The young woman
+      walked too quickly. A door opened,&mdash;Oh, such a sight! I was so
+      dazzled I can remember nothing but a great glare of gold and light,
+      crystal and flowers; and, amidst all this brilliancy, a young lady of
+      extreme beauty&mdash;ideal beauty; but she had red hair, or rather hair
+      shining like gold! Oh! it was charming to look at! I never saw such hair
+      before. She had black eyes, ruddy lips, and her skin seemed white as snow.
+      This is all I can recollect: for, as I said before, I was so dazzled, I
+      seemed to be looking through a veil. &lsquo;Madame,&rsquo; said the young woman, whom
+      I never should have taken for a lady&rsquo;s-maid, she was dressed so elegantly,
+      &lsquo;here is Frisky. This gentleman found him, and brought him back.&rsquo; &lsquo;Oh,
+      sir,&rsquo; said the young lady with the golden hair, in a sweet silvery voice,
+      &lsquo;what thanks I owe you! I am foolishly attached to Frisky.&rsquo; Then, no
+      doubt, concluding from my dress that she ought to thank me in some other
+      way than by words, she took up a silk purse, and said to me, though I must
+      confess with some hesitation&mdash;&lsquo;No doubt, sir, it gave you some
+      trouble to bring my pet back. You have, perhaps, lost some valuable time&mdash;allow
+      me&mdash;&rsquo; She held forth her purse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Agricola,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, sadly; &ldquo;how people may be deceived!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hear the end, and you will perhaps forgive the young lady. Seeing by my
+      looks that the offer of the purse hurt me, she took a magnificent
+      porcelain vase that contained this flower, and, addressing me in a tone
+      full of grace and kindness, that left me room to guess that she was vexed
+      at having wounded me, she said&mdash;&lsquo;At least, sir, you will accept this
+      flower.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Agricola,&rdquo; said the girl, smiling sadly; &ldquo;an involuntary
+      error could not be repaired in a nicer way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Worthy young lady,&rdquo; said Frances, wiping her eyes; &ldquo;how well she
+      understood my Agricola!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did she not, mother? But just as I was taking the flower, without daring
+      to raise my eyes (for, notwithstanding the young lady&rsquo;s kind manner, there
+      was something very imposing about her) another handsome girl, tall and
+      dark, and dressed to the top of fashion, came in and said to the
+      red-haired young lady, &lsquo;He is here, Madame.&rsquo; She immediately rose and said
+      to me, &lsquo;A thousand pardons, sir. I shall never forget that I am indebted
+      to you for a moment of much pleasure. Pray remember, on all occasions, my
+      address and name&mdash;Adrienne de Cardoville.&rsquo; Thereupon she disappeared.
+      I could not find a word to say in reply. The same young woman showed me to
+      the door, and curtseyed to me very politely. And there I stood in the Rue
+      de Babylone, as dazzled and astonished as if I had come out of an
+      enchanted palace.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed, my child, it is like a fairy tale. Is it not, my poor girl?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, ma&rsquo;am,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, in an absent manner that Agricola did not
+      observe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What affected me most,&rdquo; rejoined Agricola, &ldquo;was, that the young lady, on
+      seeing her little dog, did not forget me for it, as many would have done
+      in her place, and took no notice of it before me. That shows delicacy and
+      feeling, does it not? Indeed, I believe this young lady to be so kind and
+      generous, that I should not hesitate to have recourse to her in any
+      important case.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you are right,&rdquo; replied the sempstress, more and more absent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor girl suffered extremely. She felt no jealousy, no hatred, towards
+      this young stranger, who, from her beauty, wealth, and delicacy, seemed to
+      belong to a sphere too splendid and elevated to be even within the reach
+      of a work, girl&rsquo;s vision; but, making an involuntary comparison of this
+      fortunate condition with her own, the poor thing had never felt more
+      cruelly her deformity and poverty. Yet such were the humility and gentle
+      resignation of this noble creature, that the only thing which made her
+      feel ill-disposed towards Adrienne de Cardoville was the offer of the
+      purse to Agricola; but then the charming way in which the young lady had
+      atoned for her error, affected the sempstress deeply. Yet her heart was
+      ready to break. She could not restrain her tears as she contemplated the
+      magnificent flower&mdash;so rich in color and perfume, which, given by a
+      charming hand, was doubtless very precious to Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, mother,&rdquo; resumed the young man smilingly, and unaware of the painful
+      emotion of the other bystander, &ldquo;you have had the cream of my adventures
+      first. I have told you one of the causes of my delay; and now for the
+      other. Just now, as I was coming in, I met the dyer at the foot of the
+      stairs, his arms a beautiful pea-green. Stopping me he said, with an air
+      full of importance, that he thought he had seen a chap sneaking about the
+      house like a spy, &lsquo;Well, what is that to you, Daddy Loriot?&rsquo; said I: &lsquo;are
+      you afraid he will nose out the way to make the beautiful green, with
+      which you are dyed up to the very elbows?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But who could that man be, Agricola?&rdquo; said Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On my word, mother, I don&rsquo;t know and scarcely care; I tried to persuade
+      Daddy Loriot, who chatters like a magpie, to return to his cellar, since
+      it could signify as little to him as to me, whether a spy watched him or
+      not.&rdquo; So saying, Agricola went and placed the little leathern sack,
+      containing his wages, on a shelf, in the cupboard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Frances put down the saucepan on the end of the table, Mother Bunch,
+      recovering from her reverie, filled a basin with water, and, taking it to
+      the blacksmith, said to him in a gentle tone-&ldquo;Agricola&mdash;for your
+      hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, little sister. How kind you are!&rdquo; Then with a most unaffected
+      gesture and tone, he added, &ldquo;There is my fine flower for your trouble.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you give it me?&rdquo; cried the sempstress, with emotion, while a vivid
+      blush colored her pale and interesting face. &ldquo;Do you give me this handsome
+      flower, which a lovely rich young lady so kindly and graciously gave you?&rdquo;
+       And the poor thing repeated, with growing astonishment, &ldquo;Do you give it to
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What the deuce should I do with it? Wear it on my heart, have it set as a
+      pin?&rdquo; said Agricola, smiling. &ldquo;It is true I was very much impressed by the
+      charming way in which the young lady thanked me. I am delighted to think I
+      found her little dog, and very happy to be able to give you this flower,
+      since it pleases you. You see the day has been a happy one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While Mother Bunch, trembling with pleasure, emotion, and surprise, took
+      the flower, the young blacksmith washed his hands, so black with smoke and
+      steel filings that the water became dark in an instant. Agricola, pointing
+      out this change to the sempstress, said to her in a whisper,
+      laughing,-&ldquo;Here&rsquo;s cheap ink for us paper-stainers! I finished some verses
+      yesterday, which I am rather satisfied with. I will read them to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this, Agricola wiped his hands naturally on the front of his blouse,
+      while Mother Bunch replaced the basin on the chest of drawers, and laid
+      the flower against the side of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t you ask for a towel,&rdquo; said Frances, shrugging her shoulders,
+      &ldquo;instead of wiping your hands on your blouse?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After being scorched all day long at the forge, it will be all the better
+      for a little cooling to-night, won&rsquo;t it? Am I disobedient, mother? Scold
+      me, then, if you dare! Come, let us see you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances made no reply; but, placing her hands on either side of her son&rsquo;s
+      head, so beautiful in its candor, resolution and intelligence, she
+      surveyed him for a moment with maternal pride, and kissed him repeatedly
+      on the forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;sit down: you stand all day at your forge, and it is
+      late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&mdash;your arm-chair again!&rdquo; said Agricola.&mdash;&ldquo;Our usual quarrel
+      every evening&mdash;take it away, I shall be quite as much at ease on
+      another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no! You ought at least to rest after your hard toil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What tyranny!&rdquo; said Agricola gayly, sitting down. &ldquo;Well, I preach like a
+      good apostle; but I am quite at ease in your arm-chair, after all. Since I
+      sat down on the throne in the Tuileries, I have never had a better seat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances Baudoin, standing on one side of the table, cut a slice of bread
+      for her son, while Mother Bunch, on the other, filled his silver mug.
+      There was something affecting in the attentive eagerness of the two
+      excellent creatures, for him whom they loved so tenderly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Won&rsquo;t you sup with me?&rdquo; said Agricola to the girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, Agricola,&rdquo; replied the sempstress, looking down, &ldquo;I have only
+      just dined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, I only ask you for form&rsquo;s sake&mdash;you have your whims&mdash;we can
+      never prevail on you to eat with us&mdash;just like mother; she prefers
+      dining all alone; and in that way she deprives herself without my knowing
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Goodness, child! It is better for my health to dine early. Well, do you
+      find it nice?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nice!&mdash;call it excellent! Stockfish and parsnips. Oh, I am very fond
+      of stockfish; I should have been born a Newfoundland fisherman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This worthy lad, on the contrary, was but poorly refreshed, after a hard
+      day&rsquo;s toil, with this paltry stew,&mdash;a little burnt as it had been,
+      too, during his story; but he knew he pleased his mother by observing the
+      fast without complaining. He affected to enjoy his meal; and the good
+      woman accordingly observed with satisfaction:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, I see you like it, my dear boy; Friday and Saturday next we&rsquo;ll have
+      some more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, mother,&mdash;only not two days together. One gets tired of
+      luxuries, you know! And now, let us talk of what we shall do to-morrow&mdash;Sunday.
+      We must be very merry, for the last few days you seem very sad, dear
+      mother, and I can&rsquo;t make it out&mdash;I fancy you are not satisfied with
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear child!&mdash;you&mdash;the pattern of&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well! Prove to me that you are happy, then, by taking a little
+      amusement. Perhaps you will do us the honor of accompanying us, as you did
+      last time,&rdquo; added Agricola, bowing to Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter blushed and looked down; her face assumed an expression of
+      bitter grief, and she made no reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have the prayers to attend all day, you know, my dear child,&rdquo; said
+      Frances to her son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, in the evening, then? I don&rsquo;t propose the theatre; but they say
+      there is a conjurer to be seen whose tricks are very amusing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am obliged to you, my son; but that is a kind of theatre.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear mother, this is unreasonable!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear child, do I ever hinder others from doing what they like?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, dear mother; forgive me. Well, then, if it should be fine, we will
+      simply take a walk with Mother Bunch on the Boulevards. It is nearly three
+      months since she went out with us; and she never goes out without us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; go alone, my child. Enjoy your Sunday, &lsquo;tis little enough.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know very well, Agricola,&rdquo; said the sempstress, blushing up to the
+      eyes, &ldquo;that I ought not to go out with you and your mother again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not, madame? May I ask, without impropriety, the cause of this
+      refusal?&rdquo; said Agricola gayly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor girl smiled sadly, and replied, &ldquo;Because I will not expose you to
+      a quarrel on my account, Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me,&rdquo; said Agricola, in a tone of sincere grief, and he struck his
+      forehead vexedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To this Mother Bunch alluded sometimes, but very rarely, for she observed
+      punctilious discretion. The girl had gone out with Agricola and his
+      mother. Such occasions were, indeed, holidays for her. Many days and
+      nights had she toiled hard to procure a decent bonnet and shawl, that she
+      might not do discredit to her friends. The five or six days of holidays,
+      thus spent arm in arm with him whom she adored in secret, formed the sum
+      of her happy days.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Taking their last walk, a coarse, vulgar man elbowed her so rudely that
+      the poor girl could not refrain from a cry of terror, and the man retorted
+      it by saying,-&ldquo;What are you rolling your hump in my way for, stoopid?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola, like his father, had the patience which force and courage give
+      to the truly brave; but he was extremely quick when it became necessary to
+      avenge an insult. Irritated at the vulgarity of this man, Agricola left
+      his mother&rsquo;s arm to inflict on the brute, who was of his own age, size,
+      and force, two vigorous blows, such as the powerful arm and huge fist of a
+      blacksmith never before inflicted on human face. The villain attempted to
+      return it, and Agricola repeated the correction, to the amusement of the
+      crowd, and the fellow slunk away amidst a deluge of hisses. This adventure
+      made Mother Bunch say she would not go out with Agricola again, in order
+      to save him any occasion of quarrel. We may conceive the blacksmith&rsquo;s
+      regret at having thus unwittingly revived the memory of this circumstance,&mdash;more
+      painful, alas! for Mother Bunch than Agricola could imagine, for she loved
+      him passionately, and her infirmity had been the cause of that quarrel.
+      Notwithstanding his strength and resolution, Agricola was childishly
+      sensitive; and, thinking how painful that thought must be to the poor
+      girl, a large tear filled his eyes, and, holding out his hands, he said,
+      in a brotherly tone, &ldquo;Forgive my heedlessness! Come, kiss me.&rdquo; And he gave
+      her thin, pale cheeks two hearty kisses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor girl&rsquo;s lips turned pale at this cordial caress; and her heart
+      beat so violently that she was obliged to lean against the corner of the
+      table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, you forgive me, do you not?&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! yes!&rdquo; she said, trying to subdue her emotion; &ldquo;but the recollection
+      of that quarrel pains me&mdash;I was so alarmed on your account; if the
+      crowd had sided with that man!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said Frances, coming to the sewing-girl&rsquo;s relief, without knowing
+      it, &ldquo;I was never so afraid in all my life!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, mother,&rdquo; rejoined Agricola, trying to change a conversation which had
+      now become disagreeable for the sempstress, &ldquo;for the wife of a horse
+      grenadier of the Imperial Guard, you have not much courage. Oh, my brave
+      father; I can&rsquo;t believe he is really coming! The very thought turns me
+      topsy-turvy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heaven grant he may come,&rdquo; said Frances, with a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God grant it, mother. He will grant it, I should think. Lord knows, you
+      have had masses enough said for his return.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola, my child,&rdquo; said Frances, interrupting her son, and shaking her
+      head sadly, &ldquo;do not speak in that way. Besides, you are talking of your
+      father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I&rsquo;m in for it this evening. &lsquo;Tis your turn now; positively, I am
+      growing stupid, or going crazy. Forgive me, mother! forgive! That&rsquo;s the
+      only word I can get out to-night. You know that, when I do let out on
+      certain subjects, it is because I can&rsquo;t help it; for I know well the pain
+      it gives you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not offend me, my poor, dear, misguided boy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It comes to the same thing; and there is nothing so bad as to offend
+      one&rsquo;s mother; and, with respect to what I said about father&rsquo;s return, I do
+      not see that we have any cause to doubt it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But we have not heard from him for four months.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know, mother, in his letter&mdash;that is, in the letter which he
+      dictated (for you remember that, with the candor of an old soldier, he
+      told us that, if he could read tolerably well, he could not write); well,
+      in that letter he said we were not to be anxious about him; that he
+      expected to be in Paris about the end of January, and would send us word,
+      three or four days before, by what road he expected to arrive, that I
+      might go and meet him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, my child; and February is come, and no news yet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The greater reason why we should wait patiently. But I&rsquo;ll tell you more:
+      I should not be surprised if our good Gabriel were to come back about the
+      same time. His last letter from America makes me hope so. What pleasure,
+      mother, should all the family be together!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes, my child! It would be a happy day for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that day will soon come, trust me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you remember your father, Agricola?&rdquo; inquired Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To tell the truth, I remember most his great grenadier&rsquo;s shako and
+      moustache, which used to frighten me so, that nothing but the red ribbon
+      of his cross of honor, on the white facings of his uniform, and the
+      shining handle of his sabre, could pacify me; could it, mother? But what
+      is the matter? You are weeping!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! poor Baudoin! What he must suffer at being separated from us at his
+      age&mdash;sixty and past! Alas! my child, my heart breaks, when I think
+      that he comes home only to change one kind of poverty for another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! I earn nothing now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, what&rsquo;s become of me? Isn&rsquo;t there a room here for you and for him;
+      and a table for you too? Only, my good mother, since we are talking of
+      domestic affairs,&rdquo; added the blacksmith, imparting increased tenderness to
+      his tone, that he might not shock his mother, &ldquo;when he and Gabriel come
+      home, you won&rsquo;t want to have any more masses said, and tapers burned for
+      them, will you? Well, that saving will enable father to have tobacco to
+      smoke, and his bottle of wine every day. Then, on Sundays, we will take a
+      nice dinner at the eating-house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A knocking at the door disturbed Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; said he. Instead of doing so, some one half-opened the door,
+      and, thrusting in an arm of a pea-green color, made signs to the
+      blacksmith.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10281m.jpg" alt="10281m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10281.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Tis old Loriot, the pattern of dyers,&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;come in, Daddy,
+      no ceremony.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible, my lad; I am dripping with dye from head to foot; I should
+      cover missus&rsquo;s floor with green.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better. It will remind me of the fields I like so much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without joking, Agricola, I must speak to you immediately.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;About the spy, eh? Oh, be easy; what&rsquo;s he to us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; I think he&rsquo;s gone; at any rate, the fog is so thick I can&rsquo;t see him.
+      But that&rsquo;s not it&mdash;come, come quickly! It is very important,&rdquo; said
+      the dyer, with a mysterious look; &ldquo;and only concerns you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me, only?&rdquo; said Agricola, with surprise. &ldquo;What can it be.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go and see, my child,&rdquo; said Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mother; but the deuce take me if I can make it out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And the blacksmith left the room, leaving his mother with Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXX. THE RETURN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>n five minutes Agricola returned; his face was pale and agitated&mdash;his
+      eyes glistened with tears, and his hands trembled; but his countenance
+      expressed extraordinary happiness and emotion. He stood at the door for a
+      moment, as if too much affected to accost his mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances&rsquo;s sight was so bad that she did not immediately perceive the
+      change her son&rsquo;s countenance had undergone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my child&mdash;what is it?&rdquo; she inquired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before the blacksmith could reply, Mother Bunch, who had more discernment,
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;Goodness, Agricola&mdash;how pale you are! Whatever is the
+      matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother,&rdquo; said the artisan, hastening to Frances, without replying to the
+      sempstress,&mdash;&ldquo;mother, expect news that will astonish you; but promise
+      me you will be calm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean? How you tremble! Look at me! Mother Bunch was right&mdash;you
+      are quite pale.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My kind mother!&rdquo; and Agricola, kneeling before Frances, took both her
+      hands in his&mdash;&ldquo;you must&mdash;you do not know,&mdash;but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The blacksmith could not go on. Tears of joy interrupted his speech.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You weep, my dear child! Your tears alarm me. &lsquo;What is the matter?&mdash;you
+      terrify me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no, I would not terrify you; on the contrary,&rdquo; said Agricola, drying
+      his eyes&mdash;&ldquo;you will be so happy. But, again, you must try and command
+      your feelings, for too much joy is as hurtful as too much grief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did I not say true, when I said he would come?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father!&rdquo; cried Frances. She rose from her seat; but her surprise and
+      emotion were so great that she put one hand to her heart to still its
+      beating, and then she felt her strength fail. Her son sustained her, and
+      assisted her to sit down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch, till now, had stood discreetly apart, witnessing from a
+      distance the scene which completely engrossed Agricola and his mother. But
+      she now drew near timidly, thinking she might be useful; for Frances
+      changed color more and more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, courage, mother,&rdquo; said the blacksmith; &ldquo;now the shock is over, you
+      have only to enjoy the pleasure of seeing my father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My poor man! after eighteen years&rsquo; absence. Oh, I cannot believe it,&rdquo;
+       said Frances, bursting into tears. &ldquo;Is it true? Is it, indeed, true?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So true, that if you will promise me to keep as calm as you can, I will
+      tell you when you may see him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Soon&mdash;may I not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; soon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But when will he arrive?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He may arrive any minute&mdash;to-morrow&mdash;perhaps to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mother! Well, I must tell you all&mdash;he has arrived.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He&mdash;he is&mdash;&rdquo; Frances could not articulate the word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was downstairs just now. Before coming up, he sent the dyer to apprise
+      me that I might prepare you; for my brave father feared the surprise might
+      hurt you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now,&rdquo; cried the blacksmith, in an accent of indescribable joy&mdash;&ldquo;he
+      is there, waiting! Oh, mother! for the last ten minutes I have scarcely
+      been able to contain myself&mdash;my heart is bursting with joy.&rdquo; And
+      running to the door, he threw it open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, holding Rose and Blanche by the hand, stood on the threshold.
+      Instead of rushing to her husband&rsquo;s arms, Frances fell on her knees in
+      prayer. She thanked heaven with profound gratitude for hearing her
+      prayers, and thus accepting her offerings. During a second, the actors of
+      this scene stood silent and motionless. Agricola, by a sentiment of
+      respect and delicacy, which struggled violently with his affection, did
+      not dare to fall on his father&rsquo;s neck. He waited with constrained
+      impatience till his mother had finished her prayer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier experienced the same feeling as the blacksmith; they
+      understood each other. The first glance exchanged by father and son
+      expressed their affection&mdash;their veneration for that excellent woman,
+      who in the fulness of her religious fervor, forgot, perhaps, too much the
+      creature for the Creator.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche, confused and affected, looked with interest on the
+      kneeling woman; while Mother Bunch, shedding in silence tears of joy at
+      the thought of Agricola&rsquo;s happiness, withdrew into the most obscure corner
+      of the room, feeling that she was a stranger, and necessarily out of place
+      in that family meeting. Frances rose, and took a step towards her husband,
+      who received her in his arms. There was a moment of solemn silence.
+      Dagobert and Frances said not a word. Nothing could be heard but a few
+      sighs, mingled with sighs of joy. And, when the aged couple looked up,
+      their expression was calm, radiant, serene; for the full and complete
+      enjoyment of simple and pure sentiments never leaves behind a feverish and
+      violent agitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children,&rdquo; said the soldier, in tones of emotion, presenting the
+      orphans to Frances, who, after her first agitation, had surveyed them with
+      astonishment, &ldquo;this is my good and worthy wife; she will be to the
+      daughters of General Simon what I have been to them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, madame, you will treat us as your children,&rdquo; said Rose, approaching
+      Frances with her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The daughters of General Simon!&rdquo; cried Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, more and more
+      astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear Frances; I have brought them from afar not without some
+      difficulty; but I will tell you that by and by.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor little things! One would take them for two angels, exactly alike!&rdquo;
+       said Frances, contemplating the orphans with as much interest as
+      admiration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now&mdash;for us,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, turning to his son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last,&rdquo; rejoined the latter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We must renounce all attempts to describe the wild joy of Dagobert and his
+      son, and the crushing grip of their hands, which Dagobert interrupted only
+      to look in Agricola&rsquo;s face; while he rested his hands on the young
+      blacksmith&rsquo;s broad shoulders that he might see to more advantage his frank
+      masculine countenance, and robust frame. Then he shook his hand again,
+      exclaiming, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a fine fellow&mdash;well built&mdash;what a good-hearted
+      look he has!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      From a corner of the room Mother Bunch enjoyed Agricola&rsquo;s happiness; but
+      she feared that her presence, till then unheeded, would be an intrusion.
+      She wished to withdraw unnoticed, but could not do so. Dagobert and his
+      son were between her and the door; and she stood unable to take her eyes
+      from the charming faces of Rose and Blanche. She had never seen anything
+      so winsome; and the extraordinary resemblance of the sisters increased her
+      surprise. Then, their humble mourning revealing that they were poor,
+      Mother Bunch involuntarily felt more sympathy towards them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear children! They are cold; their little hands are frozen, and,
+      unfortunately, the fire is out,&rdquo; said Frances, She tried to warm the
+      orphans&rsquo; hands in hers, while Dagobert and his son gave themselves up to
+      the feelings of affection, so long restrained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As soon as Frances said that the fire was out, Mother Bunch hastened to
+      make herself useful, as an excuse for her presence; and, going to the
+      cupboard, where the charcoal and wood were kept, she took some small
+      pieces, and, kneeling before the stove, succeeded, by the aid of a few
+      embers that remained, in relighting the fire, which soon began to draw and
+      blaze. Filling a coffee-pot with water, she placed it on the stove,
+      presuming that the orphans required some warm drink. The sempstress did
+      all this with so much dexterity and so little noise&mdash;she was
+      naturally so forgotten amidst the emotions of the scene&mdash;that
+      Frances, entirely occupied with Rose and Blanche, only perceived the fire
+      when she felt its warmth diffusing round, and heard the boiling water
+      singing in the coffee-pot. This phenomenon&mdash;fire rekindling of itself&mdash;did
+      not astonish Dagobert&rsquo;s wife then, so wholly was she taken up in devising
+      how she could lodge the maidens; for Dagobert as we have seen, had not
+      given her notice of their arrival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly a loud bark was heard three or four times at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hallo! there&rsquo;s Spoil-sport,&rdquo; said Dagobert, letting in his dog; &ldquo;he wants
+      to come in to brush acquaintance with the family too.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The dog came in with a bound, and in a second was quite at home. After
+      having rubbed Dagobert&rsquo;s hand with his muzzle, he went in turns to greet
+      Rose and Blanche, and also Frances and Agricola; but seeing that they took
+      but little notice of him, he perceived Mother Bunch, who stood apart, in
+      an obscure corner of the room, and carrying out the popular saying, &ldquo;the
+      friends of our friends are our friends,&rdquo; he went and licked the hands of
+      the young workwoman, who was just then forgotten by all. By a singular
+      impulse, this action affected the girl to tears; she patted her long,
+      thin, white hand several times on the head of the intelligent dog. Then,
+      finding that she could be no longer useful (for she had done all the
+      little services she deemed in her power), she took the handsome flower
+      Agricola had given her, opened the door gently, and went away so
+      discreetly that no one noticed her departure. After this exchange of
+      mutual affection, Dagobert, his wife, and son, began to think of the
+      realities of life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor Frances,&rdquo; said the soldier, glancing at Rose and Blanche, &ldquo;you did
+      not expect such a pretty surprise!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am only sorry, my friend,&rdquo; replied Frances, &ldquo;that the daughters of
+      General Simon will not have a better lodging than this poor room; for with
+      Agricola&rsquo;s garret&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It composes our mansion,&rdquo; interrupted Dagobert; &ldquo;there are handsomer, it
+      must be confessed. But be at ease; these young ladies are drilled into not
+      being hard to suit on that score. To-morrow, I and my boy will go arm and
+      arm, and I&rsquo;ll answer for it he won&rsquo;t walk the more upright and straight of
+      the two, and find out General Simon&rsquo;s father, at M. Hardy&rsquo;s factory, to
+      talk about business.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow,&rdquo; said Agricola to Dagobert, &ldquo;you will not find at the factory
+      either M. Hardy or Marshall Simon&rsquo;s father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that you say, my lad?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, hastily, &ldquo;the Marshal!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure; since 1830, General Simon&rsquo;s friends have secured him the
+      title and rank which the emperor gave him at the battle of Ligny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, with emotion, &ldquo;but that ought not to surprise
+      me; for, after all, it is just; and when the emperor said a thing, the
+      least they can do is to let it abide. But it goes all the same to my
+      heart; it makes me jump again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Addressing the sisters, he said: &ldquo;Do you hear that, my children? You
+      arrive in Paris the daughters of a Duke and Marshal of France. One would
+      hardly think it, indeed, to see you in this room, my poor little
+      duchesses! But patience; all will go well. Ah, father Simon must have been
+      very glad to hear that his son was restored to his rank! eh, my lad?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He told us he would renounce all kinds of ranks and titles to see his son
+      again; for it was during the general&rsquo;s absence that his friends obtained
+      this act of justice. But they expect Marshal Simon every moment, for the
+      last letter from India announced his departure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words Rose and Blanche looked at each other; and their eyes
+      filled with tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heaven be praised! These children rely on his return; but why shall we
+      not find M. Hardy and father Simon at the factory to-morrow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ten days ago, they went to examine and study an English mill established
+      in the south; but we expect them back every day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The deuce! that&rsquo;s vexing; I relied on seeing the general&rsquo;s father, to
+      talk over some important matters with him. At any rate, they know where to
+      write to him. So to-morrow you will let him know, my lad, that his
+      granddaughters are arrived. In the mean time, children,&rdquo; added the
+      soldier, to Rose and Blanche, &ldquo;my good wife will give you her bed and you
+      must put up with the chances of war. Poor things! they will not be worse
+      off here than they were on the journey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know we shall always be well off with you and madame,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Besides, we only think of the pleasure of being at length in Paris, since
+      here we are to find our father,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That hope gives you patience, I know,&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;but no matter!
+      After all you have heard about it, you ought to be finely surprised, my
+      children. As yet, you have not found it the golden city of your dreams, by
+      any means. But, patience, patience; you&rsquo;ll find Paris not so bad as it
+      looks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Besides,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;I am sure the arrival of Marshal Simon in Paris
+      will change it for you into a golden city.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Agricola,&rdquo; said Rose, with a smile, &ldquo;you have, indeed,
+      guessed us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! do you know my name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, Agricola, we often talked about you with Dagobert; and
+      latterly, too, with Gabriel,&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel!&rdquo; cried Agricola and his mother, at the same time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Dagobert, making a sign of intelligence to the orphans, &ldquo;we
+      have lots to tell you for a fortnight to come; and among other things, how
+      we chanced to meet with Gabriel. All I can now say is that, in his way, he
+      is quite as good as my boy (I shall never be tired of saying &lsquo;my boy&rsquo;);
+      and they ought to love each other like brothers. Oh, my brave, brave
+      wife!&rdquo; said Dagobert, with emotion, &ldquo;you did a good thing, poor as you
+      were, taking the unfortunate child&mdash;and bringing him up with your
+      own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t talk so much about it, my dear; it was such a simple thing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right; but I&rsquo;ll make you amends for it by and by. &lsquo;Tis down to
+      your account; in the mean time, you will be sure to see him to-morrow
+      morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear brother arrived too!&rdquo; cried the blacksmith; &ldquo;who&rsquo;ll say, after
+      this, that there are not days set apart for happiness? How came you to
+      meet him, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you all, by and by, about when and how we met Gabriel; for if
+      you expect to sleep, you are mistaken. You&rsquo;ll give me half your room, and
+      a fine chat we&rsquo;ll have. Spoil-sport will stay outside of this door; he is
+      accustomed to sleep at the children&rsquo;s door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me, love, I think of nothing. But, at such a moment, if you and the
+      young ladies wish to sup, Agricola will fetch something from the
+      cook-shop.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say, children?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, thank you, Dagobert, we are not hungry; we are too happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will take a little wine and water, sweetened, nice and hot, to warm
+      you a little, my dear young ladies,&rdquo; said Frances; &ldquo;unfortunately, I have
+      nothing else to offer you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Frances; the dear children are tired, and want to go to
+      bed; while they do so, I&rsquo;ll go to my boy&rsquo;s room, and, before Rose and
+      Blanche are awake, I will come down and converse with you, just to give
+      Agricola a respite.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10289m.jpg" alt="10289m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10289.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      A knock was now heard at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is good Mother Bunch come to see if we want her,&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I think she was here when my husband came in,&rdquo; added Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Right, mother; and the good girl left lest she should be an intruder: she
+      is so thoughtful. But no&mdash;no&mdash;it is not she who knocks so loud.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go and see who it is, then, Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Before the blacksmith could reach the door, a man decently dressed, with a
+      respectable air, entered the room, and glanced rapidly round, looking for
+      a moment at Rose and Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Allow me to observe, sir,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;that after knocking, you might
+      have waited till the door was opened, before you entered. Pray, what is
+      your business?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray excuse me, sir,&rdquo; said the man, very politely, and speaking slowly,
+      perhaps to prolong his stay in the room: &ldquo;I beg a thousand pardons&mdash;I
+      regret my intrusion&mdash;I am ashamed&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you ought to be, sir,&rdquo; said Agricola, with impatience, &ldquo;what do you
+      want?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray, sir, does not Miss Soliveau, a deformed needlewoman, live here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; upstairs,&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, sir,&rdquo; cried the polite man, with low bows, &ldquo;I am quite abroad at
+      my blunder: I thought this was the room of that young person. I brought
+      her proposals for work from a very respectable party.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very late, sir,&rdquo; said Agricola, with surprise. &ldquo;But that young
+      person is as one of our family. Call to-morrow; you cannot see her to
+      night; she is gone to bed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, sir, I again beg you to excuse&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, sir,&rdquo; said Agricola, taking a step towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope, madame and the young ladies, as well as this gent, will be
+      assured that&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you go on much longer making excuses, sir, you will have to excuse the
+      length of your excuses; and it is time this came to an end!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche smiled at these words of Agricola; while Dagobert rubbed
+      his moustache with pride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What wit the boy has!&rdquo; said he aside to his wife. &ldquo;But that does not
+      astonish you&mdash;you are used to it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      During this speech, the ceremonious person withdrew, having again directed
+      a long inquiring glance to the sisters, and to Agricola and Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few minutes after, Frances having spread a mattress on the ground for
+      herself, and put the whitest sheets on her bed for the orphans, assisted
+      them to undress with maternal solicitude, Dagobert and Agricola having
+      previously withdrawn to their garret. Just as the blacksmith, who preceded
+      his father with a light, passed before the door of Mother Bunch&rsquo;s room,
+      the latter, half concealed in the shade, said to him rapidly, in a low
+      tone:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola, great danger threatens you: I must speak to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were uttered in so hasty and low a voice that Dagobert did not
+      hear them; but as Agricola stopped suddenly, with a start, the old soldier
+      said to him,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, boy, what is it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing, father,&rdquo; said the blacksmith, turning round; &ldquo;I feared I did not
+      light you well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, stand at ease about that; I have the legs and eyes of fifteen to
+      night;&rdquo; and the soldier, not noticing his son&rsquo;s surprise, went into the
+      little room where they were both to pass the night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On leaving the house, after his inquiries about Mother Bunch, the over
+      polite Paul Pry slunk along to the end of Brise-Miche Street. He advanced
+      towards a hackney-coach drawn up on the Cloitre Saint-Merry Square.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this carriage lounged Rodin, wrapped in a cloak.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; said he, in an inquiring tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The two girls and the man with gray moustache went directly to Frances
+      Baudoin&rsquo;s; by listening at the door, I learnt that the sisters will sleep
+      with her, in that room, to-night; the old man with gray moustache will
+      share the young blacksmith&rsquo;s room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not dare insist on seeing the deformed workwoman this evening on
+      the subject of the Bacchanal Queen; I intend returning to-morrow, to learn
+      the effect of the letter she must have received this evening by the post
+      about the young blacksmith.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not fail! And now you will call, for me, on Frances Baudoin&rsquo;s
+      confessor, late as it is; you will tell him that I am waiting for him at
+      Rue du Milieu des Ursins&mdash;he must not lose a moment. Do you come with
+      him. Should I not be returned, he will wait for me. You will tell him it
+      is on a matter of great moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All shall be faithfully executed,&rdquo; said the ceremonious man, cringing to
+      Rodin, as the coach drove quickly away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXI. AGRICOLA AND MOTHER BUNCH.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>ithin one hour after the different scenes which have just been described
+      the most profound silence reigned in the soldier&rsquo;s humble dwelling. A
+      flickering light, which played through two panes of glass in a door,
+      betrayed that Mother Bunch had not yet gone to sleep; for her gloomy
+      recess, without air or light, was impenetrable to the rays of day, except
+      by this door, opening upon a narrow and obscure passage, connected with
+      the roof. A sorry bed, a table, an old portmanteau, and a chair, so nearly
+      filled this chilling abode, that two persons could not possibly be seated
+      within it, unless one of them sat upon the side of the bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The magnificent and precious flower that Agricola had given to the girl
+      was carefully stood up in a vessel of water, placed upon the table on a
+      linen cloth, diffusing its sweet odor around, and expanding its purple
+      calix in the very closet, whose plastered walls, gray and damp, were
+      feebly lighted by the rays of an attenuated candle. The sempstress, who
+      had taken off no part of her dress, was seated upon her bed&mdash;her
+      looks were downcast, and her eyes full of tears. She supported herself
+      with one hand resting on the bolster; and, inclining towards the door,
+      listened with painful eagerness, every instant hoping to hear the
+      footsteps of Agricola. The heart of the young sempstress beat violently;
+      her face, usually very pale, was now partially flushed&mdash;so exciting
+      was the emotion by which she was agitated. Sometimes she cast her eyes
+      with terror upon a letter which she held in her hand, a letter that had
+      been delivered by post in the course of the evening, and which had been
+      placed by the housekeeper (the dyer) upon the table, while she was
+      rendering some trivial domestic services during the recognitions of
+      Dagobert and his family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some seconds, Mother Bunch heard a door, very near her own, softly
+      opened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There he is at last!&rdquo; she exclaimed, and Agricola immediately entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I waited till my father went to sleep,&rdquo; said the blacksmith, in a low
+      voice, his physiognomy evincing much more curiosity than uneasiness. &ldquo;But
+      what is the matter, my good sister? How your countenance is changed! You
+      weep! What has happened? About what danger would you speak to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hush! Read this!&rdquo; said she, her voice trembling with emotion, while she
+      hastily presented to him the open letter. Agricola held it towards the
+      light, and read what follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A person who has reasons for concealing himself, but who knows the
+      sisterly interest you take in the welfare of Agricola Baudoin, warns you.
+      That young and worthy workman will probably be arrested in the course of
+      to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola, looking at Mother Bunch with an air of stupefied
+      amazement. &ldquo;What is the meaning of all this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read on!&rdquo; quickly replied the sempstress, clasping her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola resumed reading, scarcely believing the evidence of his
+      eyes:-&ldquo;The song, entitled &lsquo;Working-men Freed,&rsquo; has been declared
+      libellous. Numerous copies of it have been found among the papers of a
+      secret society, the leaders of which are about to be incarcerated, as
+      being concerned in the Rue des Prouvaires conspiracy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said the girl, melting into tears, &ldquo;now I see it all. The man who
+      was lurking about below, this evening, who was observed by the dyer, was,
+      doubtless, a spy, lying in wait for you coming home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nonsense!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola. &ldquo;This accusation is quite ridiculous! Do
+      not torment yourself. I never trouble myself with politics. My verses
+      breathe nothing but philanthropy. Am I to blame, if they have been found
+      among the papers of a secret society?&rdquo; Agricola disdainfully threw the
+      letter upon the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read! pray read!&rdquo; said the other; &ldquo;read on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you wish it,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;I will; no time is lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He resumed the reading of the letter:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A warrant is about to be issued against Agricola Baudoin. There is mo
+      doubt of his innocence being sooner or later made clear; but it will be
+      well if he screen himself for a time as much as possible from pursuit, in
+      order that he may escape a confinement of two or three months previous to
+      trial&mdash;an imprisonment which would be a terrible blow for his mother,
+      whose sole support he is.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A SINCERE FRIEND, who is compelled to remain unknown.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, the blacksmith raised his head; his countenance
+      resumed its serenity; and laughing, he said: &ldquo;Reassure yourself, good
+      Mother Bunch, these jokers have made a mistake by trying their games on
+      me. It is plainly an attempt at making an April-fool of me before the
+      time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola, for the love of heaven!&rdquo; said the girl, in a supplicating tone;
+      &ldquo;treat not the warning thus lightly. Believe in my forebodings, and listen
+      to my advice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you again, my good girl,&rdquo; replied Agricola, &ldquo;that it is two months
+      since my song was published. It is not in any way political; indeed, if it
+      were, they would not have waited till now before coming down on me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But,&rdquo; said the other, &ldquo;you forget that new events have arisen. It is
+      scarcely two days since the conspiracy was discovered, in this very
+      neighborhood, in the Rue des Prouvaires. And,&rdquo; continued she, &ldquo;if the
+      verses, though perhaps hitherto unnoticed, have now been found in the
+      possession of the persons apprehended for this conspiracy, nothing more is
+      necessary to compromise you in the plot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Compromise me!&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;my verses! in which I only praise the
+      love of labor and of goodness! To arrest me for that! If so, justice would
+      be but a blind noodle. That she might grope her way, it would be necessary
+      to furnish her with a dog and a pilgrim&rsquo;s staff to guide her steps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola,&rdquo; resumed Mother Bunch; overwhelmed with anxiety and terror on
+      hearing the blacksmith jest at such a moment, &ldquo;I conjure you to listen to
+      me! No doubt you uphold in the verses the sacred love of labor; but you do
+      also grievously deplore and deprecate the unjust lot of the poor laborers,
+      devoted as they are, without hope, to all the miseries of life; you
+      recommend, indeed, only fraternity among men; but your good and noble
+      heart vents its indignation, at the same time, against the selfish and the
+      wicked. In fine, you fervently hasten on, with the ardor of your wishes,
+      the emancipation of all the artisans who, less fortunate than you, have
+      not generous M. Hardy for employer. Say, Agricola, in these times of
+      trouble, is there anything more necessary to compromise you than that
+      numerous copies of your song have been found in possession of the persons
+      who have been apprehended?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola was moved by these affectionate and judicious expressions of an
+      excellent creature, who reasoned from her heart; and he began to view with
+      more seriousness the advice which she had given him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Perceiving that she had shaken him, the sewing-girl went on to say: &ldquo;And
+      then, bear your fellow-workman, Remi, in recollection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remi!&rdquo; said Agricola, anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed the sempstress; &ldquo;a letter of his, a letter in itself quite
+      insignificant, was found in the house of a person arrested last year for
+      conspiracy; and Remi, in consequence, remained a month in prison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true, but the injustice of his implication was easily shown, and
+      he was set at liberty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Agricola: but not till he had lain a month in prison; and that has
+      furnished the motive of the person who advised you to conceal yourself! A
+      month in prison! Good heavens! Agricola, think of that! and your mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words made a powerful impression upon Agricola. He took up the
+      letter and again read it attentively.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the man who has been lurking all this evening about the house?&rdquo;
+       proceeded she. &ldquo;I constantly recall that circumstance, which cannot be
+      naturally accounted for. Alas! what a blow it would be for your father,
+      and poor mother, who is incapable of earning anything. Are you not now
+      their only resource? Oh! consider, then, what would become of them without
+      you&mdash;without your labor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would indeed be terrible,&rdquo; said Agricola, impatiently casting the
+      letter upon the table. &ldquo;What you have said concerning Remi is too true. He
+      was as innocent as I am: yet an error of justice, an involuntary error
+      though it be, is not the less cruel. But they don&rsquo;t commit a man without
+      hearing him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But they arrest him first, and hear him afterwards,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch,
+      bitterly; &ldquo;and then, after a month or two, they restore him his liberty.
+      And if he have a wife and children, whose only means of living is his
+      daily labor, what becomes of them while their only supporter is in prison?
+      They suffer hunger, they endure cold, and they weep!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these simple and pathetic words, Agricola trembled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A month without work,&rdquo; he said, with a sad and thoughtful air. &ldquo;And my
+      mother, and father, and the two young ladies who make part of our family
+      until the arrival in Paris of their father, Marshal Simon. Oh! you are
+      right. That thought, in spite of myself, affrights me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola!&rdquo; exclaimed the girl impetuously; &ldquo;suppose you apply to M.
+      Hardy; he is so good, and his character is so much esteemed and honored,
+      that, if he offered bail for you, perhaps they would give up their
+      persecution?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately,&rdquo; replied Agricola, &ldquo;M. Hardy is absent; he is on a journey
+      with Marshal Simon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a silence of some time, Agricola, striving to surmount his fear,
+      added: &ldquo;But no! I cannot give credence to this letter. After all, I had
+      rather await what may come. I&rsquo;ll at least have the chance of proving my
+      innocence on my first examination: for indeed, my good sister, whether it
+      be that I am in prison or that I fly to conceal myself, my working for my
+      family will be equally prevented.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! that is true,&rdquo; said the poor girl; &ldquo;what is to be done! Oh, what is
+      to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My brave father,&rdquo; said Agricola to himself, &ldquo;if this misfortune happen
+      to-morrow, what an awakening it will be for him, who came here to sleep so
+      joyously!&rdquo; The blacksmith buried his face in his hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Unhappily Mother Bunch&rsquo;s fears were too well-founded, for it will be
+      recollected that at that epoch of the year 1832, before and after the Rue
+      des Prouvaires conspiracy, a very great number of arrests had been made
+      among the working classes, in consequence of a violent reaction against
+      democratical ideas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, the girl broke the silence which had been maintained for some
+      seconds. A blush colored her features, which bore the impressions of an
+      indefinable expression of constraint, grief, and hope.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola, you are saved!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What say you?&rdquo; he asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The young lady, so beautiful, so good, who gave you this flower&rdquo; (she
+      showed it to the blacksmith) &ldquo;who has known how to make reparation with so
+      much delicacy for having made a painful offer, cannot but have a generous
+      heart. You must apply to her&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With these words which seemed to be wrung from her by a violent effort
+      over herself, great tears rolled down her cheeks. For the first time in
+      her life she experienced a feeling of grievous jealousy. Another woman was
+      so happy as to have the power of coming to the relief of him whom she
+      idolized; while she herself, poor creature, was powerless and wretched.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think so?&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola surprised. &ldquo;But what could be done
+      with this young lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did she not say to you,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, &ldquo;&lsquo;Remember my name; and
+      in all circumstances address yourself to me?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She did indeed!&rdquo; replied Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This young lady, in her exalted position, ought to have powerful
+      connections who will be able to protect and defend you. Go to her to
+      morrow morning; tell her frankly what has happened, and request her
+      support.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But tell me, my good sister, what it is you wish me to do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen. I remember that, in former times, my father told us that he had
+      saved one of his friends from being put in prison, by becoming surety for
+      him. It will be easy for you so to convince this young lady of your
+      innocence, that she will be induced to become surety; and after that, you
+      will have nothing more to fear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My poor child!&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;to ask so great a service from a person
+      to whom one is almost unknown is hard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, Agricola,&rdquo; said the other sadly, &ldquo;I would never counsel what
+      could possibly lower you in the eyes of any one, and above all&mdash;do
+      you understand?&mdash;above all, in the eyes of this young lady. I do not
+      propose that you should ask money from her; but only that she should give
+      surety for you, in order that you may have the liberty of continuing at
+      your employment, so that the family may not be without resources. Believe
+      me, Agricola, that such a request is in no respect inconsistent with what
+      is noble and becoming upon your part. The heart of the young lady is
+      generous. She will comprehend your position. The required surety will be
+      as nothing to her; while to you it will be everything, and will even be
+      the very life to those who depend upon you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, my good sister,&rdquo; said Agricola, with sadness and
+      dejection. &ldquo;It is perhaps worth while to risk taking this step. If the
+      young lady consent to render me this service, and if giving surety will
+      indeed preserve me from prison, I shall be prepared for every event. But
+      no, no!&rdquo; added he, rising, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d never dare to make the request to her!
+      What right have I to do so? What is the insignificant service that I
+      rendered her, when compared with that which I should solicit from her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you imagine then, Agricola, that a generous spirit measures the
+      services which ought to be rendered, by those previously received? Trust
+      to me respecting a matter which is an affair of the heart. I am, it is
+      true, but a lowly creature, and ought not to compare myself with any other
+      person. I am nothing, and I can do nothing. Nevertheless, I am sure&mdash;yes,
+      Agricola, I am sure&mdash;that this young lady, who is so very far above
+      me, will experience the same feelings that I do in this affair; yes, like
+      me, she will at once comprehend that your position is a cruel one; and she
+      will do with joy, with happiness, with thankfulness, that which I would
+      do, if, alas! I could do anything more than uselessly consume myself with
+      regrets.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of herself, she pronounced the last words with an expression so
+      heart-breaking&mdash;there was something so moving in the comparison which
+      this unfortunate creature, obscure and disdained, infirm and miserable,
+      made of herself with Adrienne de Cardoville, the very type of resplendent
+      youth, beauty, and opulence&mdash;that Agricola was moved even to tears;
+      and, holding out one of his hands to the speaker, he said to her,
+      tenderly, &ldquo;How very good you are; how full of nobleness, good feeling, and
+      delicacy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unhappily,&rdquo; said the weeping girl, &ldquo;I can do nothing more than advise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your counsels shall be followed out, my sister dear. They are those
+      of a soul the most elevated I have ever known. Yes, you have won me over
+      into making this experiment, by persuading me that the heart of Miss de
+      Cardoville is perhaps equal in value to your own!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this charming and sincere assimilation of herself to Miss Adrienne, the
+      sempstress forgot almost everything she had suffered, so exquisitely sweet
+      and consoling were her emotions. If some poor creatures, fatally devoted
+      to sufferings, experience griefs of which the world knows naught, they
+      sometimes, too, are cheered by humble and timid joys, of which the world
+      is equally ignorant. The least word of true tenderness and affection,
+      which elevates them in their own estimation, is ineffably blissful for
+      these unfortunate beings, habitually consigned, not only to hardships and
+      to disdain, but even to desolating doubts, and distrust of themselves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then it is agreed that you will go, to-morrow morning to this young
+      lady&rsquo;s house?&rdquo; exclaimed Mother Bunch, trembling with a new-born hope.
+      &ldquo;And,&rdquo; she quickly added, &ldquo;at break of day I&rsquo;ll go down to watch at the
+      street-door, to see if there be anything suspicious, and to apprise you of
+      what I perceive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good, excellent girl!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola, with increasing emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will be necessary to endeavor to set off before the wakening of your
+      father,&rdquo; said the hunchback. &ldquo;The quarter in which the young lady dwells,
+      is so deserted, that the mere going there will almost serve for your
+      present concealment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think I hear the voice of my father,&rdquo; said Agricola suddenly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In truth, the little apartment was so near Agricola&rsquo;s garret, that he and
+      the sempstress, listening, heard Dagobert say in the dark:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola, is it thus that you sleep, my boy? Why, my first sleep is over;
+      and my tongue itches deucedly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go quick, Agricola!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch; &ldquo;your absence would disquiet him.
+      On no account go out to-morrow morning, before I inform you whether or not
+      I shall have seen anything suspicious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, Agricola, you are not here?&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, in a louder voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here I am, father,&rdquo; said the smith, while going out of the sempstress&rsquo;s
+      apartment, and entering the garret, to his father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have been to fasten the shutter of a loft that the wind agitated, lest
+      its noise should disturb you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks, my boy; but it is not noise that wakes me,&rdquo; said Dagobert, gayly;
+      &ldquo;it is an appetite, quite furious, for a chat with you. Oh, my dear boy,
+      it is the hungering of a proud old man of a father, who has not seen his
+      son for eighteen years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I light a candle, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; that would be luxurious; let us chat in the dark. It will be a
+      new pleasure for me to see you to-morrow morning at daybreak. It will be
+      like seeing you for the first time twice.&rdquo; The door of Agricola&rsquo;s garret
+      being now closed, Mother Bunch heard nothing more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The poor girl, without undressing, threw herself upon the bed, and closed
+      not an eye during the night, painfully awaiting the appearance of day, in
+      order that she might watch over the safety of Agricola. However, in spite
+      of her vivid anxieties for the morrow, she sometimes allowed herself to
+      sink into the reveries of a bitter melancholy. She compared the
+      conversation she had just had in the silence of night, with the man whom
+      she secretly adored, with what that conversation might have been, had she
+      possessed some share of charms and beauty&mdash;had she been loved as she
+      loved, with a chaste and devoted flame! But soon sinking into belief that
+      she should never know the ravishing sweets of a mutual passion, she found
+      consolation in the hope of being useful to Agricola. At the dawn of day,
+      she rose softly, and descended the staircase with little noise, in order
+      to see if anything menaced Agricola from without.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXII. THE AWAKENING.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he weather, damp and foggy during a portion of the night, became clear
+      and cold towards morning. Through the glazed skylight of Agricola&rsquo;s
+      garret, where he lay with his father, a corner of the blue sky could be
+      seen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The apartment of the young blacksmith had an aspect as poor as the
+      sewing-girl&rsquo;s. For its sole ornament, over the deal table upon which
+      Agricola wrote his poetical inspirations, there hung suspended from a nail
+      in the wall a portrait of Beranger&mdash;that immortal poet whom the
+      people revere and cherish, because his rare and transcendent genius has
+      delighted to enlighten the people, and to sing their glories and their
+      reverses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Although the day had only begun to dawn, Dagobert and Agricola had already
+      risen. The latter had sufficient self command to conceal his inquietude,
+      for renewed reflection had again increased his fears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The recent outbreak in the Rue des Prouvaires had caused a great number of
+      precautionary arrests; and the discovery of numerous copies of Agricola&rsquo;s
+      song, in the possession of one of the chiefs of the disconcerted plot,
+      was, in truth, calculated slightly to compromise the young blacksmith. His
+      father, however, as we have already mentioned, suspected not his secret
+      anguish. Seated by the side of his son, upon the edge of their mean little
+      bed, the old soldier, by break of day, had dressed and shaved with
+      military care; he now held between his hands both those of Agricola, his
+      countenance radiant with joy, and unable to discontinue the contemplation
+      of his boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will laugh at me, my dear boy,&rdquo; said Dagobert to his son; &ldquo;but I
+      wished the night to the devil, in order that I might gaze upon you in full
+      day, as I now see you. But all in good time; I have lost nothing. Here is
+      another silliness of mine; it delights me to see you wear moustaches. What
+      a splendid horse-grenadier you would have made! Tell me; have you never
+      had a wish to be a soldier?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought of mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s right,&rdquo; said Dagobert: &ldquo;and besides, I believe, after all, look
+      ye, that the time of the sword has gone by. We old fellows are now good
+      for nothing, but to be put in a corner of the chimney. Like rusty old
+      carbines, we have had our day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; your days of heroism and of glory,&rdquo; said Agricola with excitement;
+      and then he added, with a voice profoundly softened and agitated, &ldquo;it is
+      something good and cheering to be your son!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to the good, I know nothing of that,&rdquo; replied Dagobert; &ldquo;but as for
+      the cheering, it ought to be so; for I love you proudly. And I think this
+      is but the beginning! What say you, Agricola? I am like the famished
+      wretches who have been some days without food. It is but by little and
+      little that they recover themselves, and can eat. Now, you may expect to
+      be tasted, my boy, morning and evening, and devoured during the day. No, I
+      wish not to think that&mdash;not all the day&mdash;no, that thought
+      dazzles and perplexes me; and I am no longer myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words of Dagobert caused a painful feeling to Agricola. He believed
+      that they sprang from a presentiment of the separation with which he was
+      menaced.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; continued Dagobert; &ldquo;you are quite happy; M. Hardy is always good
+      to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; replied Agricola: &ldquo;there is none in the world better, or more
+      equitable and generous! If you knew what wonders he has brought about in
+      his factory! Compared to all others, it is a paradise beside the stithies
+      of Lucifer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; said Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see,&rdquo; resumed Agricola, &ldquo;what welfare, what joy, what
+      affection, are displayed upon the countenances of all whom he employs; who
+      work with an ardent pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This M. Hardy of yours must be an out-and-out magician,&rdquo; said Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is, father, a very great magician. He has known how to render labor
+      pleasant and attractive. As for the pleasure, over and above good wages,
+      he accords to us a portion of his profits according to our deserts; whence
+      you may judge of the eagerness with which we go to work. And that is not
+      all: he has caused large, handsome buildings to be erected, in which all
+      his workpeople find, at less expense than elsewhere, cheerful and
+      salubrious lodgings, in which they enjoy all the advantages of an
+      association. But you shall see&mdash;I repeat&mdash;you shall see!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have good reason to say, that Paris is the region of wonders,&rdquo;
+       observed Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, behold me here again at last, never more to quit you, nor good
+      mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, father, we will never separate again,&rdquo; said Agricola, stifling a
+      sigh. &ldquo;My mother and I will both try to make you forget all that you have
+      suffered.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suffered!&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert, &ldquo;who the deuce has suffered? Look me well
+      in the face; and see if I have a look of suffering! Bombs and bayonets!
+      Since I have put my foot here, I feel myself quite a young man again! You
+      shall see me march soon: I bet that I tire you out! You must rig yourself
+      up something extra! Lord, how they will stare at us! I wager that in
+      beholding your black moustache and my gray one, folks will say, behold
+      father and son! But let us settle what we are to do with the day. You will
+      write to the father of Marshal Simon, informing him the his
+      grand-daughters have arrived, and that it is necessary that he should
+      hasten his return to Paris; for he has charged himself with matters which
+      are of great importance for them. While you are writing, I will go down to
+      say good-morning to my wife, and to the dear little ones. We will then eat
+      a morsel. Your mother will go to mass; for I perceive that she likes to be
+      regular at that: the good soul! no great harm, if it amuse her! and during
+      her absence, we will make a raid together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said Agricola, with embarrassment, &ldquo;this morning it is out of my
+      power to accompany you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How! out of your power?&rdquo; said Dagobert; &ldquo;recollect this is Monday!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father,&rdquo; said Agricola, hesitatingly; &ldquo;but I have promised to attend
+      all the morning in the workshop, to finish a job that is required in a
+      hurry. If I fail to do so, I shall inflict some injury upon M. Hardy. But
+      I&rsquo;ll soon be at liberty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That alters the case,&rdquo; said Dagobert, with a sigh of regret. &ldquo;I thought
+      to make my first parade through Paris with you this morning; but it must
+      be deferred in favor of your work. It is sacred: since it is that which
+      sustains your mother. Nevertheless, it is vexatious, devilish vexatious.
+      And yet no&mdash;I am unjust. See how quickly one gets habituated to and
+      spoilt by happiness. I growl like a true grumbler, at a walk being put off
+      for a few hours! I do this! I who, during eighteen years, have only hoped
+      to see you once more, without daring to reckon very much upon it! Oh! I am
+      but a silly old fool! Vive l&rsquo;amour et cogni&mdash;I mean&mdash;my
+      Agricola!&rdquo; And, to console himself, the old soldier gayly slapped his
+      son&rsquo;s shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This seemed another omen of evil to the blacksmith; for he dreaded one
+      moment to another lest the fears of Mother Bunch should be realized. &ldquo;Now
+      that I have recovered myself,&rdquo; said Dagobert, laughing, &ldquo;let us speak of
+      business. Know you where I find the addresses of all the notaries in
+      Paris?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know; but nothing is more easy than to discover it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My reason is,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, &ldquo;that I sent from Russia by post, and by
+      order of the mother of the two children that I have brought here, some
+      important papers to a Parisian notary. As it was my duty to see this
+      notary immediately upon my arrival, I had written his name and his address
+      in a portfolio, of which however, I have been robbed during my journey;
+      and as I have forgotten his devil of a name, it seems to me, that if I
+      should see it again in the list of notaries, I might recollect it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Two knocks at the door of the garret made Agricola start. He involuntarily
+      thought of a warrant for his apprehension.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His father, who, at the sound of the knocking turned round his head, had
+      not perceived his emotion, and said with a loud voice: &ldquo;Come in!&rdquo; The door
+      opened. It was Gabriel. He wore a black cassock and a broad brimmed hat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To recognize his brother by adoption, and to throw himself into his arms,
+      were two movements performed at once by Agricola&mdash;as quick as
+      thought.&mdash;&ldquo;My brother!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola!&rdquo; cried Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel!&rdquo; responded the blacksmith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After so long an absence!&rdquo; said the one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To behold you again!&rdquo; rejoined the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such were the words exchanged between the blacksmith and the missionary,
+      while they were locked in a close embrace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, moved and charmed by these fraternal endearments, felt his eyes
+      become moist. There was something truly touching in the affection of the
+      young men&mdash;in their hearts so much alike, and yet of characters and
+      aspects so very different&mdash;for the manly countenance of Agricola
+      contrasted strongly with the delicacy and angelic physiognomy of Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was forewarned by my father of your arrival,&rdquo; said the blacksmith at
+      length. &ldquo;I have been expecting to see you; and my happiness has been a
+      hundred times the greater, because I have had all the pleasures of hoping
+      for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And my good mother?&rdquo; asked Gabriel, in affectionately grasping the hands
+      of Dagobert. &ldquo;I trust that you have found her in good health.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my brave boy!&rdquo; replied Dagobert; &ldquo;and her health will have become a
+      hundred times better, now that we are all together. Nothing is so
+      healthful as joy.&rdquo; Then addressing himself to Agricola, who, forgetting
+      his fear of being arrested, regarded the missionary with an expression of
+      ineffable affection, Dagobert added:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let it be remembered, that, with the soft cheek of a young girl, Gabriel
+      has the courage of a lion; I have already told with what intrepidity he
+      saved the lives of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters, and tried to save mine
+      also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, Gabriel! what has happened to your forehead?&rdquo; suddenly exclaimed
+      Agricola, who for a few seconds had been attentively examining the
+      missionary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel, having thrown aside his hat on entering, was now directly beneath
+      the skylight of the garret apartment, the bright light through which shone
+      upon his sweet, pale countenance: and the round scar, which extended from
+      one eyebrow to the other, was therefore distinctly visible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of the powerful and diversified emotion, and of the exciting
+      events which so rapidly followed the shipwreck on the rocky coast near
+      Cardoville House, Dagobert, during the short interview he then had with
+      Gabriel, had not perceived the scar which seamed the forehead of the young
+      missionary. Now, partaking, however, of the surprise of his son, Dagobert
+      said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Aye, indeed! how came this scar upon your brow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And on his hands, too; see, dear father!&rdquo; exclaimed the blacksmith, with
+      renewed surprise, while he seized one of the hands which the young priest
+      held out towards him in order to tranquillize his fears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel, my brave boy, explain this to us!&rdquo; added Dagobert; &ldquo;who has
+      wounded you thus?&rdquo; and in his turn, taking the other hand of the
+      missionary, he examined the scar upon it with the eye of a judge of
+      wounds, and then added, &ldquo;In Spain, one of my comrades was found and taken
+      down alive from a cross, erected at the junction of several roads, upon
+      which the monks had crucified, and left him to die of hunger, thirst, and
+      agony. Ever afterwards he bore scars upon his hands, exactly similar to
+      this upon your hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My father is right!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola. &ldquo;It is evident that your hands
+      have been pierced through! My poor brother!&rdquo; and Agricola became
+      grievously agitated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not think about it,&rdquo; said Gabriel, reddening with the embarrassment of
+      modesty. &ldquo;Having gone as a missionary amongst the savages of the Rocky
+      Mountains, they crucified me, and they had begun to scalp me, when
+      Providence snatched me from their hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunate youth,&rdquo; said Dagobert; &ldquo;without arms then? You had not a
+      sufficient escort for your protection?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10305m.jpg" alt="10305m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10305.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not for such as me to carry arms.&rdquo; said Gabriel, sweetly smiling;
+      &ldquo;and we are never accompanied by any escort.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, but your companions, those who were along with you, how came it
+      that they did not defend you?&rdquo; impetuously asked Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was alone, my dear brother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, alone; without even a guide.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You alone! unarmed! in a barbarous country!&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert, scarcely
+      crediting a step so unmilitary, and almost distrusting his own sense of
+      hearing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was sublime!&rdquo; said the young blacksmith and poet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Christian faith,&rdquo; said Gabriel, with mild simplicity, &ldquo;cannot be
+      implanted by force or violence. It is only by the power of persuasion that
+      the gospel can be spread amongst poor savages.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But when persuasions fail!&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, then, dear brother, one has but to die for the belief that is in
+      him, pitying those who have rejected it, and who have refused the
+      blessings it offers to mankind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a period of profound silence after the reply of Gabriel, which
+      was uttered with simple and touching pathos.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert was in his own nature too courageous not to comprehend a heroism
+      thus calm and resigned; and the old soldier, as well as his son, now
+      contemplated Gabriel with the most earnest feelings of mingled admiration
+      and respect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel, entirely free from the affection of false modesty, seemed quite
+      unconscious of the emotions which he had excited in the breasts of his two
+      friends; and he therefore said to Dagobert, &ldquo;What ails you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What ails me!&rdquo; exclaimed the brave old soldier, with great emotion:
+      &ldquo;After having been for thirty years in the wars, I had imagined myself to
+      be about as courageous as any man. And now I find I have a master! And
+      that master is yourself!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I!&rdquo; said Gabriel; &ldquo;what do you mean? What have I done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thunder, don&rsquo;t you know that the brave wounds there&rdquo; (the veteran took
+      with transport both of Gabriel&rsquo;s hands), &ldquo;that these wounds are as
+      glorious&mdash;are more glorious than our&mdash;than all ours, as warriors
+      by profession!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! yes, my father speaks truth!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola; and he added, with
+      enthusiasm, &ldquo;Oh, for such priests! How I love them! How I venerate them!
+      How I am elevated by their charity, their courage, their resignation!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I entreat you not to extol me thus,&rdquo; said Gabriel with embarrassment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not extol you!&rdquo; replied Dagobert. &ldquo;Hanged if I shouldn&rsquo;t. When I have
+      gone into the heat of action, did I rush into it alone? Was I not under
+      the eyes of my commanding officer? Were not my comrades there along with
+      me? In default of true courage, had I not the instinct of self
+      preservation to spur me on, without reckoning the excitement of the shouts
+      and tumult of battle, the smell of the gunpowder, the flourishes of the
+      trumpets, the thundering of the cannon, the ardor of my horse, which
+      bounded beneath me as if the devil were at his tail? Need I state that I
+      also knew that the emperor was present, with his eye upon every one&mdash;the
+      emperor, who, in recompense for a hole being made in my tough hide, would
+      give me a bit of lace or a ribbon, as plaster for the wound. Thanks to all
+      these causes, I passed for game. Fair enough! But are you not a thousand
+      times more game than I, my brave boy; going alone, unarmed, to confront
+      enemies a hundred times more ferocious than those whom we attacked&mdash;we,
+      who fought in whole squadrons, supported by artillery, bomb-shells, and
+      case-shot?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent father!&rdquo; cried Agricola, &ldquo;how noble of you to render to Gabriel
+      this justice!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, dear brother,&rdquo; said Gabriel, &ldquo;his kindness to me makes him magnify
+      what was quite natural and simple!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Natural!&rdquo; said the veteran soldier; &ldquo;yes, natural for gallants who have
+      hearts of the true temper: but that temper is rare.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes, very rare,&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;for that kind of courage is the most
+      admirable of all. Most bravely did you seek almost certain death, alone,
+      bearing the cross in hand as your only weapon, to preach charity and
+      Christian brotherhood. They seized you, tortured you; and you await death
+      and partly endure it, without complaint, without remonstrance, without
+      hatred, without anger, without a wish for vengeance; forgiveness issuing
+      from your mouth, and a smile of pity beaming upon your lips; and this in
+      the depths of forests, where no one could witness your magnanimity,&mdash;none
+      could behold you&mdash;and without other desire, after you were rescued
+      than modestly to conceal blessed wounds under your black robe! My father
+      is right, by Jove! can you still contend that you are not as brave as he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And besides, too,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, &ldquo;the dear boy did all that for a
+      thankless paymaster; for it is true, Agricola, that his wounds will never
+      change his humble black robe of a priest into the rich robe of a bishop!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not so disinterested as I may seem to be,&rdquo; said Gabriel to Dagobert,
+      smiling meekly. &ldquo;If I am deemed worthy, a great recompense awaits me on
+      high.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As to all that, my boy,&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;I do not understand it; and I
+      will not argue about it. I maintain it, that my old cross of honor would
+      be at least as deservedly affixed to your cassock as upon my uniform.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But these recompenses are never conferred upon humble priests like
+      Gabriel,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;and if you did know, dear father, how much
+      virtue and valor is among those whom the highest orders in the priesthood
+      insolently call the inferior clergy,&mdash;the unseen merit and the blind
+      devotedness to be found amongst worthy, but obscure, country curates, who
+      are inhumanly treated and subjugated to a pitiless yoke by the lordly
+      lawnsleeves! Like us, those poor priests are worthy laborers in their
+      vocation; and for them, also, all generous hearts ought to demand
+      enfranchisement! Sons of common people, like ourselves, and useful as we
+      are, justice ought to be rendered both to them and to us. Do I say right,
+      Gabriel? You will not contradict it; for you have told me, that your
+      ambition would have been to obtain a small country curacy; because you
+      understand the good that you could work within it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My desire is still the same,&rdquo; said Gabriel sadly: &ldquo;but unfortunately&mdash;&rdquo;
+       and then, as if he wished to escape from a painful thought, and to change
+      the conversation, he, addressing himself to Dagobert, added: &ldquo;Believe me:
+      be more just than to undervalue your own courage by exalting mine. Your
+      courage must be very great&mdash;very great; for, after a battle, the
+      spectacle of the carnage must be truly terrible to a generous and feeling
+      heart. We, at least, though we may be killed, do not kill.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words of the missionary, the soldier drew himself up erect,
+      looked upon Gabriel with astonishment, and said, &ldquo;This is most
+      surprising!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is?&rdquo; inquired Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What Gabriel has just told us,&rdquo; replied Dagobert, &ldquo;brings to my mind what
+      I experienced in warfare on the battlefield in proportion as I advanced in
+      years. Listen, my children: more than once, on the night after a general
+      engagement, I have been mounted as a vidette,&mdash;alone,&mdash;by night,&mdash;amid
+      the moonlight, on the field of battle which remained in our possession,
+      and upon which lay the bodies of seven or eight thousand of the slain,
+      amongst whom were mingled the slaughtered remains of some of my old
+      comrades: and then this sad scene, when the profound silence has restored
+      me to my senses from the thirst for bloodshed and the delirious whirling
+      of my sword (intoxicated like the rest), I have said to myself, &lsquo;for what
+      have these men been killed?&mdash;FOR WHAT&mdash;FOR WHAT?&rsquo; But this
+      feeling, well understood as it was, hindered me not, on the following
+      morning, when the trumpets again sounded the charge, from rushing once
+      more to the slaughter. But the same thought always recurred when my arm
+      became weary with carnage; and after wiping my sabre upon the mane of my
+      horse, I have said to myself, &lsquo;I have killed!&mdash;killed!!&mdash;killed!!!
+      and, FOR WHAT!!!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The missionary and the blacksmith exchanged looks on hearing the old
+      soldier give utterance to this singular retrospection of the past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said Gabriel to him, &ldquo;all generous hearts feel as you did during
+      the solemn moments, when the intoxication of glory has subsided, and man
+      is left alone to the influence of the good instincts planted in his
+      bosom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that should prove, my brave boy,&rdquo; rejoined Dagobert, &ldquo;that you are
+      greatly better than I; for those noble instincts, as you call them, have
+      never abandoned you. * * * * But how the deuce did you escape from the
+      claws of the infuriated savages who had already crucified you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this question of Dagobert, Gabriel started and reddened so visibly,
+      that the soldier said to him: &ldquo;If you ought not or cannot answer my
+      request, let us say no more about it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have nothing to conceal, either from you or from my brother,&rdquo; replied
+      the missionary with altered voice. &ldquo;Only; it will be difficult for me to
+      make you comprehend what I cannot comprehend myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is that?&rdquo; asked Agricola with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Surely,&rdquo; said Gabriel, reddening more deeply, &ldquo;I must have been deceived
+      by a fallacy of my senses, during that abstracted moment in which I
+      awaited death with resignation. My enfeebled mind, in spite of me, must
+      have been cheated by an illusion; or that, which to the present hour has
+      remained inexplicable, would have been more slowly developed; and I should
+      have known with greater certainty that it was the strange woman&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, while listening to the missionary, was perfectly amazed; for he
+      also had vainly tried to account for the unexpected succor which had freed
+      him and the two orphans from the prison at Leipsic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what woman do you speak?&rdquo; asked Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of her who saved me,&rdquo; was the reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A woman saved you from the hands of the savages?&rdquo; said Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Gabriel, though absorbed in his reflections, &ldquo;a woman,
+      young and beautiful!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who was this woman?&rdquo; asked Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know not. When I asked her, she replied, &lsquo;I am the sister of the
+      distressed!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And whence came she? Whither went she?&rdquo; asked Dagobert, singularly
+      interested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;I go wheresoever there is suffering,&rsquo; she replied,&rdquo; answered the
+      missionary; &ldquo;and she departed, going towards the north of America&mdash;towards
+      those desolate regions in which there is eternal snow, where the nights
+      are without end.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As in Siberia,&rdquo; said Dagobert, who had become very thoughtful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But,&rdquo; resumed Agricola, addressing himself to Gabriel, who seemed also to
+      have become more and more absorbed, &ldquo;in what manner or by what means did
+      this woman come to your assistance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The missionary was about to reply to the last question, when there was
+      heard a gentle tap at the door of the garret apartment, which renewed the
+      fears that Agricola had forgotten since the arrival of his adopted
+      brother. &ldquo;Agricola,&rdquo; said a sweet voice outside the door, &ldquo;I wish to speak
+      with you as soon as possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The blacksmith recognized Mother Bunch&rsquo;s voice, and opened the door. But
+      the young sempstress, instead of entering, drew back into the dark
+      passage, and said, with a voice of anxiety: &ldquo;Agricola, it is an hour since
+      broad day, and you have not yet departed! How imprudent! I have been
+      watching below, in the street, until now, and have seen nothing alarming;
+      but they may come any instant to arrest you. Hasten, I conjure you, your
+      departure for the abode of Miss de Cardoville. Not a minute should be
+      lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had it not been for the arrival of Gabriel, I should have been gone. But
+      I could not resist the happiness of remaining some little time with him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel here!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with sweet surprise; for, as has been
+      stated, she had been brought up with him and Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered Agricola, &ldquo;for half an hour he has been with my father and
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What happiness I shall have in seeing him again,&rdquo; said the sewing-girl.
+      &ldquo;He doubtless came upstairs while I had gone for a brief space to your
+      mother, to ask if I could be useful in any way on account of the young
+      ladies; but they have been so fatigued that they still sleep. Your mother
+      has requested me to give you this letter for your father. She has just
+      received it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; resumed Mother Bunch, &ldquo;now that you have seen Gabriel, do not
+      delay long. Think what a blow it would be for your father, if they came to
+      arrest you in his very presence mon Dieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;it is indispensable that I should depart&mdash;while
+      near Gabriel in spite of my anxiety, my fears were forgotten.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go quickly, then; and if Miss de Cardoville should grant this favor,
+      perhaps in a couple of hours you will return, quite at ease both as to
+      yourself and us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True! a very few minutes more; and I&rsquo;ll come down.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I return to watch at the door. If I perceive anything. I&rsquo;ll come up again
+      to apprise you. But pray, do not delay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be easy, good sister.&rdquo; Mother Bunch hurriedly descended the staircase, to
+      resume her watch at the street door, and Agricola re-entered his garret.
+      &ldquo;Dear father,&rdquo; he said to Dagobert, &ldquo;my mother has just received this
+      letter, and she requests you to read it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well; read it for me, my boy.&rdquo; And Agricola read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;MADAME.&mdash;I understand that your husband has been charged by General
+      Simon with an affair of very great importance. Will you, as soon as your
+      husband arrives in Paris, request him to come to my office at Chartres
+      without a moment&rsquo;s delay. I am instructed to deliver to himself, and to no
+      other person, some documents indispensable to the interests of General
+      Simon.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+             &ldquo;DURAND, Notary at Chartres.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert looked at his son with astonishment, and said to him, &ldquo;Who can
+      have told this gentleman already of my arrival in Paris?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps, father,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;this is the notary to whom you
+      transmitted some papers, and whose address you have lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But his name was not Durand; and I distinctly recollect that his address
+      was Paris, not Chartres. And, besides,&rdquo; said the soldier, thoughtfully,
+      &ldquo;if he has some important documents, why didn&rsquo;t he transmit them to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It seems to me that you ought not to neglect going to him as soon as
+      possible,&rdquo; said Agricola, secretly rejoiced that this circumstance would
+      withdraw his father for about two days, during which time his (Agricola&rsquo;s)
+      fate would be decided in one way or other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your counsel is good,&rdquo; replied his father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This thwarts your intentions in some degree?&rdquo; asked Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rather, my lads; for I counted upon passing the day with you. However,
+      &lsquo;duty before everything.&rsquo; Having come happily from Siberia to Paris, it is
+      not for me to fear a journey from Paris to Chartres, when it is required
+      on an affair of importance. In twice twenty-four hours I shall be back
+      again. But the deuce take me if I expected to leave Paris for Chartres
+      to-day. Luckily, I leave Rose and Blanche with my good wife; and Gabriel,
+      their angel, as they call him, will be here to keep them company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is, unfortunately, impossible,&rdquo; said the missionary, sadly. &ldquo;This
+      visit on my arrival is also a farewell visit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A farewell visit! Now!&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert and Agricola both at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, yes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You start already on another mission?&rdquo; said Dagobert; &ldquo;surely it is not
+      possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must answer no question upon this subject,&rdquo; said Gabriel, suppressing a
+      sigh: &ldquo;but from now, for some time, I cannot, and ought not, come again
+      into this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, my brave boy,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert with emotion, &ldquo;there is something in
+      thy conduct that savors of constraint, of oppression. I know something of
+      men. He you call superior, whom I saw for some moments after the shipwreck
+      at Cardoville Castle, has a bad look; and I am sorry to see you enrolled
+      under such a commander.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Cardoville Castle!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola, struck with the identity of
+      the name with that of the young lady of the golden hair; &ldquo;was it in
+      Cardoville Castle that you were received after your shipwreck?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my boy; why, does that astonish you?&rdquo; asked Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing father; but were the owners of the castle there at the time?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; for the steward, when I applied to him for an opportunity to return
+      thanks for the kind hospitality we had experienced, informed me that the
+      person to whom the house belonged was resident at Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a singular coincidence,&rdquo; thought Agricola, &ldquo;if the young lady should
+      be the proprietor of the dwelling which bears her name!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This reflection having recalled to Agricola the promise which he had made
+      to Mother Bunch, he said to Dagobert; &ldquo;Dear father, excuse me; but it is
+      already late, and I ought to be in the workshop by eight o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is too true, my boy. Let us go. This party is adjourned till my
+      return from Chartres. Embrace me once more, and take care of yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Since Dagobert had spoken of constraint and oppression to Gabriel, the
+      latter had continued pensive. At the moment when Agricola approached him
+      to shake hands, and to bid him adieu, the missionary said to him solemnly,
+      with a grave voice, and in a tone of decision that astonished both the
+      blacksmith and the soldier: &ldquo;My dear brother, one word more. I have come
+      here to say to you also that within a few days hence I shall have need of
+      you; and of you also, my father (permit me so to call you),&rdquo; added
+      Gabriel, with emotion, as he turned round to Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How! you speak thus to us!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola; &ldquo;what is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Gabriel, &ldquo;I need the advice and assistance of two men of
+      honor&mdash;of two men of resolution;&mdash;and I can reckon upon you two&mdash;can
+      I not? At any hour, on whatever day it may be, upon a word from me, will
+      you come?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert and his son regarded each other in silence, astonished at the
+      accents of the missionary. Agricola felt an oppression of the heart. If he
+      should be a prisoner when his brother should require his assistance, what
+      could be done?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At every hour, by night or by day, my brave boy, you may depend upon us,&rdquo;
+       said Dagobert, as much surprised as interested&mdash;&ldquo;You have a father
+      and a brother; make your own use of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks, thanks,&rdquo; said Gabriel, &ldquo;you set me quite at ease.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you what,&rdquo; resumed the soldier, &ldquo;were it not for your priest&rsquo;s
+      robe, I should believe, from the manner in which you have spoken to us,
+      that you are about to be engaged in a duel&mdash;in a mortal combat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In a duel?&rdquo; said Gabriel, starting. &ldquo;Yes; it may be a duel&mdash;uncommon
+      and fearful&mdash;at which it is necessary to have two witnesses such as
+      you&mdash;A FATHER and A BROTHER!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Some instants afterwards, Agricola, whose anxiety was continually
+      increasing, set off in haste for the dwelling of Mademoiselle de
+      Cardoville, to which we now beg leave to take the reader.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0033" id="link2HCH0033">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIII. THE PAVILION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>izier House was one of the largest and handsomest in the Rue Babylone, in
+      Paris. Nothing could be more severe, more imposing, or more depressing
+      than the aspect of this old mansion. Several immense windows, filled with
+      small squares of glass, painted a grayish white, increased the sombre
+      effect of the massive layers of huge stones, blackened by time, of which
+      the fabric was composed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This dwelling bore a resemblance to all the others that had been erected
+      in the same quarter towards the middle of the last century. It was
+      surmounted in front by a pediment; it had an elevated ground floor, which
+      was reached from the outside by a circular flight of broad stone steps.
+      One of the fronts looked on an immense court-yard, on each side of which
+      an arcade led to the vast interior departments. The other front overlooked
+      the garden, or rather park, of twelve or fifteen roods; and, on this side,
+      wings, approaching the principal part of the structure, formed a couple of
+      lateral galleries. Like nearly all the other great habitations of this
+      quarter, there might be seen at the extremity of the garden, what the
+      owners and occupiers of each called the lesser mansion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This extension was a Pompadour summer-house, built in the form of a
+      rotunda, with the charming though incorrect taste of the era of its
+      erection. It presented, in every part where it was possible for the stones
+      to be cut, a profusion of endives, knots of ribbons, garlands of flowers,
+      and chubby cupids. This pavilion, inhabited by Adrienne de Cardoville was
+      composed of a ground floor, which was reached by a peristyle of several
+      steps. A small vestibule led to a circular hall, lighted from the roof.
+      Four principal apartments met here; and ranges of smaller rooms, concealed
+      in the upper story, served for minor purposes.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10315m.jpg" alt="10315m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10315.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      These dependencies of great habitations are in our days disused, or
+      transformed into irregular conservatories; but by an uncommon exception,
+      the black exterior of the pavilion had been scraped and renewed, and the
+      entire structure repaired. The white stones of which it was built
+      glistened like Parian marble; and its renovated, coquettish aspect
+      contrasted singularly with the gloomy mansion seen at the other extremity
+      of an extensive lawn, on which were planted here and there gigantic clumps
+      of verdant trees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The following scene occurred at this residence on the morning following
+      that of the arrival of Dagobert, with the daughters of Marshal Simon, in
+      the Rue Brise-Miche. The hour of eight had sounded from the steeple of a
+      neighboring church; a brilliant winter sun arose to brighten a pure blue
+      sky behind the tall leafless trees, which in summer formed a dome of
+      verdure over the summer-house. The door in the vestibule opened, and the
+      rays of the morning sun beamed upon a charming creature, or rather upon
+      two charming creatures, for the second one, though filling a modest place
+      in the scale of creation, was not less distinguished by beauty of its own,
+      which was very striking. In plain terms two individuals, one of them a
+      young girl, and the other a tiny English dog, of great beauty, of that
+      breed of spaniels called King Charles&rsquo;s, made their appearance under the
+      peristyle of the rotunda. The name of the young girl was Georgette; the
+      beautiful little spaniel&rsquo;s was Frisky. Georgette was in her eighteenth
+      year. Never had Florine or Manton, never had a lady&rsquo;s maid of Marivaux, a
+      more mischievous face, an eye more quick, a smile more roguish, teeth more
+      white, cheeks more roseate, figure more coquettish, feet smaller, or form
+      smarter, attractive, and enticing. Though it was yet very early, Georgette
+      was carefully and tastefully dressed. A tiny Valenciennes cap, with flaps
+      and flap-band, of half peasant fashion, decked with rose-colored ribbons,
+      and stuck a little backward upon bands of beautiful fair hair, surrounded
+      her fresh and piquant face; a robe of gray levantine, and a cambric
+      neck-kerchief, fastened to her bosom by a large tuft of rose-colored
+      ribbons, displayed her figure elegantly rounded; a hollands apron, white
+      as snow, trimmed below by three large hems, surmounted by a Vandyke-row,
+      encircled her waist, which was as round and flexible as a reed; her short,
+      plain sleeves, edged with bone lace, allowed her plump arms to be seen,
+      which her long Swedish gloves, reaching to the elbow, defended from the
+      rigor of the cold. When Georgette raised the bottom of her dress, in order
+      to descend more quickly the steps, she exhibited to Frisky&rsquo;s indifferent
+      eyes a beautiful ankle, and the beginning of the plump calf of a fine leg,
+      encased in white silk, and a charming little foot, in a laced half-boot of
+      Turkish satin. When a blonde like Georgette sets herself to be ensnaring;
+      when vivid glances sparkle from her eyes of bright yet tender blue; when a
+      joyous excitement suffuses her transparent skin, she is more resistless
+      for the conquest of everything before her than a brunette.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10319m.jpg" alt="10319m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10319.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      This bewitching and nimble lady&rsquo;s-maid, who on the previous evening had
+      introduced Agricola to the pavilion, was first waiting woman to the
+      Honorable Miss Adrienne de Cardoville, niece of the Princess Saint Dizier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frisky, so happily found and brought back by the blacksmith, uttered weak
+      but joyful barks, and bounded, ran, and frolicked upon the turf. She was
+      not much bigger than one&rsquo;s fist; her curled hair, of lustrous black, shone
+      like ebony, under the broad, red satin ribbon which encircled her neck;
+      her paws, fringed with long silken fur, were of a bright and fiery tan, as
+      well as her muzzle, the nose of which was inconceivably pug; her large
+      eyes were full of intelligence; and her curly ears so long that they
+      trailed upon the ground. Georgette seemed to be as brisk and petulant as
+      Frisky, and shared her sportiveness,&mdash;now scampering after the happy
+      little spaniel, and now retreating, in order to be pursued upon the
+      greensward in her turn. All at once, at the sight of a second person, who
+      advanced with deliberate gravity, Georgette and Frisky were suddenly
+      stopped in their diversion. The little King Charles, some steps in advance
+      of Georgette, faithful to her name, and bold as the devil, held herself
+      firmly upon her nervous paws, and fiercely awaited the coming up of the
+      enemy, displaying at the same time rows of little teeth, which, though of
+      ivory, were none the less pointed and sharp. The enemy consisted of a
+      woman of mature age, accompanied by a very fat dog, of the color of coffee
+      and milk; his tail was twisted like a corkscrew; he was pot-bellied; his
+      skin was sleek; his neck was turned little to one side; he walked with his
+      legs inordinately spread out, and stepped with the air of a doctor. His
+      black muzzle, quarrelsome and scowling showed two fangs sallying forth,
+      and turning up from the left side of the mouth, and altogether he had an
+      expression singularly forbidding and vindictive. This disagreeable animal,
+      a perfect type of what might be called a &ldquo;church-goer&rsquo;s pug,&rdquo; answered to
+      the name of &ldquo;My Lord.&rdquo; His mistress, a woman of about fifty years of age,
+      corpulent and of middle size, was dressed in a costume as gloomy and
+      severe as that of Georgette was gay and showy. It consisted of a brown
+      robe, a black silk mantle, and a hat of the same dye. The features of this
+      woman might have been agreeable in her youth; and her florid cheeks, her
+      correct eyebrows, her black eyes, which were still very lively, scarcely
+      accorded with the peevish and austere physiognomy which she tried to
+      assume. This matron, of slow and discreet gait, was Madame Augustine
+      Grivois, first woman to the Princess Saint-Dizier. Not only did the age,
+      the face, and the dress of these two women present a striking contrast;
+      but the contrast extended itself even to the animals which attended them.
+      There were similar differences between Frisky and My Lord, as between
+      Georgette and Mrs. Grivois. When the latter perceived the little King
+      Charles, she could not restrain a movement of surprise and repugnance,
+      which escaped not the notice of the young lady&rsquo;s maid. Frisky, who had not
+      retreated one inch, since the apparition of My Lord, regarded him
+      valiantly, with a look of defiance, and even advanced towards him with an
+      air so decidedly hostile, that the cur, though thrice as big as the little
+      King Charles, uttered a howl of distress and terror, and sought refuge
+      behind Mrs. Grivois, who bitterly said to Georgette:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It seems to me, miss, that you might dispense with exciting your dog
+      thus, and setting him upon mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was doubtless for the purpose of protecting this respectable but ugly
+      animal from similar alarms, that you tried to make us lose Frisky
+      yesterday, by driving her into the street through the little garden gate.
+      But fortunately an honest young man found Frisky in the Rue de Babylone,
+      and brought her back to my mistress. However,&rdquo; continued Georgette, &ldquo;to
+      what, madame, do I owe the pleasure of seeing you this morning?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am commanded by the Princess,&rdquo; replied Mrs. Grivois, unable to conceal
+      a smile of triumphant satisfaction, &ldquo;immediately to see Miss Adrienne. It
+      regards a very important affair, which I am to communicate only to
+      herself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words Georgette became purple, and could not repress a slight
+      start of disquietude, which happily escaped Grivois, who was occupied with
+      watching over the safety of her pet, whom Frisky continued to snarl at
+      with a very menacing aspect; and Georgette, having quickly overcome her
+      temporary emotion, firmly answered: &ldquo;Miss Adrienne went to rest very late
+      last night. She has forbidden me to enter her apartment before mid day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is very possible: but as the present business is to obey an order of
+      the Princess her aunt, you will do well if you please, miss, to awaken
+      your mistress immediately.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My mistress is subject to no one&rsquo;s orders in her own house; and I will
+      not disturb her till mid-day, in pursuance of her commands,&rdquo; replied
+      Georgette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I shall go myself,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Florine and Hebe will not admit you. Indeed, here is the key of the
+      saloon; and through the saloon only can the apartments of Miss Adrienne be
+      entered.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How! do you dare refuse me permission to execute the orders of the
+      Princess?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I dare to commit the great crime of being unwilling to awaken my
+      mistress!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! such are the results of the blind affection of the Princess for her
+      niece,&rdquo; said the matron, with affected grief: &ldquo;Miss Adrienne no longer
+      respects her aunt&rsquo;s orders; and she is surrounded by young hare-brained
+      persons, who, from the first dawn of morning, dress themselves out as if
+      for ball-going.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame! how came you to revile dress, who were formerly the greatest
+      coquette and the most frisky and fluttering of all the Princess&rsquo;s women.
+      At least, that is what is still spoken of you in the hotel, as having been
+      handed down from time out of mind, by generation to generation, even unto
+      ours!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How! from generation to generation! do you mean to insinuate that I am a
+      hundred years old, Miss Impertinence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I speak of the generations of waiting-women; for, except you, it is the
+      utmost if they remain two or three years in the Princess&rsquo;s house, who has
+      too many tempers for the poor girls!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I forbid you to speak thus of my mistress, whose name some people ought
+      not to pronounce but on their knees.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;However,&rdquo; said Georgette, &ldquo;if one wished to speak ill of&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you dare!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No longer ago than last night, at half past eleven o&rsquo;clock&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Last night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A four-wheeler,&rdquo; continued Georgette, &ldquo;stopped at a few paces from the
+      house. A mysterious personage, wrapped up in a cloak, alighted from it,
+      and directly tapped, not at the door, but on the glass of the porter&rsquo;s
+      lodge window; and at one o&rsquo;clock in the morning, the cab was still
+      stationed in the street, waiting for the mysterious personage in the
+      cloak, who, doubtless, during all that time, was, as you say, pronouncing
+      the name of her Highness the Princess on his knees.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether Mrs. Grivois had not been instructed as to a visit made to the
+      Princess Saint-Dizier by Rodin (for he was the man in the cloak), in the
+      middle of the night, after he had become certain of the arrival in Paris
+      of General Simon&rsquo;s daughters; or whether Mrs. Grivois thought it necessary
+      to appear ignorant of the visit, she replied, shrugging her shoulders
+      disdainfully: &ldquo;I know not what you, mean, madame. I have not come here to
+      listen to your impertinent stuff. Once again I ask you&mdash;will you, or
+      will you not, introduce me to the presence of Miss Adrienne?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I repeat, madame, that my mistress sleeps, and that she has forbidden me
+      to enter her bed-chamber before mid-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This conversation took place at some distance from the summer-house, at a
+      spot from which the peristyle could be seen at the end of a grand avenue,
+      terminating in trees arranged in form of a V. All at once Mrs. Grivois,
+      extending her hand in that direction, exclaimed: &ldquo;Great heavens! is it
+      possible? what have I seen?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you seen?&rdquo; said Georgette, turning round.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have I seen?&rdquo; repeated Mrs. Grivois, with amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes: what was it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Miss Adrienne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where?&rdquo; asked Georgette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I saw her run up the porch steps. I perfectly recognized her by her gait,
+      by her hat, and by her mantle. To come home at eight o&rsquo;clock in the
+      morning!&rdquo; cried Mrs. Grivois: &ldquo;it is perfectly incredible!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See my lady? Why, you came to see her!&rdquo; and Georgette burst out into fits
+      of laughter: and then said: &ldquo;Oh! I understand! you wish to out-do my story
+      of the four-wheeler last night! It is very neat of you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I repeat,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, &ldquo;that I have this moment seen&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! adone, Mrs. Grivois: if you speak seriously, you are mad!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am mad, am I? because I have a pair of good eyes! The little gate that
+      open&rsquo;s on the street lets one into the quincunx near the pavilion. It is
+      by that door, doubtless, that mademoiselle has re-entered. Oh, what
+      shameful conduct! what will the Princess say to it! Ah! her presentiments
+      have not yet been mistaken. See to what her weak indulgence of her niece&rsquo;s
+      caprices has led her! It is monstrous!&mdash;so monstrous, that, though I
+      have seen her with my own eyes, still I can scarcely believe it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since you&rsquo;ve gone so far, ma&rsquo;am, I now insist upon conducting you into
+      the apartment of my lady, in order that you may convince yourself, by your
+      own senses, that your eyes have deceived you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you are very cunning, my dear, but not more cunning than I! You
+      propose my going now! Yes, yes, I believe you: you are certain that by
+      this time I shall find her in her apartment!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, madame, I assure you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All that I can say to you is this: that neither you, nor Florine, nor
+      Hebe, shall remain here twenty-four hours. The Princess will put an end to
+      this horrible scandal; for I shall immediately inform her of what has
+      passed. To go out in the night! Re-enter at eight o&rsquo;clock in the morning!
+      Why, I am all in a whirl! Certainly, if I had not seen it with my own
+      eyes, I could not have believed it! Still, it is only what was to be
+      expected. It will astonish nobody. Assuredly not! All those to whom I am
+      going to relate it, will say, I am quite sure, that it is not at all
+      astonishing! Oh! what a blow to our respectable Princess! What a blow for
+      her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois returned precipitately towards the mansion, followed by her
+      fat pug, who appeared to be as embittered as herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Georgette, active and light, ran, on her part, towards the pavilion, in
+      order to apprise Miss de Cardoville that Mrs. Grivois had seen her, or
+      fancied she had seen her, furtively enter by the little garden gate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0034" id="link2HCH0034">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIV. ADRIENNE AT HER TOILET.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>bout an hour had elapsed since Mrs. Grivois had seen or pretended to have
+      seen Adrienne de Cardoville re-enter in the morning the extension of
+      Saint-Dizier House.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is for the purpose, not of excusing, but of rendering intelligible, the
+      following scenes, that it is deemed necessary to bring out into the light
+      some striking peculiarities in the truly original character of Miss de
+      Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This originality consisted in an excessive independence of mind, joined to
+      a natural horror of whatsoever is repulsive or deformed, and to an
+      insatiable desire of being surrounded by everything attractive and
+      beautiful. The painter most delighted with coloring and beauty, the
+      sculptor most charmed by proportions of form, feel not more than Adrienne
+      did the noble enthusiasm which the view of perfect beauty always excites
+      in the chosen favorites of nature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And it was not only the pleasures of sight which this young lady loved to
+      gratify: the harmonious modulations of song, the melody of instruments,
+      the cadences of poetry, afforded her infinite pleasures; while a harsh
+      voice or a discordant noise made her feel the same painful impression, or
+      one nearly as painful as that which she involuntarily experienced from the
+      sight of a hideous object. Passionately fond of flowers, too, and of their
+      sweet scents, there are some perfumes which she enjoyed equally with the
+      delights of music or those of plastic beauty. It is necessary, alas, to
+      acknowledge one enormity: Adrienne was dainty in her food! She valued more
+      than any one else the fresh pulp of handsome fruit, the delicate savor of
+      a golden pheasant, cooked to a turn, and the odorous cluster of a generous
+      vine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Adrienne enjoyed all these pleasures with an exquisite reserve. She
+      sought religiously to cultivate and refine the senses given her. She would
+      have deemed it black ingratitude to blunt those divine gifts by excesses,
+      or to debase them by unworthy selections of objects upon which to exercise
+      them; a fault from which, indeed, she was preserved by the excessive and
+      imperious delicacy of her taste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The BEAUTIFUL and the UGLY occupied for her the places which GOOD and EVIL
+      holds for others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her devotion to grace, elegance, and physical beauty, had led her also to
+      the adoration of moral beauty; for if the expression of a low and bad
+      passion render uncomely the most beautiful countenances, those which are
+      in themselves the most ugly are ennobled, on the contrary, by the
+      expression of good feelings and generous sentiments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a word, Adrienne was the most complete, the most ideal personification
+      of SENSUALITY&mdash;not of vulgar, ignorant, non intelligent, mistaken
+      sensuousness which is always deceit ful and corrupted by habit or by the
+      necessity for gross and ill-regulated enjoyments, but that exquisite
+      sensuality which is to the senses what intelligence is to the soul.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The independence of this young lady&rsquo;s character was extreme. Certain
+      humiliating subjections imposed upon her success by its social position,
+      above all things were revolting to her, and she had the hardihood to
+      resolve to withdraw herself from them. She was a woman, the most womanish
+      that it is possible to imagine&mdash;a woman in her timidity as well as in
+      her audacity&mdash;a woman in her hatred of the brutal despotism of men,
+      as well as in her intense disposition to self-devoting herself, madly even
+      and blindly, to him who should merit such a devotion from her&mdash;a
+      woman whose piquant wit was occasionally paradoxical&mdash;a superior
+      woman, in brief, who entertained a well-grounded disdain and contempt for
+      certain men either placed very high or greatly adulated, whom she had from
+      time to time met in the drawing-room of her aunt, the Princess
+      Saint-Dizier, when she resided with her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These indispensable explanations being given, we usher, the reader into
+      the presence of Adrienne de Cardoville, who had just come out of the bath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would require all the brilliant colorings of the Venetian school to
+      represent that charming scene, which would rather seem to have occurred in
+      the sixteenth century, in some palace of Florence or Bologna, than in
+      Paris, in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, in the month of February, 1832.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s dressing-room was a kind of miniature temple seemingly one
+      erected and dedicated to the worship of beauty, in gratitude to the Maker
+      who has lavished so many charms upon woman, not to be neglected by her, or
+      to cover and conceal them with ashes, or to destroy them by the contact of
+      her person with sordid and harsh haircloth; but in order that, with
+      fervent gratitude for the divine gifts wherewith she is endowed, she may
+      enhance her charms with all the illusions of grace and all the splendors
+      of apparel, so as to glorify the divine work of her own perfections in the
+      eyes of all. Daylight was admitted into this semicircular apartment,
+      through one of those double windows, contrived for the preservation of
+      heat, so happily imported from Germany. The walls of the pavilion being
+      constructed of stone of great thickness, the depth of the aperture for the
+      windows was therefore very great. That of Adrienne&rsquo;s dressing-room was
+      closed on the outside by a sash containing a single large pane of plate
+      glass, and within, by another large plate of ground glass. In the interval
+      or space of about three feet left between these two transparent
+      enclosures, there was a case or box filled with furze mould, whence sprung
+      forth climbing plants, which, directed round the ground glass, formed a
+      rich garland of leaves and flowers. A garnet damask tapestry, rich with
+      harmoniously blended arabesques, in the purest style, covered the walls
+      and a thick carpet of similar color was extended over the floor: and this
+      sombre ground, presented by the floor and walls, marvellously enhanced the
+      effects of all the harmonious ornaments and decorations of the chamber.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10327m.jpg" alt="10327m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10327.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Under the window, opposite to the south, was placed Adrienne&rsquo;s dressing
+      case, a real masterpiece of the skill of the goldsmith. Upon a large
+      tablet of lapis-lazuli, there were scattered boxes of jewels, their lids
+      precisely enamelled; several scent boxes of rock crystal, and other
+      implements and utensils of the toilet, some formed of shells, some of
+      mother-of-pearl, and others of ivory, covered with ornaments of gold in
+      extraordinary taste. Two large figures, modelled in silver with antique
+      purity; supported an oval swing mirror, which had for its rim, in place of
+      a frame curiously carved, a fresh garland of natural flowers, renewed
+      every day like a nosegay for a ball.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two enormous Japanese vases, of purple and gold, three feet each in
+      diameter, were placed upon the carpet on each side of the toilet, and,
+      filled with camellias, ibiscures, and cape jasmine, in full flower formed
+      a sort of grove, diversified with the most brilliant colors. At the
+      farther end of the apartment, opposite the casement, was to be seen,
+      surrounded by another mass of flowers, a reduction in white marble of the
+      enchanting group of Daphnis and Chloe, the more chaste ideal of graceful
+      modesty and youthful beauty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two golden lamps burned perfumes upon the same pedestal which supported
+      those two charming figures. A coffer of frosted silver, set off with small
+      figures in jewelry and precious stones, and supported on four feet of gilt
+      bronze, contained various necessaries for the toilette; two frosted
+      Psyches, decorated with diamond ear-rings; some excellent drawings from
+      Raphael and Titian, painted by Adrienne herself, consisting of portraits
+      of both men and women of exquisite beauty; several consoles of oriental
+      jasper, supporting ewers and basins of silver and of silver gilt, richly
+      chased and filled with scented waters; a voluptuously rich divan, some
+      seats, and an illuminated gilt fable, completed the furniture of this
+      chamber, the atmosphere of which was impregnated with the sweetest
+      perfumes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, whom her attendants had just helped from the bath, was seated
+      before her toilette, her three women surrounding her. By a caprice, or
+      rather by a necessary and logical impulse of her soul, filled as it was
+      with the love of beauty and of harmony in all things, Adrienne had wished
+      the young women who served her to be very pretty, and be dressed with
+      attention and with a charming originality. We have already seen Georgette,
+      a piquante blonde, attired in her attractive costume of an intriguing
+      lady&rsquo;s maid of Marivaux; and her two companions were quite equal to her
+      both in gracefulness and gentility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of them, named Florine, a tall, delicately slender, and elegant girl,
+      with the air and form of Diana Huntress, was of a pale brown complexion.
+      Her thick black hair was turned up behind, where it was fastened with a
+      long golden pin. Like the two other girls, her arms were uncovered to
+      facilitate the performance of her duties about and upon the person of her
+      charming mistress. She wore a dress of that gay green so familiar to the
+      Venetian painters. Her petticoat was very ample. Her slender waist curved
+      in from under the plaits of a tucker of white cambric, plaited in five
+      minute folds, and fastened by five gold buttons. The third of Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      women had a face so fresh and ingenuous, a waist so delicate, so pleasing,
+      and so finished, that her mistress had given her the name of Hebe. Her
+      dress of a delicate rose color, and Grecian cut, displayed her charming
+      neck, and her beautiful arms up to the very shoulders. The physiognomy of
+      these three young women was laughter loving and happy. On their features
+      there was no expression of that bitter sullenness, willing and hated
+      obedience, or offensive familiarity, or base and degraded deference, which
+      are the ordinary results of a state of servitude. In the zealous eagerness
+      of the cares and attentions which they lavished upon Adrienne, there
+      seemed to be at least as much of affection as of deference and respect.
+      They appeared to derive an ardent pleasure from the services which they
+      rendered to their lovely mistress. One would have thought that they
+      attached to the dressing and embellishment of her person all the merits
+      and the enjoyment arising from the execution of a work of art, in the
+      accomplishing of which, fruitful of delights, they were stimulated by the
+      passions of love, of pride, and of joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun beamed brightly upon the toilet-case, placed in front of the
+      window. Adrienne was seated on a chair, its back elevated a little more
+      than usual. She was enveloped in a long morning-gown of blue silk,
+      embroidered with a leaf of the same color, which was fitted close to her
+      waist, as exquisitely slender and delicate as that of a child of twelve
+      years, by a girdle with floating tags. Her neck, delicately slender and
+      flexible as a bird&rsquo;s, was uncovered, as were also her shoulders and arms,
+      and all were of incomparable beauty. Despite the vulgarity of the
+      comparison, the purest ivory alone can give an idea of the dazzling
+      whiteness of her polished satin skin, of a texture so fresh and so firm,
+      that some drops of water, collected and still remaining about the roots of
+      her hair from the bath, rolled in serpentine lines over her shoulders,
+      like pearls, or beads, of crystal, over white marble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And what gave enhanced lustre to this wondrous carnation, known but to
+      auburn-headed beauties, was the deep purple of her, humid lips,&mdash;the
+      roseate transparency of her small ears, of her dilated nostrils, and her
+      nails, as bright and glossy, as if they had been varnished. In every spot,
+      indeed, where her pure arterial blood, full of animation and heat, could
+      make its way to the skin and shine through the surface, it proclaimed her
+      high health and the vivid life and joyous buoyancy of her glorious youth.
+      Her eyes were very large, and of a velvet softness. Now they glanced,
+      sparkling and shining with comic humor or intelligence and wit; and now
+      they widened and extended themselves, languishing and swimming between
+      their double fringes of long crisp eyelashes, of as deep a black as her
+      finely-drawn and exquisitely arched eyebrows; for, by a delightful freak
+      of nature, she had black eyebrows and eyelashes to contrast with the
+      golden red of her hair. Her forehead, small like those of ancient Grecian
+      statues, formed with the rest of her face a perfect oval. Her nose,
+      delicately curved, was slightly aquiline; the enamel of her teeth
+      glistened when the light fell upon them; and her vermeil mouth
+      voluptuously sensual, seemed to call for sweet kisses, and the gay smiles
+      and delectations of dainty and delicious pleasure. It is impossible to
+      behold or to conceive a carriage of the head freer, more noble, or more
+      elegant than hers; thanks to the great distance which separated the neck
+      and the ear from their attachment to her outspread and dimpled shoulders.
+      We have already said that Adrienne was red-haired; but it was the redness
+      of many of the admirable portraits of women by Titian and Leonardo da
+      Vinci,&mdash;that is to say, molten gold presents not reflections more
+      delightfully agreeable or more glittering, than the naturally undulating
+      mass of her very long hair, as soft and fine as silk, so long, that, when
+      let loose, it reached the floor; in it, she could wholly envelop herself,
+      like another Venus arising from the sea. At the present moment, Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      tresses were ravishing to behold; Georgette, her arms bare, stood behind
+      her mistress, and had carefully collected into one of her small white
+      hands, those splendid threads whose naturally ardent brightness was
+      doubled in the sunshine. When the pretty lady&rsquo;s-maid pulled a comb of
+      ivory into the midst of the undulating and golden waves of that enormously
+      magnificent skein of silk, one might have said that a thousand sparks of
+      fire darted forth and coruscated away from it in all directions. The
+      sunshine, too, reflected not less golden and fiery rays from numerous
+      clusters of spiral ringlets, which, divided upon Adrienne&rsquo;s forehead, fell
+      over her cheeks, and in their elastic flexibility caressed the risings of
+      her snowy bosom, to whose charming undulations they adapted and applied
+      themselves. Whilst Georgette, standing, combed the beautiful locks of her
+      mistress, Hebe, with one knee upon the floor, and having upon the other
+      the sweet little foot of Miss Cardoville, busied herself in fitting it
+      with a remarkably small shoe of black satin, and crossed its slender ties
+      over a silk stocking of a pale yet rosy flesh color, which imprisoned the
+      smallest and finest ankle in the world. Florine, a little farther back,
+      presented to her mistress, in a jeweled box, a perfumed paste, with which
+      Adrienne slightly rubbed her dazzling hands and outspread fingers, which
+      seemed tinted with carmine to their extremities. Let us not forget Frisky,
+      who, couched in the lap of her mistress, opened her great eyes with all
+      her might, and seemed to observe the different operations of Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      toilette with grave and reflective attention. A silver bell being sounded
+      from without, Florine, at a sign from her mistress, went out and presently
+      returned, bearing a letter upon a small silver-gilt salve. Adrienne, while
+      her women continued fitting on her shoes, dressing her hair, and arranging
+      her in her habiliments, took the letter, which was written by the steward
+      of the estate of Cardoville, and read aloud as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;HONORED MADAME,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Knowing your goodness of heart and generosity, I venture to address you
+      with respectful confidence. During twenty years I served the late Count
+      and Duke of Cardoville, your noble father, I believe I may truly say, with
+      probity and zeal. The castle is now sold; so that I and my wife, in our
+      old age, behold ourselves about to be dismissed, and left destitute of all
+      resources: which, alas! is very hard at our time of life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor creature!&rdquo; said Adrienne, interrupting herself in reading: &ldquo;my
+      father, certainly, always prided himself upon their devotion to him, and
+      their probity.&rdquo; She continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There does, indeed, remain to us a means of retaining our place here; but
+      it would constrain us to be guilty of baseness; and, be the consequences
+      to us what they may, neither I nor my wife wish to purchase our bread at
+      such a price.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good, very good,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;always the same&mdash;dignity even in
+      poverty&mdash;it is the sweet perfume of a flower, not the less sweet
+      because it has bloomed in a meadow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In order to explain to you, honored madame, the unworthy task exacted
+      from us, it is necessary to inform you, in the first place, that M. Rodin
+      came here from Paris two days ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! M. Rodin!&rdquo; said Mademoiselle de Cardoville, interrupting herself
+      anew; &ldquo;the secretary of Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny! I am not at all surprised at him
+      being engaged in a perfidious or black intrigue. But let us see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin came from Paris to announce to us that the estate was sold, and
+      that he was sure of being able to obtain our continuance in our place, if
+      we would assist him in imposing a priest not of good character upon the
+      new proprietress as her future confessor; and if, the better to attain
+      this end, we would consent to calumniate another priest, a deserving and
+      excellent man, much loved and much respected in the country. Even that is
+      not all. I was required to write twice or thrice a week to M. Rodin, and
+      to relate to him everything that should occur in the house. I ought to
+      acknowledge, honored madame, that these infamous proposals were as much as
+      possible disguised and dissimulated under sufficiently specious pretexts;
+      but, notwithstanding the aspect which with more or less skill it was
+      attempted to give to the affair, it was precisely and substantially what I
+      have now had the honor of stating to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Corruption, calumny, and false and treacherous impeachment!&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, with disgust: &ldquo;I cannot think of such wretches without
+      involuntarily feeling my mind shocked by dismal ideas of black, venomous,
+      and vile reptiles, of aspects most hideous indeed. How much more do I love
+      to dwell upon the consoling thought of honest Dupont and his wife!&rdquo;
+       Adrienne proceeded:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, we hesitated not an instant. We quit Cardoville, which has
+      been our home for the last twenty years;&mdash;but we shall quit it like
+      honest people, and with the consciousness of our integrity. And now,
+      honored madame, if, in the brilliant circle in which you move&mdash;you,
+      who are so benevolent and amiable&mdash;could find a place for us by your
+      recommendation, then, with endless gratitude to you, we shall escape from
+      a position of most cruel embarrassment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Surely, surely,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;they shall not in vain appeal to me. To
+      wrest excellent persons from the grip of M. Rodin, is not only a duty but
+      a pleasure: for it is at once a righteous and a dangerous enterprise; and
+      dearly do I love to brave powerful oppressors!&rdquo; Adrienne again went on
+      reading:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After having thus spoken to you of ourselves, honored madame, permit us
+      to implore your protection for other unfortunates; for it would be wicked
+      to think only of one&rsquo;s self. Three days ago, two shipwrecks took place
+      upon our ironbound coast. A few passengers only were saved, and were
+      conducted hither, where I and my wife gave them all necessary attentions.
+      All these passengers have departed for Paris, except one, who still
+      remains, his wounds having hitherto prevented him from leaving the house,
+      and, indeed, they will constrain him to remain for some days to come. He
+      is a young East Indian prince, of about twenty years of age, and he
+      appears to be as amiable and good as he is handsome, which is not a little
+      to say, though he has a tawny skin, like the rest of his countrymen, as I
+      understand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An Indian prince! twenty years of age! young, amiable, and handsome!&rdquo;
+       exclaimed Adrienne, gayly; &ldquo;this is quite delightful, and not at all of an
+      ordinary or vulgar nature! Oh! this Indian prince has already awakened all
+      my sympathies! But what can I do with this Adonis from the banks of the
+      Ganges, who has come to wreck himself upon the Picardy coast?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s three women looked at her with much astonishment, though they
+      were accustomed to the singular eccentricities of her character.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Georgette and Hebe even indulged in discreet and restrained smiles.
+      Florine, the tall and beautiful pale brown girl, also smiled like her
+      pretty companions; but it was after a short pause of seeming reflection,
+      as if she had previously been entirely engrossed in listening to and
+      recollecting the minutest words of her mistress, who, though powerfully
+      interested by the situation of the &ldquo;Adonis from Ganges banks,&rdquo; as she had
+      called him, continued to read Dupont&rsquo;s letter:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of the countrymen of the Indian prince, who has also remained to
+      attend upon him, has given me to understand that the youthful prince has
+      lost in the shipwreck all he possessed, and knows not how to get to Paris,
+      where his speedy presence is required by some affairs of the very greatest
+      importance. It is not from the prince himself that I have obtained this
+      information: no; he appears to be too dignified and proud to proclaim of
+      his fate: but his countryman, more communicative, confidentially told me
+      what I have stated, adding, that his young compatriot has already been
+      subjected to great calamities, and that his father, who was the sovereign
+      of an Indian kingdom, has been killed by the English, who have also
+      dispossessed his son of his crown.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is very singular,&rdquo; said Adrienne, thoughtfully. &ldquo;These circumstances
+      recall to my mind that my father often mentioned that one of our relations
+      was espoused in India by a native monarch; and that General Simon: (whom
+      they have created a marshal) had entered into his service.&rdquo; Then
+      interrupting herself to indulge in a smile, she added, &ldquo;Gracious! this
+      affair will be quite odd and fantastical! Such things happen to nobody but
+      me; and then people say that I am the uncommon creature! But it seems to
+      me that it is not I, but Providence, which, in truth, sometimes shows
+      itself very eccentric! But let us see if worthy Dupont gives the name of
+      this handsome prince?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We trust, honored madame, that you will pardon our boldness: but we
+      should have thought ourselves very selfish, if, while stating to you our
+      own griefs, we had not also informed you that there is with us a brave and
+      estimable prince involved in so much distress. In fine, lady, trust to me;
+      I am old; and I have had much experience of men; and it was only necessary
+      to see the nobleness of expression and the sweetness of countenance of
+      this young Indian, to enable me to judge that he is worthy of the interest
+      which I have taken the liberty to request in his behalf. It would be
+      sufficient to transmit to him a small sum of money for the purchase of
+      some European clothing; for he has lost all his Indian vestments in the
+      shipwreck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heavens! European clothing!&rdquo; exclaimed Adrienne, gayly. &ldquo;Poor young
+      prince! Heaven preserve him from that; and me also! Chance has sent hither
+      from the heart of India, a mortal so far favored as never to have worn the
+      abominable European costume&mdash;those hideous habits, and frightful
+      hats, which render the men so ridiculous, so ugly, that in truth there is
+      not a single good quality to be discovered in them, nor one spark of what
+      can either captivate or attract! There comes to me at last a handsome
+      young prince from the East, where the men are clothed in silk and
+      cashmere. Most assuredly I&rsquo;ll not miss this rare and unique opportunity of
+      exposing myself to a very serious and formidable temptation! No, no! not a
+      European dress for me, though poor Dupont requests it! But the name&mdash;the
+      name of this dear prince! Once more, what a singular event is this! If it
+      should turn out to be that cousin from beyond the Ganges! During my
+      childhood, I have heard so much in praise of his royal father! Oh! I shall
+      be quite ravished to give his son the kind reception which he merits!&rdquo; And
+      then she read on:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If, besides this small sum, honored madame, you are so kind as to give
+      him, and also his companion, the means of reaching Paris, you will confer
+      a very great service upon this poor young prince, who is at present so
+      unfortunate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To conclude, I know enough of your delicacy to be aware that it would
+      perhaps be agreeable to you to afford this succor to the prince without
+      being known as his benefactress; in which case, I beg that you will be
+      pleased to command me; and you may rely upon my discretion. If, on the
+      contrary, you wish to address it directly to himself, his name is, as it
+      has been written for me by his countrymen, Prince Djalma, son of Radja
+      sing, King of Mundi.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma!&rdquo; said Adrienne, quickly, and appearing to call up her
+      recollections, &ldquo;Radja-sing! Yes&mdash;that is it! These are the very names
+      that my father so often repeated, while telling me that there was nothing
+      more chivalric or heroic in the world than the old king, our relation by
+      marriage; and the son has not derogated, it would seem, from that
+      character. Yes, Djalma, Radja-sing&mdash;once more, that is it&mdash;such
+      names are not so common,&rdquo; she added, smiling, &ldquo;that one should either
+      forget or confound them with others. This Djalma is my cousin! Brave and
+      good&mdash;young and charming! above all, he has never worn the horrid
+      European dress! And destitute of every resource! This is quite ravishing!
+      It is too much happiness at once! Quick, quick let us improvise a pretty
+      fairy tale, of which the handsome and beloved prince shall be the hero!
+      The poor bird of the golden and azure plumage has wandered into our dismal
+      climate; but he will find here, at least, something to remind him of his
+      native region of sunshine and perfumes!&rdquo; Then, addressing one of her
+      women, she said: &ldquo;Georgette, take paper and write, my child!&rdquo; The young
+      girl went to the gilt, illuminated table, which contained materials for
+      writing; and, having seated herself, she said to her mistress: &ldquo;I await
+      orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10335m.jpg" alt="10335m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10335.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne de Cardoville, whose charming countenance was radiant with the
+      gayety of happiness and joy, proceeded to dictate the following letter to
+      a meritorious old painter, who had long since taught her the arts of
+      drawing and designing; in which arts she excelled, as indeed she did in
+      all others:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;MY DEAR TITIAN, MY GOOD VERONESE, MY WORTHY RAPHAEL.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can render me a very great service,&mdash;and you will do it, I am
+      sure, with that perfect and obliging complaisance by which you are ever
+      distinguished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is to go immediately and apply yourself to the skillful hand who
+      designed my last costumes of the fifteenth century. But the present affair
+      is to procure modern East Indian dresses for a young man&mdash;yes, sir&mdash;for
+      a young man,&mdash;and according to what I imagine of him, I fancy that
+      you can cause his measure to be taken from the Antinous, or rather, from
+      the Indian Bacchus; yes&mdash;that will be more likely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is necessary that these vestments be at once of perfect propriety and
+      correctness, magnificently rich, and of the greatest elegance. You will
+      choose the most beautiful stuffs possible; and endeavor, above all things,
+      that they be, or resemble, tissues of Indian manufacture; and you will add
+      to them, for turbans and sashes, six splendid long cashmere shawls, two of
+      them white, two red, and two orange; as nothing suits brown complexions
+      better than those colors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This done (and I allow you at the utmost only two or three days), you
+      will depart post in my carriage for Cardoville Manor House, which you know
+      so well. The steward, the excellent Dupont, one of your old friends, will
+      there introduce you to a young Indian Prince, named Djalma; and you will
+      tell that most potent grave, and reverend signior, of another quarter of
+      the globe, that you have come on the part of an unknown friend, who,
+      taking upon himself the duty of a brother, sends him what is necessary to
+      preserve him from the odious fashions of Europe. You will add, that his
+      friend expects him with so much impatience that he conjures him to come to
+      Paris immediately. If he objects that he is suffering, you will tell him
+      that my carriage is an excellent bed-closet; and you will cause the
+      bedding, etc., which it contains, to be fitted up, till he finds it quite
+      commodious. Remember to make very humble excuses for the unknown friend
+      not sending to the prince either rich palanquins, or even, modestly, a
+      single elephant; for alas! palanquins are only to be seen at the opera;
+      and there are no elephants but those in the menagerie,&mdash;though this
+      must make us seem strangely barbarous in his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As soon as you shall have decided on your departure, perform the journey
+      as rapidly as possible, and bring here, into my house, in the Rue de
+      Babylone (what predestination! that I should dwell in the street of
+      BABYLON,&mdash;a name which must at least accord with the ear of an
+      Oriental),&mdash;you will bring hither, I say, this dear prince, who is so
+      happy as to have been born in a country of flowers, diamonds, and sun!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Above all, you will have the kindness, my old and worthy friend, not to
+      be at all astonished at this new freak, and refrain from indulging in
+      extravagant conjectures. Seriously, the choice which I have made of you in
+      this affair,&mdash;of you, whom I esteem and most sincerely honor,&mdash;is
+      because it is sufficient to say to you that, at the bottom of all this,
+      there is something more than a seeming act of folly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In uttering these last words, the tone of Adrienne was as serious and
+      dignified as it had been previously comic and jocose. But she quickly
+      resumed, more gayly, dictating to Georgette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, my old friend. I am something like that commander of ancient days,
+      whose heroic nose and conquering chin you have so often made me draw: I
+      jest with the utmost freedom of spirit even in the moment of battle: yes,
+      for within an hour I shall give battle, a pitched battle&mdash;to my dear
+      pew-dwelling aunt. Fortunately, audacity and courage never failed me, and
+      I burn with impatience for the engagement with my austere princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A kiss, and a thousand heartfelt recollections to your excellent wife. If
+      I speak of her here, who is so justly respected, you will please to
+      understand, it is to make you quite at ease as to the consequences of this
+      running away with, for my sake, a charming young prince,&mdash;for it is
+      proper to finish well where I should have begun, by avowing to you that he
+      is charming indeed!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once more, adieu!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, addressing Georgette, said she, &ldquo;Have you done writing, chit?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, add this postscript.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;P.S.&mdash;I send you draft on sight on my banker for all expenses. Spare
+      nothing. You know I am quite a grand seigneur. I must use this masculine
+      expression, since your sex have exclusively appropriated to yourselves
+      (tyrants as you are) a term, so significant as it is of noble generosity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, Georgette,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;bring me an envelope, and the letter,
+      that I may sign it.&rdquo; Mademoiselle de Cardoville took the pen that
+      Georgette presented to her, signed the letter, and enclosed in it an order
+      upon her banker, which was expressed thus:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Please pay M. Norval, on demand without grace, the sum of money he may
+      require for expenses incurred on my account.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                  &ldquo;ADRIENNE DE CARDOVILLE.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      During all this scene, while Georgette wrote, Florine and Hebe had
+      continued to busy themselves with the duties of their mistress&rsquo;s toilette,
+      who had put off her morning gown, and was now in full dress, in order to
+      wait upon the princess, her aunt. From the sustained and immovably fixed
+      attention with which Florine had listened to Adrienne&rsquo;s dictating to
+      Georgette her letter to M. Norval, it might easily have been seen that, as
+      was her habit indeed, she endeavored to retain in her memory even the
+      slightest words of her mistress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, chit,&rdquo; said Adrienne to Hebe, &ldquo;send this letter immediately to M.
+      Norval.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The same silver bell was again rung from without. Hebe moved towards the
+      door of the dressing-room, to go and inquire what it was, and also to
+      execute the order of her mistress as to the letter. But Florine
+      precipitated herself, so to speak, before her, and so as to prevent her
+      leaving the apartment; and said to Adrienne:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will it please my lady for me to send this letter? I have occasion to go
+      to the mansion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go, Florine, then,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;seeing that you wish it. Georgette,
+      seal the letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the end of a second or two, during which Georgette had sealed the
+      letter, Hebe returned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said she, re-entering, &ldquo;the working-man who brought back Frisky
+      yesterday, entreats you to admit him for an instant. He is very pale, and
+      he appears quite sad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Would that he may already have need of me! I should be too happy!&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne gayly. &ldquo;Show the excellent young man into the little saloon. And,
+      Florine, despatch this letter immediately.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine went out. Miss de Cardoville, followed by Frisky, entered the
+      little reception-room, where Agricola awaited her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0035" id="link2HCH0035">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXV. THE INTERVIEW.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hen Adrienne de Cardoville entered the saloon where Agricola expected
+      her, she was dressed with extremely elegant simplicity. A robe of deep
+      blue, perfectly fitted to her shape, embroidered in front with
+      interlacings of black silk, according to the then fashion, outlined her
+      nymph-like figure, and her rounded bosom. A French cambric collar,
+      fastened by a large Scotch pebble, set as a brooch, served her for a
+      necklace. Her magnificent golden hair formed a framework for her fair
+      countenance, with an incredible profusion of long and light spiral
+      tresses, which reached nearly to her waist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola, in order to save explanations with his father, and to make him
+      believe that he had indeed gone to the workshop of M. Hardy, had been
+      obliged to array himself in his working dress; he had put on a new blouse
+      though, and the collar of his shirt, of stout linen, very white, fell over
+      upon a black cravat, negligently tied; his gray trousers allowed his well
+      polished boots to be seen; and he held between his muscular hands a cap of
+      fine woolen cloth, quite new. To sum up, his blue blouse, embroidered with
+      red, showing off the nervous chest of the young blacksmith, and indicating
+      his robust shoulders, falling down in graceful folds, put not the least
+      constraint upon his free and easy gait, and became him much better than
+      either frock-coat or dress-coat would have done. While awaiting Miss de
+      Cardoville, Agricola mechanically examined a magnificent silver vase,
+      admirably graven. A small tablet, of the same metal, fitted into a cavity
+      of its antique stand, bore the words&mdash;&ldquo;Chased by JEAN MARIE, working
+      chaser, 1831.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne had stepped so lightly upon the carpet of her saloon, only
+      separated from another apartment by the doors, that Agricola had not
+      perceived the young lady&rsquo;s entrance. He started, and turned quickly round,
+      upon hearing a silver and brilliant voice say to him-&ldquo;That is a beautiful
+      vase, is it not, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very beautiful, madame,&rdquo; answered Agricola greatly embarrassed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may see from it that I like what is equitable.&rdquo; added Miss de
+      Cardoville, pointing with her finger to the little silver tablet;&mdash;&ldquo;an
+      artist puts his name upon his painting; an author publishes his on the
+      title-page of his book; and I contend that an artisan ought also to have
+      his name connected with his workmanship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame, so this name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that of the poor chaser who executed this masterpiece, at the order of
+      a rich goldsmith. When the latter sold me the vase, he was amazed at my
+      eccentricity, he would have almost said at my injustice, when, after
+      having made him tell me the name of the author of this production, I
+      ordered his name to be inscribed upon it, instead of that of the
+      goldsmith, which had already been affixed to the stand. In the absence of
+      the rich profits, let the artisan enjoy the fame of his skill. Is it not
+      just, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It would have been impossible for Adrienne to commence the conversation
+      more graciously: so that the blacksmith, already beginning to feel a
+      little more at ease, answered:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Being a mechanic myself, madame, I cannot but be doubly affected by such
+      a proof of your sense of equity and justice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since you are a mechanic, sir,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, &ldquo;I cannot but
+      felicitate myself on having so suitable a hearer. But please to be
+      seated.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With a gesture full of affability, she pointed to an armchair of purple
+      silk embroidered with gold, sitting down herself upon a tete-a-tete of the
+      same materials.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing Agricola&rsquo;s hesitation, who again cast down his eyes with
+      embarrassment, Adrienne, to encourage him, showed him Frisky, and said to
+      him gayly: &ldquo;This poor little animal, to which I am very much attached,
+      will always afford me a lively remembrance of your obliging complaisance,
+      sir. And this visit seems to me to be of happy augury; I know not what
+      good presentiment whispers to me, that perhaps I shall have the pleasure
+      of being useful to you in some affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Agricola, resolutely, &ldquo;my name is Baudoin: a blacksmith in
+      the employment of M. Hardy, at Pressy, near the city. Yesterday you
+      offered me your purse and I refused it: to-day, I have come to request of
+      you perhaps ten or twenty times the sum that you had generously proposed.
+      I have said thus much all at once, madame, because it causes me the
+      greatest effort. The words blistered my lips, but now I shall be more at
+      ease.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I appreciate the delicacy of your scruples, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;but if
+      you knew me, you would address me without fear. How much do you require?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, madame,&rdquo; answered Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg your pardon. You don&rsquo;t know what sum?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10341m.jpg" alt="10341m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10341.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No madame; and I come to you to request, not only the sum necessary to
+      me, but also information as to what that sum is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us see, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling, &ldquo;explain this to me. In spite
+      of my good will, you feel that I cannot divine, all at once, what it is
+      that is required.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, in two words, I can state the truth. I have a food old mother,
+      who in her youth, broke her health by excessive labor, to enable her to
+      bring me up; and not only me, but a poor abandoned child whom she had
+      picked up. It is my turn now to maintain her; and that I have the
+      happiness of doing. But in order to do so, I have only my labor. If I am
+      dragged from my employment, my mother will be without support.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your mother cannot want for anything now, sir, since I interest myself
+      for her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will interest yourself for her, madame?&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; replied Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you don&rsquo;t know her,&rdquo; exclaimed the blacksmith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now I do; yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame!&rdquo; said Agricola, with emotion, after a moment&rsquo;s silence. &ldquo;I
+      understand you. But indeed you have a noble heart. Mother Bunch was
+      right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch?&rdquo; said Adrienne, looking at Agricola with a very surprised
+      air; for what he said to her was an enigma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The blacksmith, who blushed not for his friends, replied frankly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, permit me to explain, to you. Mother Bunch is a poor and very
+      industrious young workwoman, with whom I have been brought up. She is
+      deformed, which is the reason why she is called Mother Bunch. But though,
+      on the one hand, she is sunk, as low as you are highly elevated on the
+      other, yet as regards the heart&mdash;as to delicacy&mdash;oh, lady, I am
+      certain that your heart is of equal worth with hers! That was at once her
+      own thought, after I had related to her in what manner, yesterday, you had
+      presented me with that beautiful flower.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can assure you, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, sincerely touched, &ldquo;that this
+      comparison flatters and honors me more than anything else that you could
+      say to me,&mdash;a heart that remains good and delicate, in spite of cruel
+      misfortunes, is so rare a treasure; while it is very easy to be good, when
+      we have youth and beauty, and to be delicate and generous, when we are
+      rich. I accept, then, your comparison; but on condition that you will
+      quickly put me in a situation to deserve it. Pray go on, therefore.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of the gracious cordiality of Miss de Cardoville, there was
+      always observable in her so much of that natural dignity which arises from
+      independence of character, so much elevation of soul and nobleness of
+      sentiment that Agricola, forgetting the ideal physical beauty of his
+      protectress, rather experienced for her the emotions of an affectionate
+      and kindly, though profound respect, which offered a singular and striking
+      contrast with the youth and gayety of the lovely being who inspired him
+      with this sentiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If my mother alone, madame, were exposed to the rigor which I dread. I
+      should not be so greatly disquieted with the fear of a compulsory
+      suspension of my employment. Among poor people, the poor help one another;
+      and my mother is worshipped by all the inmates of our house, our excellent
+      neighbors, who would willingly succor her. But, they themselves are far
+      from being well off; and as they would incur privations by assisting her,
+      their little benefit would still be more painful to my mother than the
+      endurance even of misery by herself. And besides, it is not only for my
+      mother that my exertions are required, but for my father, whom we have not
+      seen for eighteen years, and who has just arrived from Siberia, where he
+      remained during all that time, from zealous devotion to his former
+      general, now Marshal Simon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marshal Simon!&rdquo; said Adrienne, quickly, with an expression of much
+      surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know the marshal, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not personally know him, but he married a lady of our family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What joy!&rdquo; exclaimed the blacksmith, &ldquo;then the two young ladies, his
+      daughters, whom my father has brought from Russia, are your relations!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has Marshal Simon two daughters?&rdquo; asked Adrienne, more and more
+      astonished and interested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame, two little angels of fifteen or sixteen, and so pretty, so
+      sweet; they are twins so very much alike, as to be mistaken for one
+      another. Their mother died in exile; and the little she possessed having
+      been confiscated, they have come hither with my father, from the depths of
+      Siberia, travelling very wretchedly; but he tried to make them forget so
+      many privations by the fervency of his devotion and his tenderness. My
+      excellent father! you will not believe, madame, that, with the courage of
+      a lion, he has all the love and tenderness of a mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where are the dear children, sir?&rdquo; asked Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At our home, madame. It is that which renders my position so very hard;
+      that which has given me courage to come to you; it is not but that my
+      labor would be sufficient for our little household, even thus augmented;
+      but that I am about to be arrested.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;About to be arrested? For what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray, madame, have the goodness to read this letter, which has been sent
+      by some one to Mother Bunch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola gave to Miss de Cardoville the anonymous letter which had been
+      received by the workwoman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After having read the letter, Adrienne said to the blacksmith, with
+      surprise, &ldquo;It appears, sir, you are a poet!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have neither the ambition nor the pretension to be one, madame. Only,
+      when I return to my mother after a day&rsquo;s toil, and often, even while
+      forging my iron, in order to divert and relax my attention, I amuse myself
+      with rhymes, sometimes composing an ode, sometimes a song.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your song of the Freed Workman, which is mentioned in this letter,
+      is, therefore, very disaffected&mdash;very dangerous?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no, madame; quite the contrary. For myself, I have the good fortune
+      to be employed in the factory of M. Hardy, who renders the condition of
+      his workpeople as happy as that of their less fortunate comrades is the
+      reverse; and I had limited myself to attempt, in favor of the great mass
+      of the working classes, an equitable, sincere, warm, and earnest claim&mdash;nothing
+      more. But you are aware, perhaps, Madame, that in times of conspiracy, and
+      commotion, people are often incriminated and imprisoned on very slight
+      grounds. Should such a misfortune befall me, what will become of my
+      mother, my father, and the two orphans whom we are bound to regard as part
+      of our family until the return of their father, Marshal Simon? It is on
+      this account, madame, that, if I remain, I run the risk of being arrested.
+      I have come to you to request you to provide surety for me; so that I
+      should not be compelled to exchange the workshop for the prison, in which
+      case I can answer for it that the fruits of my labor will suffice for
+      all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank the stars!&rdquo; said Adrienne, gayly, &ldquo;this affair will arrange itself
+      quite easily. Henceforth, Mr. Poet, you shall draw your inspirations in
+      the midst of good fortune instead of adversity. Sad muse! But first of
+      all, bonds shall be given for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame, you have saved us!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To continue,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;the physician of our family is intimately
+      connected with a very important minister (understand that, as you like,&rdquo;
+       said she, smiling, &ldquo;you will not deceive yourself much). The doctor
+      exercises very great influence over this great statesman; for he has
+      always had the happiness of recommending to him, on account of his health;
+      the sweets and repose of private life, to the very eve of the day on which
+      his portfolio was taken from him. Keep yourself, then, perfectly at ease.
+      If the surety be insufficient, we shall be able to devise some other
+      means.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Agricola, with great emotion, &ldquo;I am indebted to you for the
+      repose, perhaps for the life of my mother. Believe that I shall ever be
+      grateful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is all quite simple. Now for another thing. It is proper that those
+      who have too much should have the right of coming to the aid of those who
+      have too little. Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters are members of my family, and
+      they will reside here with me, which will be more suitable. You will
+      apprise your worthy mother of this; and in the evening, besides going to
+      thank her for the hospitality which she has shown to my young relations, I
+      shall fetch them home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment Georgette, throwing open the door which separated the room
+      from an adjacent apartment, hurriedly entered, with an affrighted look,
+      exclaiming:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame, something extraordinary is going on in the street.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so? Explain yourself,&rdquo; said Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I went to conduct my dressmaker to the little garden-gate,&rdquo; said
+      Georgette; &ldquo;where I saw some ill-looking men, attentively examining the
+      walls and windows of the little out-building belonging to the pavilion, as
+      if they wished to spy out some one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Agricola, with chagrin, &ldquo;I have not been deceived. They are
+      after me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What say you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought I was followed, from the moment when I left the Rue St. Merry:
+      and now it is beyond doubt. They must have seen me enter your house; and
+      are on the watch to arrest me. Well, now that your interest has been
+      acquired for my mother,&mdash;now that I have no farther uneasiness for
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters,&mdash;rather than hazard your exposure to
+      anything the least unpleasant, I run to deliver myself up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Beware of that sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, quickly. &ldquo;Liberty is too precious to
+      be voluntarily sacrificed. Besides, Georgette may have been mistaken. But
+      in any case, I entreat you not to surrender yourself. Take my advice, and
+      escape being arrested. That, I think, will greatly facilitate my measures;
+      for I am of opinion that justice evinces a great desire to keep possession
+      of those upon whom she has once pounced.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Hebe, now also entering with a terrified look, &ldquo;a man
+      knocked at the little door, and inquired if a young man in a blue blouse
+      has not entered here. He added, that the person whom he seeks is named
+      Agricola Baudoin, and that he has something to tell him of great
+      importance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my name,&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;but the important information is a trick
+      to draw me out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Evidently,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;and therefore we must play off trick for
+      trick. What did you answer, child?&rdquo; added she, addressing herself to Hebe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I answered, that I didn&rsquo;t know what he was talking about.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite right,&rdquo; said Adrienne: &ldquo;and the man who put the question?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He went away, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without doubt to come back again, soon,&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is very probable,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;and therefore, sir, it is
+      necessary for you to remain here some hours with resignation. I am
+      unfortunately obliged to go immediately to the Princess Saint-Dizier, my
+      aunt, for an important interview, which can no longer be delayed, and is
+      rendered more pressing still by what you have told me concerning the
+      daughters of Marshal Simon. Remain here, then, sir; since if you go out,
+      you will certainly be arrested.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, pardon my refusal; but I must say once more that I ought not to
+      accept this generous offer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have tried to draw me out, in order to avoid penetrating with the
+      power of the law into your dwelling but if I go not out, they will come
+      in; and never will I expose you to anything so disagreeable. Now that I am
+      no longer uneasy about my mother, what signifies prison?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the grief that your mother will feel, her uneasiness, and her fears,&mdash;nothing?
+      Think of your father; and that poor work-woman who loves you as a brother,
+      and whom I value as a sister;&mdash;say, sir, do you forget them also?
+      Believe me, it is better to spare those torments to your family. Remain
+      here; and before the evening I am certain, either by giving surety, or
+      some other means, of delivering you from these annoyances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, madame, supposing that I do accept your generous offer, they will
+      come and find me here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not at all. There is in this pavilion, which was formerly the abode of a
+      nobleman&rsquo;s left-handed wife,&mdash;you see, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling,
+      &ldquo;that live in a very profane place&mdash;there is here a secret place of
+      concealment, so wonderfully well-contrived, that it can defy all searches.
+      Georgette will conduct you to it. You will be very well accommodated. You
+      will even be able to write some verses for me, if the place inspire you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame! how great is your goodness! how have I merited it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir, I will tell you. Admitting that your character and your position
+      do not entitle you to any interest;&mdash;admitting that I may not owe a
+      sacred debt to your father for the touching regards and cares he has
+      bestowed upon the daughters of Marshal Simon, my relations&mdash;do you
+      forget Frisky, sir?&rdquo; asked Adrienne, laughing,&mdash;&ldquo;Frisky, there, whom
+      you have restored to my fondles? Seriously, if I laugh,&rdquo; continued this
+      singular and extravagant creature, &ldquo;it is because I know that you are
+      entirely out of danger, and that I feel an increase of happiness.
+      Therefore, sir, write for me quickly your address, and your mother&rsquo;s, in
+      this pocket-book; follow Georgette; and spin me some pretty verses, if you
+      do not bore yourself too much in that prison to which you fly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While Georgette conducted the blacksmith to the hiding-place, Hebe brought
+      her mistress a small gray beaver hat with a gray feather; for Adrienne had
+      to cross the park to reach the house occupied by the Princess
+      Saint-Dizier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A quarter of an hour after this scene, Florine entered mysteriously the
+      apartment of Mrs. Grivois, the first woman of the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; demanded Mrs. Grivois of the young woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here are the notes which I have taken this morning,&rdquo; said Florine,
+      putting a paper into the duenna&rsquo;s hand. &ldquo;Happily, I have a good memory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At what time exactly did she return home this morning?&rdquo; asked the duenna,
+      quickly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Miss Adrienne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She did not go out, madame. We put her in the bath at nine o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But before nine o&rsquo;clock she came home, after having passed the night out
+      of her house. Eight o&rsquo;clock was the time at which she returned, however.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine looked at Mrs. Grivois with profound astonishment, and said-&ldquo;I do
+      not understand you, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What&rsquo;s that? Madame did not come home this morning at eight o&rsquo;clock? Dare
+      you lie?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was ill yesterday, and did not come down till nine this morning, in
+      order to assist Georgette and Hebe help our young lady from the bath. I
+      know nothing of what passed previously, I swear to you, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That alters the case. You must ferret out what I allude to from your
+      companions. They don&rsquo;t distrust you, and will tell you all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What has your mistress done this morning since you saw her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame dictated a letter to Georgette for M. Norval, I requested
+      permission to send it off, as a pretext for going out, and for writing
+      down all I recollected.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well. And this letter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jerome had to go out, and I gave it him to put in the post-office.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Idiot!&rdquo; exclaimed Mrs. Grivois: &ldquo;couldn&rsquo;t you bring it to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, as madame dictated it aloud to Georgette, as is her custom, I knew
+      the contents of the letter; and I have written it in my notes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not the same thing. It is likely there was need to delay sending
+      off this letter; the princess will be very much displeased.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought I did right, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know that it is not good will that fails you. For these six months I
+      have been satisfied with you. But this time you have committed a very
+      great mistake.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be indulgent, madame! what I do is sufficiently painful!&rdquo; The girl
+      stifled a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois looked fixedly at her, and said in a sardonic tone:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, my dear, do not continue it. If you have scruples, you are
+      free. Go your way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You well know that I am not free, madame,&rdquo; said Florine, reddening; and
+      with tears in her eyes she added: &ldquo;I am dependent upon M. Rodin, who
+      placed me here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wherefore these regrets, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In spite of one&rsquo;s self, one feels remorse. Madame is so good, and so
+      confiding.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is all perfection, certainly! But you are not here to sing her
+      praises. What occurred afterwards?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The working-man who yesterday found and brought back Frisky, came early
+      this morning and requested permission to speak with my young lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is this working-man still in her house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. He came in when I was going out with the letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must contrive to learn what it was this workingman came about.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has your mistress seemed preoccupied, uneasy, or afraid of the interview
+      which she is to have to-day with the princess? She conceals so little of
+      what she thinks, that you ought to know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She has been as gay as usual. She has even jested about the interview!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! jested, has she?&rdquo; said the tire-woman, muttering between her teeth,
+      without Florine being able to hear her: &ldquo;&lsquo;They laugh most who laugh last.&rsquo;
+      In spite of her audacious and diabolical character, she would tremble, and
+      would pray for mercy, if she knew what awaits her this day.&rdquo; Then
+      addressing Florine, she continued-&ldquo;Return, and keep yourself, I advise
+      you, from those fine scruples, which will be quite enough to do you a bad
+      turn. Do not forget!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot forget that I belong not to myself, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Anyway, let it be so. Farewell.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine quitted the mansion and crossed the park to regain the summer
+      house, while Mrs Grivois went immediately to the Princess Saint-Dizier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0042" id="link2H_4_0042">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK III.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     XXXVI. A Female Jesuit XXXVII. The Plot XXXVIII. Adrienne&rsquo;s
+     Enemies XXXIX. The Skirmish XL. The Revolt XLI. Treachery
+     XLII. The Snare XLIII. A False Friend XLIV. The Minister&rsquo;s
+     Cabinet XLV. The Visit XLVI. Presentiments XLVII. The Letter
+     XLVIII. The Confessional XLIX. My Lord and Spoil-sport L.
+     Appearances LI. The Convent LII. The Influence of a
+     Confessor LIII. The Examination
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0036" id="link2HCH0036">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVI. A FEMALE JESUIT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>uring the preceding scenes which occurred in the Pompadour rotunda,
+      occupied by Miss de Cardoville, other events took place in the residence
+      of the Princess Saint-Dizier. The elegance and sumptuousness of the former
+      dwelling presented a strong contrast to the gloomy interior of the latter,
+      the first floor of which was inhabited by the princess, for the plan of
+      the ground floor rendered it only fit for giving parties; and, for a long
+      time past, Madame de Saint-Dizier had renounced all worldly splendors. The
+      gravity of her domestics, all aged and dressed in black; the profound
+      silence which reigned in her abode, where everything was spoken, if it
+      could be called speaking, in an undertone; and the almost monastic
+      regularity and order of this immense mansion, communicated to everything
+      around the princess a sad and chilling character. A man of the world, who
+      joined great courage to rare independence of spirit, speaking of the
+      princess (to whom Adrienne de Cardoville went, according to her
+      expression, to fight a pitched battle), said of her as follows: &ldquo;In order
+      to avoid having Madame de Saint-Dizier for an enemy, I, who am neither
+      bashful nor cowardly, have, for the first time in my life, been both a
+      noodle and a coward.&rdquo; This man spoke sincerely. But Madame de Saint-Dizier
+      had not all at once arrived at this high degree of importance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Some words are necessary for the purpose of exhibiting distinctly some
+      phases in the life of this dangerous and implacable woman who, by her
+      affiliation with the Order of Jesuits, had acquired an occult and
+      formidable power. For there is something even more menacing than a Jesuit:
+      it is a Jesuits; and, when one has seen certain circles, it becomes
+      evident that there exist, unhappily, many of those affiliated, who, more
+      or less, uniformly dress (for the lay members of the Order call themselves
+      &ldquo;Jesuits of the short robe&rdquo;).
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier, once very beautiful, had been, during the last
+      years of the Empire, and the early years of the Restoration, one of the
+      most fashionable women of Paris, of a stirring, active, adventurous, and
+      commanding spirit, of cold heart, but lively imagination. She was greatly
+      given to amorous adventures, not from tenderness of heart, but from a
+      passion for intrigue, which she loved as men love play&mdash;for the sake
+      of the emotions it excites. Unhappily, such had always been the blindness
+      or the carelessness of her husband, the Prince of Saint-Dizier (eldest
+      brother of the Count of Rennepont and Duke of Cardoville, father of
+      Adrienne), that during his life he had never said one word that could make
+      it be thought that he suspected the actions of his wife. Attaching herself
+      to Napoleon, to dig a mine under the feet of the Colossus, that design at
+      least afforded emotions sufficient to gratify the humor of the most
+      insatiable. During some time, all went well. The princess was beautiful
+      and spirited, dexterous and false, perfidious and seductive. She was
+      surrounded by fanatical adorers, upon whom she played off a kind of
+      ferocious coquetry, to induce them to run their heads into grave
+      conspiracies. They hoped to resuscitate the Fonder party, and carried on a
+      very active secret correspondence with some influential personages abroad,
+      well known for their hatred against the emperor and France. Hence arose
+      her first epistolary relations with the Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny, then colonel
+      in the Russian service and aide-de-camp to General Moreau. But one day all
+      these petty intrigues were discovered. Many knights of Madame de
+      Saint-Dizier were sent to Vincennes; but the emperor, who might have
+      punished her terribly, contented himself with exiling the princess to one
+      of her estates near Dunkirk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Upon the Restoration, the persecutions which Madame de Saint-Dizier had
+      suffered for the Good Cause were entered to her credit, and she acquired
+      even then very considerable influence, in spite of the lightness of her
+      behavior. The Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny, having entered the military service of
+      France, remained there. He was handsome, and of fashionable manners and
+      address. He had corresponded and conspired with the princess, without
+      knowing her; and these circumstances necessarily led to a close connection
+      between them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Excessive self-love, a taste for exciting pleasures, aspirations of
+      hatred, pride, and lordliness, a species of evil sympathy, the perfidious
+      attraction of which brings together perverse natures without mingling
+      them, had made of the princess and the Marquis accomplices rather than
+      lovers. This connection, based upon selfish and bitter feelings, and upon
+      the support which two characters of this dangerous temper could lend to
+      each other against a world in which their spirit of intrigue, of
+      gallantry, and of contempt had made them many enemies, this connection
+      endured till the moment when, after his duel with General Simon, the
+      Marquis entered a religious house, without any one understanding the cause
+      of his unexpected and sudden resolution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess, having not yet heard the hour of her conversion strike,
+      continued to whirl round the vortex of the world with a greedy, jealous,
+      and hateful ardor, for she saw that the last years of her beauty were
+      dying out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An estimate of the character of this woman may be formed from the
+      following fact:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still very agreeable, she wished to close her worldly and volatile career
+      with some brilliant and final triumph, as a great actress knows the proper
+      time to withdraw from the stage so as to leave regrets behind. Desirous of
+      offering up this final incense to her own vanity, the princess skillfully
+      selected her victims. She spied out in the world a young couple who
+      idolized each other; and, by dint of cunning and address, she succeeded in
+      taking away the lover from his mistress, a charming woman of eighteen, by
+      whom he was adored. This triumph being achieved, Madame Saint-Dizier
+      retired from the fashionable world in the full blaze of her exploit. After
+      many long conversations with the Abbe Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who had become a
+      renowned preacher, she departed suddenly from Paris, and spent two years
+      upon her estate near Dunkirk, to which she took only one of her female
+      attendants, viz., Mrs. Grivois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the princess afterwards returned to Paris, it was impossible to
+      recognize the frivolous, intriguing, and dissipated woman she had formerly
+      been. The metamorphosis was as complete as it was extraordinary and even
+      startling. Saint-Dizier House, heretofore open to the banquets and
+      festivals of every kind of pleasure, became gloomily silent and austere.
+      Instead of the world of elegance and fashion, the princess now received in
+      her mansion only women of ostentatious piety, and men of consequence, who
+      were remarkably exemplary by the extravagant rigor of their religious and
+      monarchial principles. Above all, she drew around her several noted
+      members of the higher orders of the clergy. She was appointed patroness of
+      a body of religious females. She had her own confessor, chaplin, almoner,
+      and even spiritual director; but this last performed his functions in
+      partibus. The Marquis-Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny continued in reality to be her
+      spiritual guide; and it is almost unnecessary to say that for a long time
+      past their mutual relations as to flirting had entirely ceased.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This sudden and complete conversion of a gay and distinguished woman,
+      especially as it was loudly trumpeted forth, struck the greater number of
+      persons with wonder and respect. Others, more discerning, only smiled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A single anecdote, from amongst a thousand, will suffice to show the
+      alarming influence and power which the princess had acquired since her
+      affiliation with the Jesuits. This anecdote will also exhibit the deep,
+      vindictive, and pitiless character of this woman, whom Adrienne de
+      Cardoville had so imprudently made herself ready to brave.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amongst the persons who smiled more or less at the conversion of Madame de
+      Saint-Dizier were the young and charming couple whom she had so cruelly
+      disunited before she quitted forever the scenes of revelry in which she
+      had lived. The young couple became more impassioned and devoted to each
+      other than ever; they were reconciled and married, after the passing storm
+      which had hurled them asunder; and they indulged in no other vengeance
+      against the author of their temporary infelicity than that of mildly
+      jesting at the pious conversion of the woman who had done them so much
+      injury.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Some time after, a terrible fatality overtook the loving pair. The
+      husband, until then blindly unsuspicious, was suddenly inflamed by
+      anonymous communications. A dreadful rupture ensued, and the young wife
+      perished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for the husband, certain vague rumors, far from distinct, yet pregnant
+      with secret meanings, perfidiously contrived, and a thousand times more
+      detestable than formal accusations, which can, at least, be met and
+      destroyed, were strewn about him with so much perseverance, with a skill
+      so diabolical, and by means and ways so very various, that his best
+      friends, by little and little, withdrew themselves from him, thus yielding
+      to the slow, irresistible influence of that incessant whispering and
+      buzzing, confused as indistinct, amounting to some such results as
+      this-&ldquo;Well! you know!&rdquo; says one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No!&rdquo; replies another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;People say very vile things about him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do they? really! What then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know! Bad reports! Rumors grievously affecting his honor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The deuce! That&rsquo;s very serious. It accounts for the coldness with which
+      he is now everywhere received!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall avoid him in future!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So will I,&rdquo; etc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such is the world, that very often nothing more than groundless surmises
+      are necessary to brand a man whose very, happiness may have incurred envy.
+      So it was with the gentleman of whom we speak. The unfortunate man, seeing
+      the void around him extending itself,&mdash;feeling (so to speak) the
+      earth crumbling from beneath his feet, knew not where to find or grasp the
+      impalpable enemy whose blows he felt; for not once had the idea occurred
+      to him of suspecting the princess, whom he had not seen since his
+      adventure with her. Anxiously desiring to learn why he was so much shunned
+      and despised, he at length sought an explanation from an old friend; but
+      he received only a disdainfully evasive answer; at which, being
+      exasperated, he demanded satisfaction. His adversary replied&mdash;&ldquo;If you
+      can find two persons of our acquaintance, I will fight you!&rdquo; The unhappy
+      man could not find one!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally, forsaken by all, without having ever obtained an explanation of
+      the reason for forsaking him&mdash;suffering keenly for the fate of the
+      wife whom he had lost, he became mad with grief, rage, and despair, and
+      killed himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the day of his death, Madame de Saint-Dizier remarked that it was fit
+      and necessary that one who had lived so shamefully should come to an
+      equally shameful end, and that he who had so long jested at all laws,
+      human and divine, could not seemly otherwise terminate his wretched life
+      than by perpetrating a last crime&mdash;suicide! And the friends of Madame
+      de Saint-Dizier hawked about and everywhere repeated these terrible words
+      with a contrite air, as if beatified and convinced! But this was not all.
+      Along with chastisements there were rewards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Observant people remarked that the favorites of the religious clan of
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier rose to high distinction with singular rapidity.
+      The virtuous young men, such as were religiously attentive to tiresome
+      sermons, were married to rich orphans of the Sacred Heart Convents, who
+      were held in reserve for the purpose; poor young girls, who, learning too
+      late what it is to have a pious husband selected and imposed upon them by
+      a set of devotees, often expiated by very bitter tears the deceitful favor
+      of thus being admitted into a world of hypocrisy and falsehood, in which
+      they found themselves strangers without support, crushed by it if they
+      dared to complain of the marriages to which they had been condemned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the parlor of Madame de Saint-Dizier were appointed prefects, colonels,
+      treasurers, deputies, academicians, bishops and peers of the realm, from
+      whom nothing more was required in return for the all-powerful support
+      bestowed upon them, but to wear a pious gloss, sometimes publicly take the
+      communion, swear furious war against everything impious or revolutionary,&mdash;and
+      above all, correspond confidentially upon &ldquo;different subjects of his
+      choosing&rdquo; with the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny,&mdash;an amusement, moreover, which
+      was very agreeable; for the abbe was the most amiable man in the world,
+      the most witty, and above all, the most obliging. The following is an
+      historical fact, which requires the bitter and vengeful irony of Moliere
+      or Pascal to do it justice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During the last year of the Restoration, there was one of the mighty
+      dignitaries of the court a firm and independent man, who did not make
+      profession (as the holy fathers call it), that is, who did not communicate
+      at the altar. The splendor amid which he moved was calculated to give the
+      weight of a very injurious example to his indifference. The Abbe-Marquis
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny was therefore despatched to him; and he knowing the honorable
+      and elevated character of the non communicant, thought that if he could
+      only bring him to profess by any means (whatever the means might be) the
+      effect would be what was desired. Like a man of intellect, the abbe prized
+      the dogma but cheaply himself. He only spoke of the suitableness of the
+      step, and of the highly salutary example which the resolution to adopt it
+      would afford to the public.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Abbe,&rdquo; replied the person sought to be influenced, &ldquo;I have a greater
+      respect for religion than you have. I should consider it an infamous
+      mockery to go to the communion table without feeling the proper
+      conviction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nonsense! you inflexible man! you frowning Alcestes,&rdquo; said the Marquis
+      Abbe, smiling slyly. &ldquo;Your profits and your scruples will go together,
+      believe me, by listening to me. In short, we shall manage to make it a
+      BLANK COMMUNION for you; for after all, what is it that we ask?&mdash;only
+      the APPEARANCE!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Now, a BLANK COMMUNION means breaking an unconsecrated wafer!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Abbe-Marquis retired with his offers, which were rejected with
+      indignation;&mdash;but then, the refractory man was dismissed from his
+      place at court. This was but a single isolated fact. Woe to all who found
+      themselves opposed to the interest and principles of Madame de Saint
+      Dizier or her friends! Sooner or later, directly or indirectly, they felt
+      themselves cruelly stabbed, generally immediately&mdash;some in their
+      dearest connections, others in their credit, some in their honor; others
+      in their official functions; and all by secret action, noiseless,
+      continuous, and latent, in time becoming a terrible and mysterious
+      dissolvent, which invisibly undermined reputations, fortunes, positions
+      the most solidly established, until the moment when all sunk forever into
+      the abyss, amid the surprise and terror of the beholders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It will now be conceived how under the Restoration the Princess de Saint
+      Dizier had become singularly influential and formidable. At the time of
+      the Revolution of July (1830) she had &ldquo;rallied,&rdquo; and, strangely enough, by
+      preserving some relation of family and of society with persons faithful to
+      the worship of decayed monarchy, people still attributed to the princess
+      much influence and power. Let us mention, at last, that the Prince of
+      Saint-Dizier, having died many years since, his very large personal
+      fortune had descended to his younger brother, the father of Adrienne de
+      Cardoville; and he, having died eighteen months ago, that young lady found
+      herself to be the last and only representative of that branch of the
+      family of the Renneponts.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10357m.jpg" alt="10357m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10357.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The Princess of Saint-Dizier awaited her niece in a very large room,
+      rendered dismal by its gloomy green damask. The chairs, etc., covered with
+      similar stuff, were of carved ebony. Paintings of scriptural and other
+      religious subjects, and an ivory crucifix thrown up from a background of
+      black velvet, contributed to give the apartment a lugubrious and austere
+      aspect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier, seated before a large desk, has just finished
+      putting the seals on numerous letters; for she had a very extensive and
+      very diversified correspondence. Though then aged about forty-five she was
+      still fair. Advancing years had somewhat thickened her shape, which
+      formerly of distinguished elegance, was still sufficiently handsome to be
+      seen to advantage under the straight folds of her black dress. Her
+      headdress, very simple, decorated with gray ribbons, allowed her fair
+      sleek hair to be seen arranged in broad bands. At first look, people were
+      struck with her dignified though unassuming appearance; and would have
+      vainly tried to discover in her physiognomy, now marked with repentant
+      calmness, any trace of the agitations of her past life. So naturally grave
+      and reserved was she, that people could not believe her the heroine of so
+      many intrigues and adventures and gallantry. Moreover, if by chance she
+      ever heard any lightness of conversation, her countenance, since she had
+      come to believe herself a kind of &ldquo;mother in the Church,&rdquo; immediately
+      expressed candid but grieved astonishment, which soon changed into an air
+      of offended chastity and disdainful pity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For the rest, her smile, when requisite, was still full of grace, and even
+      of the seducing and resistless sweetness of seeming good-nature. Her large
+      blue eyes, on fit occasions, became affectionate and caressing. But if any
+      one dared to wound or ruffle her pride, gainsay her orders or harm her
+      interests, her countenance, usually placid and serene, betrayed a cold but
+      implacable malignity. Mrs. Grivois entered the cabinet, holding in her
+      hand Florine&rsquo;s report of the manner in which Adrienne de Cardoville had
+      spent the morning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois had been about twenty years in the service of Madame de
+      Saint-Dizier. She knew everything that a lady&rsquo;s-maid could or ought to
+      have known of her mistress in the days of her sowing of wild (being a
+      lady) flowers. Was it from choice that the princess had still retained
+      about her person this so-well-informed witness of the numerous follies of
+      her youth? The world was kept in ignorance of the motive; but one thing
+      was evident, viz., that Mrs. Grivois enjoyed great privileges under the
+      princess, and was treated by her rather as a companion than as a tiring
+      woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here are Florine&rsquo;s notes, madame,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, giving the paper to
+      the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will examine them presently,&rdquo; said the princess; &ldquo;but tell me, is my
+      niece coming? Pending the conference at which she is to be present, you
+      will conduct into her house a person who will soon be here, to inquire for
+      you by my desire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This man will make an exact inventory of everything contained in
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s residence. You will take care that nothing is omitted; for that
+      is of very great importance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame. But should Georgette or Hebe make any opposition?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no fear; the man charged with taking the inventory is of such a
+      stamp, that when they know him, they will not dare to oppose either his
+      making the inventory, or his other steps. It will be necessary not to
+      fail, as you go along with him, to be careful to obtain certain
+      peculiarities destined to confirm the reports which you have spread for
+      some time past.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not have the slightest doubt, madame. The reports have all the
+      consistency of truth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very soon, then, this Adrienne, so insolent and so haughty, will be
+      crushed and compelled to pray for pardon; and from me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      An old footman opened both of the folding doors, and announced the
+      Marquis-Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If Miss de Cardoville present herself,&rdquo; said the princess to Mrs.
+      Grivois, &ldquo;you will request her to wait an instant.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame,&rdquo; said the duenna, going out with the servant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier and D&rsquo;Aigrigny remained alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0037" id="link2HCH0037">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVII. THE PLOT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he Abbe-Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny, as the reader has easily divined, was the
+      person already seen in the Rue du Milieu-des-Ursins; whence he had
+      departed from Rome, in which city he had remained about three months. The
+      marquis was dressed in deep mourning, but with his usual elegance. His was
+      not a priestly robe; his black coat, and his waistcoat, tightly gathered
+      in at the waist, set off to great advantage the elegance of his figure:
+      his black cassimere pantaloons disguised his feet, exactly fitted with
+      lace boots, brilliantly polished. And all traces of his tonsure
+      disappeared in the midst of the slight baldness which whitened slightly
+      the back part of his head. There was nothing in his entire costume, or
+      aspect, that revealed the priest, except, perhaps, the entire absence of
+      beard, the more remarkable upon so manly a countenance. His chin, newly
+      shaved, rested on a large and elevated black cravat, tied with a military
+      ostentation which reminded the beholder, that this abbe-marquis this
+      celebrated preacher&mdash;now one of the most active and influential
+      chiefs of his order, had commanded a regiment of hussars upon the
+      Restoration, and had fought in aid of the Russians against France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Returned to Paris only this morning, the marquis had not seen the princess
+      since his mother, the Dowager Marchioness d&rsquo;Aigrigny, had died near
+      Dunkirk, upon an estate belonging to Madame de Saint-Dizier, while vainly
+      calling for her son to alleviate her last moments; but the order to which
+      M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny had thought fit to sacrifice the most sacred feeling and
+      duties of nature, having been suddenly transmitted to him from Rome, he
+      had immediately set out for that city; though not without hesitation,
+      which was remarked and denounced by Rodin; for the love of M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      for his mother had been the only pure feeling that had invariably
+      distinguished his life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the servant had discreetly withdrawn with Mrs. Grivois, the marquis
+      quickly approached the princess, held out his hand to her, and said with a
+      voice of emotion:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Herminia, have you not concealed something in your letters. In her last
+      moments did not my mother curse me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, Frederick, compose yourself. She had anxiously desired your
+      presence. Her ideas soon became confused. But in her delirium it was still
+      for you that she called.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the marquis, bitterly; &ldquo;her maternal instinct doubtless
+      assured her that my presence could have saved her life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I entreat you to banish these sad recollections,&rdquo; said the princess,
+      &ldquo;this misfortune is irreparable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell me for the last time, truly, did not my absence cruelly affect my
+      mother? Had she no suspicion that a more imperious duty called me
+      elsewhere?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, I assure you. Even when her reason was shaken, she believed that
+      you had not yet had time to come to her. All the sad details which I wrote
+      to you upon this painful subject are strictly true. Again, I beg of you to
+      compose yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my conscience ought to be easy; for I have fulfilled my duty in
+      sacrificing my mother. Yet I have never been able to arrive at that
+      complete detachment from natural affection, which is commanded to us by
+      those awful words: &lsquo;He who hates not his father and his mother, even with
+      the soul, cannot be my disciple.&rsquo;&rdquo;(9)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless, Frederick,&rdquo; said the princess, &ldquo;these renunciations are
+      painful. But, in return, what influence, what power!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; said the marquis, after a moment&rsquo;s silence. &ldquo;What ought not
+      to be sacrificed in order to reign in secret over the all-powerful of the
+      earth, who lord it in full day? This journey to Rome, from which I have
+      just returned, has given me a new idea of our formidable power. For,
+      Herminia, it is Rome which is the culminating point, overlooking the
+      fairest and broadest quarters of the globe, made so by custom, by
+      tradition, or by faith. Thence can our workings be embraced in their full
+      extent. It is an uncommon view to see from its height the myriad tools,
+      whose personality is continually absorbed into the immovable personality
+      of our Order. What a might we possess! Verily, I am always swayed with
+      admiration, aye, almost frightened, that man once thinks, wishes,
+      believes, and acts as he alone lists, until, soon ours, he becomes but a
+      human shell; its kernel of intelligence, mind, reason, conscience, and
+      free will, shrivelled within him, dry and withered by the habit of mutely,
+      fearingly bowing under mysterious tasks, which shatter and slay everything
+      spontaneous in the human soul! Then do we infuse in such spiritless clay,
+      speechless, cold, and motionless as corpses, the breath of our Order, and,
+      lo! the dry bones stand up and walk, acting and executing, though only
+      within the limits which are circled round them evermore. Thus do they
+      become mere limbs of the gigantic trunk, whose impulses they mechanically
+      carry out, while ignorant of the design, like the stonecutter who shapes
+      out a stone, unaware if it be for cathedral or bagnio.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In so speaking, the marquis&rsquo;s features wore an incredible air of proud and
+      domineering haughtiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! this power is great, most great,&rdquo; observed the princess; &ldquo;and
+      the more formidable because it moves in a mysterious way over minds and
+      consciences.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Aye, Herminia,&rdquo; said the marquis: &ldquo;I have had under my command a
+      magnificent regiment. Very often have I experienced the energetic and
+      exquisite enjoyment of command! At my word my squadrons put themselves in
+      action; bugles blared, my officers, glittering in golden embroidery,
+      galloped everywhere to repeat my orders: all my brave soldiers, burning
+      with courage, and cicatrized by battles, obeyed my signal; and I felt
+      proud and strong, holding as I did (so to speak) in my hands, the force
+      and valor of each and all combined into one being of resistless strength
+      and invincible intrepidity,&mdash;of all of which I was as much the
+      master, as I mastered the rage and fire of my war-horse! Aye! that was
+      greatness. But now, in spite of the misfortunes which have befallen our
+      Order, I feel myself a thousand times more ready for action, more
+      authoritative, more strong and more daring, at the head of our mute and
+      black-robed militia, who only think and wish, or move and obey,
+      mechanically, according to my will. On a sign they scatter over the
+      surface of the globe, gliding stealthily into households under the guise
+      of confessing the wife or teaching the children, into family affairs by
+      hearing the dying avowals,&mdash;up to the throne through the quaking
+      conscience of a credulous crowned coward;&mdash;aye, even to the chair of
+      the Pope himself, living manifesto of the Godhead though he is, by the
+      services rendered him or imposed by him. Is not this secret rule, made to
+      kindle or glut the wildest ambition, as it reaches from the cradle to the
+      grave, from the laborer&rsquo;s hovel to the royal palace, from palace to the
+      papal chair? What career in all the world presents such splendid openings?
+      what unutterable scorn ought I not feel for the bright butterfly life of
+      early days, when we made so many envy us? Don&rsquo;t you remember, Herminia?&rdquo;
+       he added, with a bitter smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, perfectly right, Frederick!&rdquo; replied the princess quickly.
+      &ldquo;How little soever we may reflect, with what contempt do we not think upon
+      the past! I, like you, often compare it with the present; and then what
+      satisfaction I feel at having followed your counsels! For, indeed, without
+      you, I should have played the miserable and ridiculous part which a woman
+      always plays in her decline from having been beautiful and surrounded by
+      admirers. What could I have done at this hour? I should have vainly
+      striven to retain around me a selfish and ungrateful world of gross and
+      shameful men, who court women only that they may turn them to the service
+      of their passions, or to the gratification of their vanity. It is true
+      that there would have remained to me the resource of what is called
+      keeping an agreeable house for all others,&mdash;yes, in order to
+      entertain them, be visited by a crowd of the indifferent, to afford
+      opportunities of meeting to amorous young couples, who, following each
+      other from parlor to parlor, come not to your house but for the purpose of
+      being together; a very pretty pleasure, truly, that of harboring those
+      blooming, laughing, amorous youths, who look upon the luxury and
+      brilliancy with which one surrounds them, as if they were their due upon
+      bonds to minister to their pleasure, and to their impudent amours!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Her words were so stinging, and such hateful envy sat upon her face, that
+      she betrayed the intense bitterness of her regrets in spite of herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;NO, no; thanks to you, Frederick,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;After a last and
+      brilliant triumph, I broke forever with the world, which would soon have
+      abandoned me, though I was so long its idol and its queen. And I have only
+      changed my queendom. Instead of the dissipated men whom I ruled with a
+      frivolity superior to their own, I now find myself surrounded by men of
+      high consideration, of redoubtable character, and all-powerful, many of
+      whom have governed the state; to them I have devoted myself, as they have
+      devoted themselves to me! It is now only that I really enjoy that
+      happiness, of which I ever dreamt. I have taken an active part and have
+      exercised a powerful influence over the greatest interests of the world; I
+      have been initiated into the most important secrets; I have been able to
+      strike, surely, whosoever scoffed at or hated me; and I have been able to
+      elevate beyond their hopes those who have served or respected and obeyed
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are some madmen, and some so blind, that they imagine that we are
+      struck down, because we ourselves have had to struggle against some
+      misfortunes,&rdquo; said M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, disdainfully, &ldquo;as if we were not, above
+      all others, securely founded, organized for every struggle, and drew not
+      from our very struggles a new and more vigorous activity. Doubtless the
+      times are bad. But they will become better; and, as you know, it is nearly
+      certain that in a few days (the 13th of February), we shall have at our
+      disposal a means of action sufficiently powerful for re establishing our
+      influence which has been temporarily shaken.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, doubtless this affair of the medals is most important,&rdquo; said the
+      princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should not have made so much haste to return hither,&rdquo; resumed the abbe,
+      &ldquo;were it not to act in what will be, perhaps, for us, a very great event.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you are aware of the fatality which has once again overthrown
+      projects the most laboriously conceived and matured?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; immediately on arriving I saw Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And he told you&mdash;?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The inconceivable arrival of the Indian, and of General Simon&rsquo;s daughters
+      at Cardoville Castle, after a double shipwreck, which threw them upon the
+      coast of Picardy; though it was deemed certain that the young girls were
+      at Leipsic, and the Indian in Java. Precautions were so well taken,
+      indeed,&rdquo; added the marquis in vexation, &ldquo;that one would think an invisible
+      power protects this family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Happily, Rodin is a man of resources and activity,&rdquo; resumed the princess.
+      &ldquo;He came here last night, and we had a long conversation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the result of your consultation is excellent,&rdquo; added the marquis:
+      &ldquo;the old soldier is to be kept out of the way for two days; and his wife&rsquo;s
+      confessor has been posted; the rest will proceed of itself. To morrow, the
+      girls need no longer be feared; and the Indian remains at Cardoville,
+      wounded dangerously. We have plenty of time for action.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But that is not all,&rdquo; continued the princess: &ldquo;there are still, without
+      reckoning my niece, two persons, who, for our interests, ought not to be
+      found in Paris on the 13th of February.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, M. Hardy: but his most dear and intimate friend has betrayed him;
+      for, by means of that friend, we have drawn M. Hardy into the South,
+      whence it is impossible for him to return before a month. As for that
+      miserable vagabond workman, surnamed &lsquo;Sleepinbuff!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fie!&rdquo; exclaimed the princess, with an expression of outraged modesty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That man,&rdquo; resumed the marquis, &ldquo;is no longer an object of inquietude.
+      Lastly, Gabriel, upon whom our vast and certain hope reposes, will not be
+      left by himself for a single minute until the great day. Everything seems,
+      you see, to promise success; indeed, more so than ever; and it is
+      necessary to obtain this success at any price. It is for us a question of
+      life or death; for, in returning, I stopped at Forli, and there saw the
+      Duke d&rsquo;Orbano. His influence over the mind of the king is all powerful&mdash;indeed,
+      absolute; and he has completely prepossessed the royal mind. It is with
+      the duke alone, then, that it is possible to treat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10365m.jpg" alt="10365m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10365.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;D&rsquo;Orbano has gained strength; and he can, I know it, assure to us a legal
+      existence, highly protected, in the dominions of his master, with full
+      charge of popular education. Thanks to such advantages, after two or three
+      years in that country we shall become so deeply rooted, that this very
+      Duke d&rsquo;Orbano, in his turn, will have to solicit support and protection
+      from us. But at present he has everything in his power; and he puts an
+      absolute condition upon his services.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the condition?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Five millions down; and an annual pension of a hundred thousand francs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, but little if it be considered that our foot once planted in that
+      country, we shall promptly repossess ourselves of that sum, which, after
+      all, is scarcely an eighth part of what the affair of the medals, if
+      happily brought to an issue, ought to assure to the Order.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, nearly forty millions,&rdquo; said the princess, thoughtfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And again: these five millions that Orbano demands will be but an
+      advance. They will be returned to us in voluntary gifts, by reason even of
+      the increase of influence that we shall acquire from the education of
+      children; through whom we have their families. And yet, the fools
+      hesitate! those who govern see not, that in doing our own business, we do
+      theirs also;&mdash;that in abandoning education to us (which is what we
+      wish for above all things) we mold the people into that mute and quiet
+      obedience, that servile and brutal submission, which assures the repose of
+      states by the immobility of the mind. They don&rsquo;t reflect that most of the
+      upper and middle classes fear and hate us; don&rsquo;t understand that (when we
+      have persuaded the mass that their wretchedness is an eternal law, that
+      sufferers must give up hope of relief, that it is a crime to sigh for
+      welfare in this world, since the crown of glory on high is the only reward
+      for misery here), then the stupefied people will resignedly wallow in the
+      mire, all their impatient aspirations for better days smothered, and the
+      volcano-blasts blown aside, which made the future of rulers so horrid and
+      so dark? They see not, in truth, that this blind and passive faith which
+      we demand from the mass, furnishes their rulers with a bridle with which
+      both to conduct and curb them; whilst we ask from the happy of the world
+      only some appearances which ought, if they had only the knowledge of their
+      own corruption, to give an increased stimulant to their pleasures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It signifies not,&rdquo; resumed the princess; &ldquo;since, as you say, a great day
+      is at hand, bringing nearly forty millions, of which the Order can become
+      possessed by the happy success of the affair of the medals. We certainly
+      can attempt very great things. Like a lever in your hands, such a means of
+      action would be of incalculable power, in times during which all men buy
+      and sell one another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then,&rdquo; resumed M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with a thoughtful air, &ldquo;here the
+      reaction continues: the example of France is everything. In Austria and
+      Holland we can rarely maintain ourselves; while the resources of the Order
+      diminish from day to day. We have arrived at a crisis; but it can be made
+      to prolong itself. Thus, thanks to the immense resource of the affair of
+      the medals, we can not only brave all eventualities, but we can again
+      powerfully establish ourselves, thanks to the offer of the Duke d&rsquo;Orbano,
+      which we accept; and then, from that inassailable centre, our radiations
+      will be incalculable. Ah! the 13th of February!&rdquo; added M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      after a moment of silence, and shaking his head: &ldquo;the 13th of February, a
+      date perhaps fortunate and famous for our power as that of the council
+      which gave to us (so to say) a new life!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And nothing must be spared.&rdquo; resumed the princess, &ldquo;in order to succeed
+      at any price. Of the six persons whom we have to fear, five are or will be
+      out of any condition to hurt us. There remains then only my niece; and you
+      know that I have waited but for your arrival in order to take my last
+      resolution. All my preparations are completed; and this very morning we
+      will begin to act.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have your suspicions increased since your last letter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I am certain that she is more instructed than she wishes to appear;
+      and if so, we shall not have a more dangerous enemy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such has always been my opinion. Thus it is six month: since I advised
+      you to take in all cases the measures which you have adopted, in order to
+      provoke, on her part, that demand of emancipation, the consequences of
+      which now render quite easy that which would have been impossible without
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last,&rdquo; said the princess, with an expression of joy, hateful and
+      bitter, &ldquo;this indomitable spirit will be broken. I am at length about to
+      be avenged of the many insolent sarcasms which I have been compelled to
+      swallow, lest I should awaken her suspicions. I! I to have borne so much
+      till now! for this Adrienne has made it her business (imprudent as she
+      is!) to irritate me against herself!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whosoever offends you, offends me; you know it,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;my
+      hatreds are yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you yourself!&rdquo; said the princess, &ldquo;how many times have you been the
+      butt of her poignant irony!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My instincts seldom deceive me. I am certain that this young girl may
+      become a dangerous enemy for us,&rdquo; said the marquis, with a voice painfully
+      broken into short monosyllables.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, therefore, it is necessary that she may be rendered incapable of
+      exciting further fear,&rdquo; responded Madame de Saint-Dizier, fixedly
+      regarding the marquis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you seen Dr. Baleinier, and the sub-guardian, M. Tripeaud?&rdquo; asked
+      he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They will be here this morning. I have informed them of everything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did you find them well disposed to act against her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly so&mdash;and the best is, Adrienne does not at all suspect the
+      doctor, who has known how, up to a certain point, to preserve her
+      confidence. Moreover, a circumstance which appears to me inexplicable has
+      come to our aid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you allude to?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning, Mrs. Grivois went, according to my orders, to remind
+      Adrienne that I expected her at noon, upon important business. As she
+      approached the pavilion, Mrs. Grivois saw, or thought she saw, Adrienne
+      come in by the little garden-gate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you tell me? Is it possible? Is there any positive proof of it?&rdquo;
+       cried the marquis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Till now, there is no other proof than the spontaneous declaration of
+      Mrs. Grivois: but whilst I think of it,&rdquo; said the Princess, taking up a
+      paper that lay before her, &ldquo;here is the report, which, every day, one of
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s women makes to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The one that Rodin succeeded in introducing into your niece&rsquo;s service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The same; as this creature is entirely in Rodin&rsquo;s hands, she has hitherto
+      answered our purpose very well. In this report, we shall perhaps find the
+      confirmation of what Mrs. Grivois affirms she saw.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had the Princess glanced at the note, than she exclaimed almost in
+      terror: &ldquo;What do I see? Why, Adrienne is a very demon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The bailiff at Cardoville, having written to my niece to ask her
+      recommendation, informed her at the same time of the stay of the Indian
+      prince at the castle. She knows that he is her relation, and has just
+      written to her old drawing-master, Norval, to set out post with Eastern
+      dresses, and bring Prince Djalma hither&mdash;the man that must be kept
+      away from Paris at any cost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The marquis grew pale, and said to Mme. de Saint-Dizier: &ldquo;If this be not
+      merely one of her whims, the eagerness she displays in sending for this
+      relation hither, proves that she knows more than you even suspected. She
+      is &lsquo;posted&rsquo; on the affair of the medals. Have a care&mdash;she may ruin
+      all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case,&rdquo; said the princess, resolutely, &ldquo;there is no room to
+      hesitate. We must carry things further than we thought, and make an end
+      this very morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, though it is almost impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, all is possible. The doctor and M. Tripeaud are ours,&rdquo; said the
+      princess, hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Though I am as sure as you are of the doctor, or of M. Tripeaud, under
+      present circumstances, we must not touch on the question of acting&mdash;which
+      will be sure to frighten them at first&mdash;until after our interview
+      with your niece. It will be easy, notwithstanding her cleverness, to find
+      out her armor&rsquo;s defect. If our suspicions should be realized&mdash;if she
+      is really informed of what it would be so dangerous for her to know&mdash;then
+      we must have no scruples, and above all no delay. This very day must see
+      all set at rest. The time for wavering is past.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you been able to send for the person agreed on?&rdquo; asked the princess,
+      after a moment&rsquo;s silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was to be here at noon. He cannot be long.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought this room would do very well for our purpose. It is separated
+      from the smaller parlor by a curtain only behind which your man may be
+      stationed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Capital!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he a man to be depended on?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite so&mdash;we have often employed him in similar matters. He is as
+      skillful as discreet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment a low knock was heard at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; said the princess.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10349m.jpg" alt="10349m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10349.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dr. Baleinier wishes to know if her Highness the Princess can receive
+      him,&rdquo; asked the valet-de-chambre.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly. Beg him to walk in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is also a gentleman that M. l&rsquo;Abbe appointed to be here at noon, by
+      whose orders I have left him waiting in the oratory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Tis the person in question,&rdquo; said the marquis to the princess. &ldquo;We must
+      have him in first. &lsquo;Twould be useless for Dr. Baleinier to see him at
+      present.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Show this person in first,&rdquo; said the princess; &ldquo;next when I ring the
+      bell, you will beg Dr. Baleinier to walk this way: and, if Baron Tripeaud
+      should call, you will bring him here also. After that, I am at home to no
+      one, except Mdlle. Adrienne.&rdquo; The servant went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (9) With regard to this text, a commentary upon it will be found in the
+      Constitutions of the Jesuits, as follows: &ldquo;In order that the habit of
+      language may come to the help of the sentiments, it is wise not to say, &lsquo;I
+      have parents, or I have brothers;&rsquo; but to say, &lsquo;I had parents; I had
+      brothers.&rsquo;&rdquo;&mdash;General Examination, p. 29; Constitutions.&mdash;Paulin;
+      1843. Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0038" id="link2HCH0038">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVIII. ADRIENNE&rsquo;S ENEMIES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he Princess de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s valet soon returned, showing in a little,
+      pale man, dressed in black, and wearing spectacles. He carried under his
+      left arm a long black morocco writing-case.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess said to this man: &ldquo;M. l&rsquo;Abbe, I suppose, has already informed
+      you of what is to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, your highness,&rdquo; said the man in a faint, shrill, piping voice,
+      making at the same time a low bow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall you be conveniently placed in this room?&rdquo; asked the princess,
+      conducting him to the adjoining apartment, which was only separated from
+      the other by a curtain hung before a doorway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall do nicely here, your highness,&rdquo; answered the man in spectacles,
+      with a second and still lower bow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that case, sir, please to step in here; I will let you know when it is
+      time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall wait your highness&rsquo;s order.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And pray remember my instructions,&rdquo; added the marquis, as he unfastened
+      the loops of the curtain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may be perfectly tranquil, M. l&rsquo;Abbe.&rdquo; The heavy drapery, as it fell,
+      completely concealed the man in spectacles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess touched the bell; some moments after, the door opened, and
+      the servant announced a very important personage in this work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dr. Baleinier was about fifty years of age, middling size, rather plump,
+      with a full shining, ruddy countenance. His gray hair, very smooth and
+      rather long, parted by a straight line in the middle, fell flat over his
+      temples. He had retained the fashion of wearing short, black silk
+      breeches, perhaps because he had a well-formed leg; his garters were
+      fastened with small, golden buckles, as were his shoes of polished morocco
+      leather; his coat, waistcoat, and cravat were black, which gave him rather
+      a clerical appearance; his sleek, white hand was half hidden beneath a
+      cambric ruffle, very closely plaited; on the whole, the gravity of his
+      costume did not seem to exclude a shade of foppery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His face was acute and smiling; his small gray eye announced rare
+      penetration and sagacity. A man of the world and a man of pleasure, a
+      delicate epicure, witty in conversation, polite to obsequiousness, supple,
+      adroit, insinuating, Baleinier was one of the oldest favorites of the
+      congregational set of the Princess de Saint-Dizier. Thanks to this
+      powerful support, its cause unknown, the doctor, who had been long
+      neglected, in spite of real skill and incontestable merit, found himself,
+      under the Restoration, suddenly provided with two medical sinecures most
+      valuable, and soon after with numerous patients. We must add, that, once
+      under the patronage of the princess, the doctor began scrupulously to
+      observe his religious duties; he communicated once a week, with great
+      publicity, at the high mass in Saint Thomas Aquinas Church.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the year&rsquo;s end, a certain class of patients, led by the example and
+      enthusiasm of Madame de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s followers, would have no other
+      physician than Doctor Baleinier, and his practice was now increased to an
+      extraordinary degree. It may be conceived how important it was for the
+      order, to have amongst its &ldquo;plain clothes members&rdquo; one of the most popular
+      practitioners of Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A doctor has in some sort a priesthood of his own. Admitted at all hours
+      to the most secret intimacy of families, he knows, guesses, and is able to
+      effect much. Like the priest, in short, he has the ear of the sick and the
+      dying. Now, when he who cares for the health of the body, and he who takes
+      charge of the health of the soul, understands each other, and render
+      mutual aid for the advancement of a common interest, there is nothing
+      (with certain exceptions), which they may not extract from the weakness
+      and fears of a sick man at the last gasp&mdash;not for themselves (the
+      laws forbid it)&mdash;but for third parties belonging more or less to the
+      very convenient class of men of straw. Doctor Baleinier was therefore one
+      of the most active and valuable assistant members of the Paris Jesuits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When he entered the room, he hastened to kiss the princess&rsquo;s hand with the
+      most finished gallantry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always punctual, my dear M. Baleinier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always eager and happy to attend to your highness&rsquo;s orders.&rdquo; Then turning
+      towards the marquis, whose hand he pressed cordially, he added: &ldquo;Here we
+      have you then at last. Do you know, that three months&rsquo; absence appears
+      very long to your friends?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The time is as long to the absent as to those who remain, my dear doctor.
+      Well! here is the great day, Mdlle. de Cardoville is coming.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not quite easy,&rdquo; said the princess; &ldquo;suppose she had any suspicion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s impossible,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier; &ldquo;we are the best friends in the
+      world. You know, that Mdlle. Adrienne has always had great confidence in
+      me. The day before yesterday, we laughed a good deal, and as I made some
+      observations to her, as usual, on her eccentric mode of life, and on the
+      singular state of excitement in which I sometimes found her&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Baleinier never fails to insist on these circumstances, in appearance
+      so insignificant,&rdquo; said Madame de Saint-Dizier to the marquis with a
+      meaning look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are indeed very essential,&rdquo; replied the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mdlle. Adrienne answered my observations,&rdquo; resumed the doctor, &ldquo;by
+      laughing at me in the gayest and most witty manner; for I must confess,
+      that this young lady has one of the aptest and most accomplished minds I
+      know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doctor, doctor!&rdquo; said Madame de Saint-Dizier, &ldquo;no weakness!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering immediately, M. Baleinier drew his gold snuff-box
+      from his waistcoat pocket, opened it, and took slowly a pinch of snuff,
+      looking all the time at the princess with so significant an air, that she
+      appeared quite reassured. &ldquo;Weakness, madame?&rdquo; observed he at last,
+      brushing some grains of snuff from his shirt-front with his plump white
+      hand; &ldquo;did I not have the honor of volunteering to extricate you from this
+      embarrassment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you are the only person in the world that could render us this
+      important service,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your highness sees, therefore,&rdquo; resumed the doctor, &ldquo;that I am not likely
+      to show any weakness. I perfectly understand the responsibility of what I
+      undertake; but such immense interests, you told me, were at stake&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;interests of the first consequence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore I did not hesitate,&rdquo; proceeded M. Baleinier; &ldquo;and you need not
+      be at all uneasy. As a man of taste, accustomed to good society, allow me
+      to render homage to the charming qualities of Mdlle. Adrienne; when the
+      time for action comes, you will find me quite as willing to do my work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps, that moment may be nearer than we thought,&rdquo; said Madame de
+      Saint-Dizier, exchanging a glance with D&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am, and will be, always ready,&rdquo; said the doctor. &ldquo;I answer for
+      everything that concerns myself. I wish I could be as tranquil on every
+      other point.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is not your asylum still as fashionable&mdash;as an asylum can well be?&rdquo;
+       asked Madame de Saint-Dizier, with a half smile.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10373m.jpg" alt="10373m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10373.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the contrary. I might almost complain of having too many boarders. It
+      is not that. But, whilst we are waiting for Mdlle. Adrienne, I will
+      mention another subject, which only relates to her indirectly, for it
+      concerns the person who, bought Cardoville Manor, one Madame de la
+      Sainte-Colombe, who has taken me for a doctor, thanks to Rodin&rsquo;s able
+      management.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;Rodin wrote to me on the subject&mdash;but
+      without entering into details.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These are the facts,&rdquo; resumed the doctor. &ldquo;This Madame de la Sainte
+      Colombe, who was at first considered easy enough to lead, has shown
+      herself very refractory on the head of her conversion. Two spiritual
+      directors have already renounced the task of saving her soul. In despair,
+      Rodin unslipped little Philippon on her. He is adroit, tenacious, and
+      above all patient in the extreme&mdash;the very man that was wanted. When
+      I got Madame de la Sainte-Colombe for a patient, Philippon asked my aid,
+      which he was naturally entitled to. We agreed upon our plan. I was not to
+      appear to know him the least in the world; and he was to keep me informed
+      of the variations in the moral state of his penitent, so that I might be
+      able, by the use of very inoffensive medicines&mdash;for there was nothing
+      dangerous in the illness&mdash;to keep my patient in alternate states of
+      improvement or the reverse, according as her director had reason to be
+      satisfied or displeased&mdash;so that he might say to her: &lsquo;You see,
+      madame, you are in the good way! Spiritual grace acts upon your bodily
+      health, and you are already better. If, on the contrary, you fall back
+      into evil courses, you feel immediately some physical ail, which is a
+      certain proof of the powerful influence of faith, not only on the soul,
+      but on the body also?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is doubtless painful,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny, with perfect coolness, &ldquo;to be
+      obliged to have recourse to such means, to rescue perverse souls from
+      perdition&mdash;but we must needs proportion our modes of action to the
+      intelligence and the character of the individual.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By-the-bye, the princess knows,&rdquo; resumed the doctor, &ldquo;that I have often
+      pursued this plan at St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, to the great advantage of the
+      soul&rsquo;s peace and health of some of our patients, being extremely innocent.
+      These alternations never exceed the difference between &lsquo;pretty well,&rsquo; and
+      &lsquo;not quite so well.&rsquo; Yet small as are the variations, they act most
+      efficaciously on certain minds. It was thus with Madame de la
+      Sainte-Colombe. She was in such a fair way of recovery, both moral and
+      physical, that Rodin thought he might get Philippon to advise the country
+      for his penitent, fearing that Paris air might occasion a relapse. This
+      advice, added to the desire the woman had to play &lsquo;lady of the parish,&rsquo;
+      induced her to buy Cardoville Manor, a good investment in any respect. But
+      yesterday, unfortunate Philippon came to tell me, that Madame de la
+      Sainte-Colombe was about to have an awful relapse&mdash;moral, of course&mdash;for
+      her physical health is now desperately good. The said relapse appears to
+      have been occasioned by an interview she has had with one Jacques
+      Dumoulin, whom they tell me you know, my dear abbe; he has introduced
+      himself to her, nobody can guess how.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This Jacques Dumoulin,&rdquo; said the marquis, with disgust, &ldquo;is one of those
+      men, that we employ while we despise. He is a writer full of gall, envy,
+      and hate, qualities that give him a certain unmercifully cutting
+      eloquence. We pay him largely to attack our enemies, though it is often
+      painful to see principles we respect defended by such a pen. For this
+      wretch lives like a vagabond&mdash;is constantly in taverns&mdash;almost
+      always intoxicated&mdash;but, I must own, his power of abuse is
+      inexhaustible, and he is well versed in the most abstruse theological
+      controversies, so that he is sometimes very useful to us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! though Madame de la Sainte-Colombe is hard upon sixty, it appears
+      that Dumoulin has matrimonial views on her large fortune. You will do well
+      to inform Rodin, so that he may be on his guard against the dark designs
+      of this rascal. I really beg a thousand pardons for having so long
+      occupied you with such a paltry affair&mdash;but, talking of St. Mary&rsquo;s
+      Convent,&rdquo; added the doctor, addressing the princess, &ldquo;may I take the
+      liberty of asking if your highness has been there lately?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess exchanged a rapid glance with D&rsquo;Aigrigny, and answered: &ldquo;Oh,
+      let me see! Yes, I was there about a week ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will find great changes then. The wall that was next to my asylum has
+      been taken down, for they are going to build anew wing and a chapel, the
+      old one being too small. I must say in praise of Mdlle. Adrienne&rdquo;
+       continued the doctor with a singular smile aside, &ldquo;that she promised me a
+      copy of one of Raphael&rsquo;s Madonnas for this chapel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really? very appropriate!&rdquo; said the princess. &ldquo;But here it is almost
+      noon, and M. Tripeaud has not come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is the deputy-guardian of Mdlle. de Cardoville, whose property he has
+      managed, as former agent of the count-duke,&rdquo; said the marquis, with
+      evident anxiety, &ldquo;and his presence here is absolutely indispensable. It is
+      greatly to be desired that his coming should precede that of Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, who may be here at any moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is unlucky that his portrait will not do as well,&rdquo; said the doctor,
+      smiling maliciously, and drawing a small pamphlet from his pocket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that, doctor?&rdquo; asked the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of those anonymous sheets, which are published from time to time. It
+      is called the &lsquo;Scourge,&rsquo; and Baron Tripeaud&rsquo;s portrait is drawn with such
+      faithfulness, that it ceases to be satire. It is really quite life like;
+      you have only to listen. The sketch is entitled: &lsquo;TYPE OF THE LYNX
+      SPECIES.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The Baron Tripeaud.&mdash;This man, who is as basely humble towards his
+      social superiors, as he is insolent and coarse to those who depend upon
+      him&mdash;is the living, frightful incarnation of the worst pardon of the
+      moneyed and commercial aristocracy&mdash;one of the rich and cynical
+      speculators, without heart, faith or conscience, who would speculate for a
+      rise or fall on the death of his mother, if the death of his mother could
+      influence the price of stocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Such persons have all the odious vices of men suddenly elevated, not
+      like those whom honest and patient labor has nobly enriched, but like
+      those who owe their wealth to some blind caprice of fortune, or some lucky
+      cast of the net in the miry waters of stock-jobbing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Once up in the world, they hate the people&mdash;because the people
+      remind them of a mushroom origin of which they are ashamed. Without pity
+      for the dreadful misery of the masses, they ascribe it wholly to idleness
+      or debauchery because this calumny forms an excuse for their barbarous
+      selfishness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;And this is not all. On the strength of his well-filled safe, mounted on
+      his right of the candidate, Baron Tripeaud insults the poverty and
+      political disfranchisement&mdash;of the officer, who, after forty years of
+      wars and hard service, is just able to live on a scanty pension&mdash;Of
+      the magistrate, who has consumed his strength in the discharge of stern
+      and sad duties, and who is not better remunerated in his litter days&mdash;Of
+      the learned man who has made his country illustrious by useful labors; or
+      the professor who has initiated entire generations in the various branches
+      of human knowledge&mdash;Of the modest and virtuous country curate, the
+      pure representative of the gospel, in its charitable, fraternal, and
+      democratic tendencies, etc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In such a state of things, how should our shoddy baron of in-dust-ry not
+      feel the most sovereign contempt for all that stupid mob of honest folk,
+      who, having given to their country their youth, their mature age, their
+      blood, their intelligence, their learning, see themselves deprived of the
+      rights which he enjoys, because he has gained a million by unfair and
+      illegal transactions?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;It is true, that your optimists say to these pariahs of civilization,
+      whose proud and noble poverty cannot be too much revered and honored: &ldquo;Buy
+      an estate and you too may be electors and candidates!&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;But to come to the biography of our worthy baron&mdash;Andrew Tripeaud,
+      the son of an ostler, at a roadside inn.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant the folding-doors were thrown open, and the valet
+      announced: &ldquo;The Baron Tripeaud!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dr. Baleinier put his pamphlet into his pocket, made the most cordial bow
+      to the financier, and even rose to give him his hand. The baron entered
+      the room, overwhelming every one with salutations. &ldquo;I have the honor to
+      attend the orders of your highness the princess. She knows that she may
+      always count upon me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do indeed rely upon you, M. Tripeaud, and particularly under present
+      circumstances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the intentions of your highness the princess are still the same with
+      regard to Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are still the same, M. Tripeaud, and we meet to-day on that
+      subject.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your highness may be assured of my concurrence, as, indeed, I have
+      already promised. I think that the greatest severity must at length be
+      employed, and that even if it were necessary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is also our opinion,&rdquo; said the marquis, hastily making a sign to the
+      princess, and glancing at the place where the man in spectacles was
+      hidden; &ldquo;we are all perfectly in harmony. Still, we must not leave any
+      point doubtful, for the sake of the young lady herself, whose interests
+      alone guides us in this affair. We must draw out her sincerity by every
+      possible means.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mademoiselle has just arrived from the summer-house and wishes to see
+      your highness,&rdquo; said the valet, again entering, after having knocked at
+      the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Say that I wait for her,&rdquo; answered the princess; &ldquo;and now I am at home to
+      no one&mdash;without exception. You understand me; absolutely to no one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereupon, approaching the curtain behind which the man was concealed,
+      Mme. de Saint-Dizier gave him the cue&mdash;after which she returned to
+      her seat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is singular, but during the short space which preceded Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      arrival, the different actors in this scene appeared uneasy and
+      embarrassed, as if they had a vague fear of her coming. In about a minute,
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville entered the presence of her aunt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0039" id="link2HCH0039">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIX. THE SKIRMISH.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>n entering, Mdlle. de Cardoville threw down upon a chair the gray beaver
+      hat she had worn to cross the garden, and displayed her fine golden hair,
+      falling on either side of her face in long, light ringlets, and twisted in
+      a broad knot behind her head. She presented herself without boldness, but
+      with perfect ease: her countenance was gay and smiling; her large black
+      eyes appeared even more brilliant than usual. When she perceived Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, she started in surprise, and her rosy lips were just touched
+      with a mocking smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After nodding graciously to the doctor, she passed Baron Tripeaud by
+      without looking at him, and saluted the princess with stately obeisance,
+      in the most fashionable style.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though the walk and bearing of Mdlle. de Cardoville were extremely
+      elegant, and full of propriety and truly feminine grace, there was about
+      her an air of resolution and independence by no means common in women, and
+      particularly in girls of her age. Her movements, without being abrupt,
+      bore no traces of restraint, stiffness, or formality. They were frank and
+      free as her character, full of life, youth, and freshness; and one could
+      easily divine that so buoyant, straightforward, and decided a nature had
+      never been able to conform itself to the rules of an affected rigor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Strangely enough, though he was a man of the world, a man of great talent,
+      a churchman distinguished for his eloquence, and, above all, a person of
+      influence and authority. Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny experienced an involuntary,
+      incredible, almost painful uneasiness, in presence of Adrienne de
+      Cardoville. He&mdash;generally so much the master of himself, so
+      accustomed to exercise great power&mdash;who (in the name of his Order)
+      had often treated with crowned heads on the footing of an equal, felt
+      himself abashed and lowered in the presence of this girl, as remarkable
+      for her frankness as for her biting irony. Now, as men who are accustomed
+      to impose their will upon others generally hate those who, far from
+      submitting to their influence, hamper it and make sport of them, it was no
+      great degree of affection that the marquis bore towards the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s niece.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For a long time past, contrary to his usual habit, he had ceased to try
+      upon Adrienne that fascinating address to which he had often owed an
+      irresistible charm; towards her he had become dry, curt, serious, taking
+      refuge in that icy sphere of haughty dignity and rigid austerity which
+      completely hid all those amiable qualities with which he was endowed and
+      of which, in general, he made such efficient use. Adrienne was much amused
+      at all this, and thereby showed her imprudence&mdash;for the most vulgar
+      motives often engender the most implacable hatreds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From these preliminary observations, the reader will understand the divers
+      sentiments and interests which animated the different actors in the
+      following scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier was seated in a large arm-chair by one side of the
+      hearth. Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny was standing before the fire. Dr. Baleinier
+      seated near a bureau, was again turning over the leaves of Baron
+      Tripeaud&rsquo;s biography, whilst the baron appeared to be very attentively
+      examining one of the pictures of sacred subjects suspended from the wall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You sent for me, aunt, to talk upon matters of importance?&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, breaking the silence which had reigned in the reception-room
+      since her entrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame,&rdquo; answered the princess, with a cold and severe mien; &ldquo;upon
+      matters of the gravest importance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am at your service, aunt. Perhaps we had better walk into your
+      library?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not necessary. We can talk here.&rdquo; Then, addressing the marquis, the
+      doctor, and the baron, she said to them, &ldquo;Pray, be seated, gentlemen,&rdquo; and
+      they all took their places round the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How can the subject of our interview interest these gentlemen, aunt?&rdquo;
+       asked Mdlle. de Cardoville, with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These gentlemen are old family friends; all that concerns you must
+      interest them, and their advice ought to be heard and accepted by you with
+      respect.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no doubt, aunt, of the bosom friendship of M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny for our
+      family: I have still less of the profound and disinterested devotion of M.
+      Tripeaud; M. Baleinier is one of my old friends; still, before accepting
+      these gentlemen as spectators, or, if you will, as confidants of our
+      interview, I wish to know what we are going to talk of before them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought that, among your many singular pretensions, you had at least
+      those of frankness and courage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, aunt,&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling with mock humility, &ldquo;I have no more
+      pretensions to frankness and courage than you have to sincerity and
+      goodness. Let us admit, once for all, that we are what we are&mdash;without
+      pretension.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so,&rdquo; said Madame de Saint-Dizier, in a dry tone; &ldquo;I have long been
+      accustomed to the freaks of your independent spirit. I suppose, then,
+      that, courageous and frank as you say you are, you will not be afraid to
+      speak before such grave and respectable persons as these gentlemen what
+      you would speak to me alone?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it a formal examination that I am to submit to? if so, upon what
+      subject?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not an examination: but, as I have a right to watch over you, and
+      as you take advantage of my weak compliance with your caprices, I mean to
+      put an end to what has lasted too long, and tell you my irrevocable
+      resolutions for the future, in presence of friends of the family. And,
+      first, you have hitherto had a very false and imperfect notion of my power
+      over you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I assure you, aunt, that I have never had any notion, true or false, on
+      the subject&mdash;for I have never even dreamt about it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is my own fault; for, instead of yielding to your fancies, I should
+      have made you sooner feel my authority; but the moment has come to submit
+      yourself; the severe censures of my friends have enlightened me in time.
+      Your character is self-willed, independent, stubborn; it must change&mdash;either
+      by fair means or by force, understand me, it shall change.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, pronounced harshly before strangers, with a severity which
+      did not seem at all justified by circumstances, Adrienne tossed her head
+      proudly; but, restraining herself, she answered with a smile: &ldquo;You say,
+      aunt, that I shall change. I should not be astonished at it. We hear of
+      such odd conversions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess bit her lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A sincere conversion can never be called odd, as you term it, madame,&rdquo;
+       said Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, coldly. &ldquo;It is, on the contrary, meritorious, and
+      forms an excellent example.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent?&rdquo; answered Adrienne: &ldquo;that depends! For instance, what if one
+      converts defects into vices?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean, madame?&rdquo; cried the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am speaking of myself, aunt; you reproach me of being independent and
+      resolute&mdash;suppose I were to become hypocritical and wicked? In truth,
+      I prefer keeping my dear little faults, which I love like spoiled
+      children. I know what I am; I do not know what I might be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you must acknowledge, Mdlle. Adrienne,&rdquo; said Baron Tripeaud, with a
+      self-conceited and sententious air, &ldquo;that a conversion&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10381m.jpg" alt="10381m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10381.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe,&rdquo; said Adrienne, disdainfully, &ldquo;that M. Tripeaud is well versed
+      in the conversion of all sorts of property into all sorts of profit, by
+      all sorts of means&mdash;but he knows nothing of this matter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, madame,&rdquo; resumed the financier, gathering courage from a glance of
+      the princess, &ldquo;you forget that I have the honor to be your deputy
+      guardian, and that&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true that M. Tripeaud has that honor,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with still
+      more haughtiness, and not even looking at the baron; &ldquo;I could never tell
+      exactly why. But as it is not now the time to guess enigmas, I wish to
+      know, aunt, the object and the end of this meeting?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall be satisfied, madame. I will explain myself in a very clear and
+      precise manner. You shall know the plan of conduct that you will have
+      henceforth to pursue; and if you refuse to submit thereto, with the
+      obedience and respect that is due to my orders, I shall at once see what
+      course to take.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to give an idea of the imperious tone and stern look of
+      the princess, as she pronounced these words which were calculated to
+      startle a girl, until now accustomed to live in a great measure as she
+      pleased: yet, contrary perhaps to the expectation of Madame de Saint
+      Dizier, instead of answering impetuously, Adrienne looked her full in the
+      face, and said, laughing: &ldquo;This is a perfect declaration of war. It&rsquo;s
+      becoming very amusing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are not talking of declarations of war,&rdquo; said the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      harshly, as if offended by the expressions of Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, M. l&rsquo;Abbe!&rdquo; returned Adrienne, &ldquo;for an old colonel, you are really
+      too severe upon a jest!&mdash;you are so much indebted to &lsquo;war,&rsquo; which
+      gave you a French regiment after fighting so long against France&mdash;in
+      order to learn, of course, the strength and the weakness of her enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words, which recalled painful remembrances, the marquis colored;
+      he was going to answer, but the princess exclaimed: &ldquo;Really, madame, your
+      behavior is quite intolerable!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, aunt, I acknowledge I was wrong. I ought not to have said this is
+      very amusing&mdash;for it is not so, at all; but it is at least very
+      curious&mdash;and perhaps,&rdquo; added the young girl, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      silence, &ldquo;perhaps very audacious and audacity pleases me. As we are upon
+      this subject, and you talk of a plan of conduct to which I must conform
+      myself, under pain of (interrupting herself)&mdash;under pain of what, I
+      should like to know, aunt?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know. Proceed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will, in the presence of these gentlemen, also declare, in a very plain
+      and precise manner, the determination that I have come to. As it required
+      some time to prepare for its execution, I have not spoken of it sooner,
+      for you know I am not in the habit of saying, &lsquo;I will do so and so!&rsquo; but I
+      do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly; and it is just this habit of culpable independence of which
+      you must break yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I had intended only to inform you of my determination at a later
+      period; but I cannot resist the pleasure of doing so to-day, you seem so
+      well disposed to hear and receive it. Still, I would beg of you to speak
+      first: it may just so happen, that our views are precisely the same.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I like better to see you thus,&rdquo; said the princess. &ldquo;I acknowledge at
+      least the courage of your pride, and your defiance of all authority. You
+      speak of audacity&mdash;yours is indeed great.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am at least decided to do that which others in their weakness dare not&mdash;but
+      which I dare. This, I hope, is clear and precise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very clear, very precise,&rdquo; said the princess, exchanging a glance of
+      satisfaction with the other actors in this scene. &ldquo;The positions being
+      thus established, matters will be much simplified. I have only to give you
+      notice, in your own interest, that this is a very serious affair&mdash;much
+      more so than you imagine&mdash;and that the only way to dispose me to
+      indulgence, is to substitute, for the habitual arrogance and irony of your
+      language, the modesty and respect becoming a young lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne smiled, but made no reply. Some moments of silence, and some
+      rapid glances exchanged between the princess and her three friends, showed
+      that these encounters, more or less brilliant in themselves, were to be
+      followed by a serious combat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville had too much penetration and sagacity, not to remark,
+      that the Princess de Saint-Dizier attached the greatest importance to this
+      decisive interview. But she could not understand how her aunt could hope
+      to impose her absolute will upon her: the threat of coercive measures
+      appearing with reason a mere ridiculous menace. Yet, knowing the
+      vindictive character of her aunt, the secret power at her disposal, and
+      the terrible vengeance she had sometimes exacted&mdash;reflecting,
+      moreover, that men in the position of the marquis and the doctor would not
+      have come to attend this interview without some weighty motive&mdash;the
+      young lady paused for a moment before she plunged into the strife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But soon, the very presentiment of some vague danger, far from weakening
+      her, gave her new courage to brave the worst, to exaggerate, if that were
+      possible, the independence of her ideas, and uphold, come what might, the
+      determination that she was about to signify to the Princess de Saint
+      Dizier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0040" id="link2HCH0040">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XL. THE REVOLT
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said the princess to Adrienne de Cardoville, in a cold, severe
+      tone, &ldquo;I owe it to myself, as well as to these gentlemen, to recapitulate,
+      in a few words, the events that have taken place for some time past. Six
+      months ago, at the end of the mourning for your father, you, being
+      eighteen years old, asked for the management of your fortune, and for
+      emancipation from control. Unfortunately, I had the weakness to consent.
+      You quitted the house, and established yourself in the extension, far from
+      all superintendence. Then began a train of expenditures, each one more
+      extravagant than the last. Instead of being satisfied with one or two
+      waiting-women, taken from that class from which they are generally
+      selected, you chose governesses for lady-companions, whom you dressed in
+      the most ridiculous and costly fashion. It is true, that, in the solitude
+      of your pavilion, you yourself chose to wear, one after another, costumes
+      of different ages. Your foolish fancies and unreasonable whims have been
+      without end and without limit: not only have you never fulfilled your
+      religious duties, but you have actually had the audacity to profane one of
+      your rooms, by rearing in the centre of it a species of pagan altar, on
+      which is a group in marble representing a youth and a girl&rdquo;&mdash;the
+      princess uttered these words as if they would burn her lips&mdash;&ldquo;a work
+      of art, if you will, but a work in the highest degree unsuitable to a
+      person of your age. You pass whole days entirely secluded in your
+      pavilion, refusing to see any one; and Dr. Baleinier, the only one of my
+      friends in whom you seem to have retained some confidence, having
+      succeeded by much persuasion in gaining admittance, has frequently found
+      you in so very excited a state, that he has felt seriously uneasy with
+      regard to your health. You have always insisted on going out alone,
+      without rendering any account of your actions to any one. You have taken
+      delight in opposing, in every possible way, your will to my authority. Is
+      all this true?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The picture of my past is not much flattered,&rdquo; said Adrienne; smiling,
+      &ldquo;but it is not altogether unlike.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you admit, madame,&rdquo; said Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, laying stress on his words,
+      &ldquo;that all the facts stated by your aunt are scrupulously true?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Every eye was turned towards Adrienne, as if her answer would be of
+      extreme importance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, M. l&rsquo;Abbe,&rdquo; said she; &ldquo;I live openly enough to render this question
+      superfluous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These facts are therefore admitted,&rdquo; said Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, turning
+      towards the doctor and the baron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These facts are completely established,&rdquo; said M. Tripeaud, in a pompous
+      voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you tell me, aunt,&rdquo; asked Adrienne, &ldquo;what is the good of this long
+      preamble?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This long preamble, madame,&rdquo; resumed the princess with dignity, &ldquo;exposes
+      the past in order to justify the future.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, aunt, such mysterious proceedings are a little in the style of
+      the answers of the Cumaean Sybil. They must be intended to cover something
+      formidable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps, mademoiselle&mdash;for to certain characters nothing is so
+      formidable as duty and obedience. Your character is one of those inclined
+      to revolt&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I freely acknowledge it, aunt&mdash;and it will always be so, until duty
+      and obedience come to me in a shape that I can respect and love.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whether you respect and love my orders or not, madame,&rdquo; said the
+      princess, in a curt, harsh voice, &ldquo;you will, from to-day, from this
+      moment, learn to submit blindly and absolutely to my will. In one word,
+      you will do nothing without my permission: it is necessary, I insist upon
+      it, and so I am determined it shall be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne looked at her aunt for a second, and then burst into so free and
+      sonorous a laugh, that it rang for quite a time through the vast
+      apartment. D&rsquo;Aigrigny and Baron Tripeaud started in indignation. The
+      princess looked angrily at her niece. The doctor raised his eyes to
+      heaven, and clasped his hands over his waistcoat with a sanctimonious
+      sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;such fits of laughter are highly
+      unbecoming. Your aunt&rsquo;s words are serious, and deserve a different
+      reception.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir!&rdquo; said Adrienne, recovering herself, &ldquo;it is not my fault if I
+      laugh. How can I maintain my gravity, when I hear my aunt talking of blind
+      submission to her orders? Is the swallow, accustomed to fly upwards and
+      enjoy the sunshine, fledged to live with the mole in darkness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this answer, D&rsquo;Aigrigny affected to stare at the other members of this
+      kind of family council with blank astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A swallow? what does she mean?&rdquo; asked the abbe of the baron making a
+      sign, which the latter understood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know,&rdquo; answered Tripeaud, staring in his turn at the doctor.
+      &ldquo;She spoke too of a mole. It &lsquo;is quite unheard-of&mdash;incomprehensible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so, madame,&rdquo; said the princess, appearing to share in the surprise of
+      the others, &ldquo;this is the reply that you make to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, astonished herself that they should
+      pretend not to understand the simile of which she had made use, accustomed
+      as she was to speak in figurative language.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, madame,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, smiling good-humoredly, &ldquo;we must
+      be indulgent. My dear Mdlle. Adrienne has naturally so uncommon and
+      excitable a nature! She is really the most charming mad woman I know; I
+      have told her so a hundred times, in my position of an old friend, which
+      allows such freedom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can conceive that your attachment makes you indulgent&mdash;but it is
+      not the less true, doctor,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny, as if reproaching him for
+      taking the part of Mdlle. de Cardoville, &ldquo;that such answers to serious
+      questions are most extravagant.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The evil is, that mademoiselle does not seem to comprehend the serious
+      nature of this conference,&rdquo; said the princess, harshly. &ldquo;She will perhaps
+      understand it better when I have given her my orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us hear these orders, aunt,&rdquo; replied Adrienne as, seated on the other
+      side of the table, opposite to the princess, she leaned her small, dimpled
+      chin in the hollow of her pretty hand, with an air of graceful mockery,
+      charming to behold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From to-morrow forward,&rdquo; resumed the princess, &ldquo;you will quit the
+      summer-house which you at present inhabit, you will discharge your women,
+      and come and occupy two rooms in this house, to which there will be no
+      access except through my apartment. You will never go out alone. You will
+      accompany me to the services of the church. Your emancipation terminates,
+      in consequence of your prodigality duly proven. I will take charge of all
+      your expenses, even to the ordering of your clothes, so that you may be
+      properly and modestly dressed. Until your majority (which will be
+      indefinitely postponed, by means of the intervention of a family-council),
+      you will have no money at your own disposal. Such is my resolution.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And certainly your resolution can only be applauded, madame,&rdquo; said Baron
+      Tripeaud; &ldquo;we can but encourage you to show the greatest firmness, for
+      such disorders must have an end.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is more than time to put a stop to such scandal,&rdquo; added the abbe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eccentricity and exaltation of temperament&mdash;may excuse many things,&rdquo;
+       ventured to observe the smooth-tongued doctor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt,&rdquo; replied the princess dryly to Baleinier, who played his part
+      to perfection; &ldquo;but then, doctor, the requisite measures must be taken
+      with such characters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier had expressed herself in a firm and precise manner;
+      she appeared convinced of the possibility of putting her threats into
+      execution. M. Tripeaud and D&rsquo;Aigrigny had just now given their full
+      consent to the words of the princess. Adrienne began to perceive that
+      something very serious was in contemplation, and her gayety was at once
+      replaced by an air of bitter irony and offended independence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She rose abruptly, and colored a little; her rosy nostrils dilated, her
+      eyes flashed fire, and, as she raised her head, she gently shook the fine,
+      wavy golden hair, with a movement of pride that was natural to her. After
+      a moment&rsquo;s silence, she said to her aunt in a cutting tone: &ldquo;You have
+      spoken of the past, madame; I also will speak a few words concerning it,
+      since you force me to do so, though I may regret the necessity. I quitted
+      your dwelling, because it was impossible for me to live longer in this
+      atmosphere of dark hypocrisy and black treachery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;such words are as violent as they are
+      unreasonable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since you interrupt me, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, hastily, as she fixed her
+      eyes on the abbe, &ldquo;tell me what examples did I meet with in my aunt&rsquo;s
+      house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent, examples, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent, sir? Was it because I saw there, every day, her conversion
+      keep pace with your own?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, you forget yourself!&rdquo; cried the princess, becoming pale with
+      rage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, I do not forget&mdash;I remember, like other people; that is all.
+      I had no relation of whom I could ask an asylum. I wished to live alone. I
+      wished to enjoy my revenues&mdash;because I chose rather to spend them
+      myself, than to see them wasted by M. Tripeaud.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; cried the baron, &ldquo;I cannot imagine how you can presume&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir!&rdquo; said Adrienne, reducing him to silence by a gesture of overwhelming
+      lordliness, &ldquo;I speak of you&mdash;not to you. I wished to spend my
+      income,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;according to my own tastes. I embellished the
+      retreat that I had chosen. Instead of ugly, ill-taught servants, I
+      selected girls, pretty and well brought up, though poor. Their education
+      forbade their being subjected to any humiliating servitude, though I have
+      endeavored to make their situation easy and agreeable. They do not serve
+      me, but render me service&mdash;I pay them, but I am obliged to them&mdash;nice
+      distinctions that your highness will not understand, I know. Instead of
+      seeing them badly or ungracefully dressed, I have given them clothes that
+      suit their charming faces well, because I like whatever is young and fair.
+      Whether I dress myself one way or the other, concerns only my
+      looking-glass. I go out alone, because I like to follow my fancy. I do not
+      go to mass&mdash;but, if I had still a mother, I would explain to her my
+      devotions, and she would kiss me none the less tenderly. It is true, that
+      I have raised a pagan altar to youth and beauty, because I adore God in
+      all that He has made fair and good, noble and grand&mdash;because, morn
+      and evening, my heart repeats the fervent and sincere prayer: &lsquo;Thanks, my
+      Creator! thanks!&rsquo;&mdash;Your highness says that M. Baleinier has often
+      found me in my solitude, a prey to a strange excitement: yes, it is true;
+      for it is then that, escaping in thought from all that renders the present
+      odious and painful to me, I find refuge in the future&mdash;it is then
+      that magical horizons spread far before me&mdash;it is then that such
+      splendid visions appear to me, as make me feel myself rapt in a sublime
+      and heavenly ecstasy, as if I no longer appertained to earth!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Adrienne pronounced these last words with enthusiasm, her countenance
+      appeared transfigured, so resplendent did it become. In that moment, she
+      had lost sight of all that surrounded her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is then,&rdquo; she resumed, with spirit soaring higher and higher, &ldquo;that I
+      breathe a pure air, reviving and free&mdash;yes, free&mdash;above all,
+      free&mdash;and so salubrious, so grateful to the soul!&mdash;Yes, instead
+      of seeing my sisters painfully submit to a selfish, humiliating, brutal
+      dominion, which entails upon them the seductive vices of slavery, the
+      graceful fraud, the enchanting perfidy, the caressing falsehood, the
+      contemptuous resignation, the hateful obedience&mdash;I behold them, my
+      noble sisters! worthy and sincere because they are free, faithful and
+      devoted because they have liberty to choose&mdash;neither imperious not
+      base, because they have no master to govern or to flatter&mdash;cherished
+      and respected, because they can withdraw from a disloyal hand their hand,
+      loyally bestowed. Oh, my sisters! my sisters! I feel it. These are not
+      merely consoling visions&mdash;they are sacred hopes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Carried away, in spite of herself, by the excitement of her feelings,
+      Adrienne paused for a moment, in order to return to earth; she did not
+      perceive that the other actors in this scene were looking at each other
+      with an air of delight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What she says there is excellent,&rdquo; murmured the doctor in the princess&rsquo;s
+      ear, next to whom he was seated; &ldquo;were she in league with us, she would
+      not speak differently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is only by excessive harshness,&rdquo; added D&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;that we shall
+      bring her to the desired point.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But it seemed as if the vexed emotion of Adrienne had been dissipated by
+      the contact of the generous sentiments she had just uttered. Addressing
+      Baleinier with a smile, she said: &ldquo;I must own, doctor, that there is
+      nothing more ridiculous, than to yield to the current of certain thoughts,
+      in the presence of persons incapable of understanding them. This would
+      give you a fine opportunity to make game of that exaltation of mind for
+      which you sometimes reproach me. To let myself be carried away by
+      transports at so serious a moment!&mdash;for, verily, the matter in hand
+      seems to be serious. But you see, good M. Baleinier, when an idea comes
+      into my head, I can no more help following it out, than I could refrain
+      from running after butterflies when I was a little girl.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And heaven only knows whither these brilliant butterflies of all colors,&rdquo;
+       said M. Baleinier, smiling with an air of paternal indulgence, &ldquo;that are
+      passing through your brain, are likely to lead you. Oh, madcap, when will
+      she be as reasonable as she is charming?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This very instant, my good doctor,&rdquo; replied Adrienne. &ldquo;I am about to cast
+      off my reveries for realities, and speak plain and positive language, as
+      you shall hear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Upon which, addressing her aunt, she continued: &ldquo;You have imparted to me
+      your resolution, madame; I will now tell you mine. Within a week, I shall
+      quit the pavilion that I inhabit, for a house which I have arranged to my
+      taste, where I shall live after my own fashion. I have neither father nor
+      mother, and I owe no account of my actions to any but myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Upon my word, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said the princess, shrugging her shoulders,
+      &ldquo;you talk nonsense. You forget that society has inalienable moral rights,
+      which we are bound to enforce. And we shall not neglect them, depend upon
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So madame, it is you, and M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and M. Tripeaud, that represent
+      the morality of society! This appears to me very fine. Is it because M.
+      Tripeaud has considered (I must acknowledge it) my fortune as his own? Is
+      it because&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, really, madame,&rdquo; began Tripeaud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In good time, madame,&rdquo; said Adrienne to her aunt, without noticing the
+      baron, &ldquo;as the occasion offers, I shall have to ask you for explanations
+      with regard to certain interests, which have hitherto, I think, been
+      concealed from me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words of Adrienne made D&rsquo;Aigrigny and the princess start, and then
+      rapidly exchange a glance of uneasiness and anxiety. Adrienne did not seem
+      to perceive it, but thus continued: &ldquo;To have done with your demands,
+      madame, here is my final resolve. I shall live where and how I please. I
+      think that, if I were a man, no one would impose on me, at my age, the
+      harsh and humiliating guardianship you have in view, for living as I have
+      lived till now&mdash;honestly, freely, and generously, in the sight of
+      all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This idea is absurd! is madness!&rdquo; cried the princess. &ldquo;To wish to live
+      thus alone, is to carry immorality and immodesty to their utmost limits.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If so, madame,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;what opinion must you entertain of so
+      many poor girls, orphans like myself, who live alone and free, as I wish
+      to live? They have not received, as I have, a refined education,
+      calculated to raise the soul, and purify the heart. They have not wealth,
+      as I have, to protect them from the evil temptations of misery; and yet
+      they live honestly and proudly in their distress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vice and virtue do not exist for such tag-rag vermin!&rdquo; cried Baron
+      Tripeaud, with an expression of anger and hideous disdain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, you would turn away a lackey, that would venture to speak thus
+      before you,&rdquo; said Adrienne to her aunt, unable to conceal her disgust,
+      &ldquo;and yet you oblige me to listen to such speeches!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny touched M. Tripeaud with his knee under the table,
+      to remind him that he must not express himself in the princess&rsquo;s parlors
+      in the same manner as he would in the lobbies of the Exchange. To repair
+      the baron&rsquo;s coarseness, the abbe thus continued: &ldquo;There is no comparison,
+      mademoiselle, between people of the class you name, and a young lady of
+      your rank.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For a Catholic priest, M. l&rsquo;Abbe, that distinction is not very
+      Christian,&rdquo; replied Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know the purport of my words, madame,&rdquo; answered the abbe, dryly;
+      &ldquo;besides the independent life that you wish to lead, in opposition to all
+      reason, may tend to very serious consequences for you. Your family may one
+      day wish to see you married&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will spare my family that trouble, sir, if I marry at all, I will
+      choose for myself, which also appears to me reasonable enough. But, in
+      truth, I am very little tempted by that heavy chain, which selfishness and
+      brutality rivet for ever about our necks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is indecent, madame,&rdquo; said the princess, &ldquo;to speak so lightly of such
+      an institution.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before you, especially, madame, I beg pardon for having shocked your
+      highness! You fear that my independent planner of living will frighten
+      away all wooers; but that is another reason for persisting in my
+      independence, for I detest wooers. I only hope that they may have the very
+      worst opinion of me, and there is no better means of effecting that
+      object, than to appear to live as they live themselves. I rely upon my
+      whims, my follies, my sweet faults, to preserve me from the annoyance of
+      any matrimonial hunting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will be quite satisfied on that head,&rdquo; resumed Madame de Saint
+      Dizier, &ldquo;if unfortunately the report should gain credit, that you have
+      carried the forgetfulness of all duty and decency, to such a height, as to
+      return home at eight o&rsquo;clock in the morning. So I am told is the case but
+      I cannot bring myself to believe such an enormity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are wrong, madame, for it is quite true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you confess it?&rdquo; cried the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I confess all that I do, madame. I came home this morning at eight
+      o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You hear Gentlemen?&rdquo; ejaculated the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; said M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in a bass voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; said the baron, in a treble key.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; muttered the doctor, with a deep sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On hearing these lamentable exclamations, Adrienne seemed about to speak,
+      perhaps to justify herself; but her lip speedily assumed a curl of
+      contempt, which showed that she disdained to stoop to any explanation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So it is true,&rdquo; said the princess. &ldquo;Oh, wretched girl, you had accustomed
+      me to be astonished at nothing; but, nevertheless, I doubted the
+      possibility of such conduct. It required your impudent and audacious reply
+      to convince the of the fact.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, lying has always appeared to be more impudent than to speak the
+      truth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where had you been, madame? and for what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Adrienne, interrupting her aunt, &ldquo;I never speak false&mdash;but
+      neither do I speak more than I choose; and then again, it were cowardice
+      to defend myself from a revolting accusation. Let us say no more about it:
+      your importunities on this head will be altogether vain. To resume: you
+      wish to impose upon me a harsh and humiliating restraint; I wish to quit
+      the house I inhabit, to go and live where I please, at my own fancy. Which
+      of us two will yield, remains to be seen. Now for another matter: this
+      mansion belongs to me! As I am about to leave it, I am indifferent whether
+      you continue to live here or not; but the ground floor is uninhabited. It
+      contains, besides the reception-rooms, two complete sets of apartments; I
+      have let them for some time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; said the princess, looking at D&rsquo;Aigrigny with intense surprise.
+      &ldquo;And to whom,&rdquo; she added ironically, &ldquo;have you disposed of them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To three members of my family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What does all this mean?&rdquo; said Mme. de Saint-Dizier, more and more
+      astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It means, madame, that I wish to offer a generous hospitality to a young
+      Indian prince, my kinsman on my mother&rsquo;s side. He will arrive in two or
+      three days, and I wish to have the rooms ready to receive him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You hear, gentlemen?&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny to the doctor and Tripeaud, with an
+      affectation of profound stupor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It surpasses all one could imagine!&rdquo; exclaimed the baron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; observed the doctor, benignantly, &ldquo;the impulse is generous in
+      itself&mdash;but the mad little head crops out?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent!&rdquo; said the princes. &ldquo;I cannot prevent you madame, from
+      announcing the most extravagant designs but it is presumable that you will
+      not stop short in so fair a path. Is that all?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not quite, your highness. I learned this morning, that two of my female
+      relations, also on my mother&rsquo;s side&mdash;poor children of fifteen&mdash;orphan
+      daughters of Marshal Simon arrived yesterday from a long journey, and are
+      now with the wife of the brave soldier who brought them to France from the
+      depths of Siberia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words from Adrienne, D&rsquo;Aigrigny and the princess could not help
+      starting suddenly, and staring at each other with affright, so far were
+      they from expecting that Mdlle. de Cardoville was informed of the coming
+      of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters. This discovery was like a thunder-clap to
+      them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are no doubt astonished at seeing me so well informed,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne; &ldquo;fortunately, before I have done, I hope to astonish you still
+      more. But to return to these daughters of Marshal Simon: your highness
+      will understand, that it is impossible for me to leave them in charge of
+      the good people who have afforded them a temporary asylum. Though this
+      family is honest, and hard-working, it is not the place for them. I shall
+      go and fetch them hither, and lodge them in apartments on the
+      ground-floor, along with the soldier&rsquo;s wife, who will do very well to take
+      care of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Upon these words, D&rsquo;Aigrigny and the baron looked at each other, and the
+      baron exclaimed: &ldquo;Decidedly, she&rsquo;s out of her head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without a word to Tripeaud, Adrienne continued: &ldquo;Marshal Simon cannot fail
+      to arrive at Paris shortly. Your highness perceives how pleasant it will
+      he, to be able to present his daughters to him, and prove that they have
+      been treated as they deserve. To-morrow morning I shall send for milliners
+      and mantua makers, so that they may want for nothing. I desire their
+      surprised father, on his return, to find them every way beautiful. They
+      are pretty, I am told, as angels&mdash;but I will endeavor to make little
+      Cupids of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10395m.jpg" alt="10395m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10395.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last, madame, you must have finished?&rdquo; said the princess, in a
+      sardonic and deeply irritated tone, whilst D&rsquo;Aigrigny, calm and cold in
+      appearance, could hardly dissemble his mental anguish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Try again!&rdquo; continued the princess, addressing Adrienne. &ldquo;Are there no
+      more relations that you wish to add to this interesting family-group?
+      Really a queen could not act with more magnificence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Right! I wish to give my family a royal reception&mdash;such as is due to
+      the son of a king, and the daughters of the Duke de Ligny. It is well to
+      unite other luxuries of life with the luxury of the hospitable heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The maxim is assuredly generous,&rdquo; said the princess, becoming more and
+      more agitated; &ldquo;it is only a pity that you do not possess the mines of El
+      Dorado to make it practicable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was on the subject of a mine, said to be a rich one, that I also
+      wished to speak to your highness. Could I find a better opportunity?
+      Though my fortune is already considerable, it is nothing to what may come
+      to our family at any moment. You will perhaps excuse, therefore, what you
+      are pleased to call my royal prodigalities.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      D&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s dilemma became momentarily more and more thorny. The affair
+      of the medals was so important, that he had concealed it even from Dr.
+      Baleinier, though he had called in his services to forward immense
+      interests. Neither had Tripeaud been informed of it, for the princess
+      believed that she had destroyed every vestige of those papers of
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s father, which might have put him on the scent of this
+      discovery. The abbe, therefore was not only greatly alarmed that Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville might be informed of this secret, but he trembled lest she
+      should divulge it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess, sharing the alarms of D&rsquo;Aigrigny, interrupted her niece by
+      exclaiming: &ldquo;Madame, there are certain family affairs which ought to be
+      kept secret, and, without exactly understanding to what you allude, I must
+      request you to change the subject.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, madame! are we not here a family party? Is that not sufficiently
+      evident by the somewhat ungracious things that have been here said?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter, madame! when affairs of interest are concerned, which are more
+      or less disputable, it is perfectly useless to speak of them without the
+      documents laid before every one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And of what have we been speaking this hour, madame, if not of affairs of
+      interest? I really do not understand your surprise and embarrassment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am neither surprised nor embarrassed, madame; but for the last two
+      hours, you have obliged me to listen to so many new and extravagant
+      things, that a little amaze is very permissible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg your highness&rsquo;s pardon, but you are very much embarrassed,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, looking fixedly at her aunt, &ldquo;and M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny also&mdash;which
+      confirms certain suspicions that I have not had the time to clear up. Have
+      I then guessed rightly?&rdquo; she added, after a pause. &ldquo;We will see&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, I command you to be silent,&rdquo; cried the princess, no longer
+      mistress of herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame!&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;for a person who has in general so much
+      command of her feelings, you compromise yourself strangely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Providence (as some will have it) came to the aid of the princess and the
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny at this critical juncture. A valet entered the room; his
+      countenance bore such marks of fright and agitation, that the princess
+      exclaimed as soon as she saw him: &ldquo;Why, Dubois! what is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have to beg pardon, your highness, for interrupting you against your
+      express orders, but a police inspector demands to speak with you
+      instantly. He is below stairs, and the yard is full of policemen and
+      soldiers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding the profound surprise which this new incident occasioned
+      her, the princess, determining to profit by the opportunity thus afforded,
+      to concert prompt measures with D&rsquo;Aigrigny on the subject of Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      threatened revelations, rose, and said to the abbe: &ldquo;Will you be so
+      obliging as to accompany me, M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, for I do not know what the
+      presence of this commissary of police may signify.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      D&rsquo;Aigrigny followed the speaker into the next room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0041" id="link2HCH0041">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLI. TREACHERY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he Princess de Saint-Dizier, accompanied by D&rsquo;Aigrigny, and followed by
+      the servants, stopped short in the next room to that in which had remained
+      Adrienne, Tripeaud and the doctor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is the commissary?&rdquo; asked the princess of the servant, who had just
+      before announced to her the arrival of that magistrate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the blue saloon, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My compliments, and beg him to wait for me a few moments.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The man bowed and withdrew. As soon as he was gone Madame de Saint Dizier
+      approached hastily M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whose countenance, usually firm and
+      haughty, was now pale and agitated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see,&rdquo; cried the princess in a hurried voice, &ldquo;Adrienne knows all.
+      What shall we do?&mdash;what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell,&rdquo; said the abbe, with a fixed and absent look. &ldquo;This
+      disclosure is a terrible blow to us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is all, then, lost?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is only one means of safety,&rdquo; said M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny;&mdash;&ldquo;the
+      doctor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how?&rdquo; cried the princess. &ldquo;So, sudden? this very day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two hours hence, it will be too late; ere then, this infernal girl will
+      have seen Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But&mdash;Frederick!&mdash;it is impossible! M. Baleinier will never
+      consent. I ought to have been prepared before hand as we intended, after
+      to-day&rsquo;s examination.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter,&rdquo; replied the abbe, quickly; &ldquo;the doctor must try at any
+      hazard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But under what pretext?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will try and find one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suppose you were to find a pretext, Frederick, and we could act
+      immediately&mdash;nothing would be ready down there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied: they are always ready there, by habitual foresight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How instruct the doctor on the instant?&rdquo; resumed the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To send for him would be to rouse the suspicions of your niece,&rdquo; said M.
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, thoughtfully; &ldquo;and we must avoid that before everything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course,&rdquo; answered the princess; &ldquo;her confidence in the doctor is one
+      of our greatest resources.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is a way,&rdquo; said the abbe quickly; &ldquo;I will write a few words in
+      haste to Baleinier: one of your people can take the note to him, as if it
+      came from without&mdash;from a patient dangerously ill.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An excellent idea!&rdquo; cried the princess. &ldquo;You are right. Here&mdash;upon
+      this table&mdash;there is everything necessary for writing. Quick! quick&mdash;But
+      will the doctor succeed?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In truth, I scarcely dare to hope it,&rdquo; said the marquis, sitting down at
+      the table with repressed rage. &ldquo;Thanks to this examination, going beyond
+      our hopes, which our man, hidden behind the curtain, has faithfully taken
+      down in shorthand&mdash;thanks to the violent scenes, which would
+      necessarily have occurred to-morrow and the day after&mdash;the doctor, by
+      fencing himself round with all sorts of clever precautions, would have
+      been able to act with the most complete certainty. But to ask this of him
+      to-day, on the instant!&mdash;Herminia&mdash;it is folly to think of!&rdquo;&mdash;The
+      marquis threw down the pen which he held in his hand; then he added, in a
+      tone of bitter and profound irritation: &ldquo;At the very moment of success&mdash;to
+      see all our hopes destroyed!&mdash;Oh, the consequences of all this are
+      incalculable. Your niece will be the cause of the greatest mischief&mdash;oh!
+      the greatest injury to us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe the expression of deep rage and implacable
+      hatred with which D&rsquo;Aigrigny uttered these last words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Frederick,&rdquo; cried the princess with anxiety, as she clasped her hands
+      strongly around the abbe&rsquo;s, &ldquo;I conjure you, do not despair!&mdash;The
+      doctor is fertile in resources, and he is so devoted to us. Let us at
+      least, make the attempt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well&mdash;it is at least a chance,&rdquo; said the abbe, taking up the pen
+      again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Should it come to the worst.&rdquo; said the princess, &ldquo;and Adrienne go this
+      evening to fetch General Simon&rsquo;s daughters, she may perhaps no longer find
+      them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We cannot hope for that. It is impossible that Rodin&rsquo;s orders should have
+      been so quickly executed. We should have been informed of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true. Write then to the doctor; I will send you Dubois, to carry
+      your letter. Courage, Frederick! we shall yet be too much for that
+      ungovernable girl.&rdquo; Madame de Saint-Dizier added, with concentrated rage:
+      &ldquo;Oh, Adrienne! Adrienne! you shall pay dearly for your insolent sarcasms,
+      and the anxiety you have caused us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she went out, the princess turned towards M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and said to
+      him: &ldquo;Wait for me here. I will tell you the meaning of this visit of the
+      police, and we will go in together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess disappeared. D&rsquo;Aigrigny dashed off a few words, with a
+      trembling hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0042" id="link2HCH0042">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLII. THE SNARE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>fter the departure of Madame de Saint-Dizier and the marquis, Adrienne
+      had remained in her aunt&rsquo;s apartment with M. Baleinier and Baron Tripeaud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On hearing of the commissary&rsquo;s arrival, Mdlle. de Cardoville had felt
+      considerable uneasiness; for there could be no doubt that, as Agricola had
+      apprehended, this magistrate was come to search the hotel and extension,
+      in order to find the smith, whom he believed to be concealed there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though she looked upon Agricola&rsquo;s hiding-place as a very safe one,
+      Adrienne was not quite tranquil on his account; so in the event of any
+      unfortunate accident, she thought it a good opportunity to recommend the
+      refugee to the doctor, an intimate friend, as we have said, of one of the
+      most influential ministers of the day. So, drawing near to the physician,
+      who was conversing in a low voice with the baron, she said to him in her
+      softest and most coaxing manner: &ldquo;My good M. Baleinier, I wish to speak a
+      few words with you.&rdquo; She pointed to the deep recess of one of the windows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am at your orders, madame,&rdquo; answered the doctor, as he rose to follow
+      Adrienne to the recess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Tripeaud, who, no longer sustained by the abbe&rsquo;s presence, dreaded the
+      young lady as he did fire, was not sorry for this diversion. To keep up
+      appearances, he stationed himself before one of the sacred pictures, and
+      began again to contemplate it, as if there were no bounds to his
+      admiration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When Mdlle. de Cardoville was far enough from the baron, not to be
+      overheard by him, she said to the physician, who, all smiles and
+      benevolence, waited for her to explain: &ldquo;My good doctor, you are my
+      friend, as you were my father&rsquo;s. Just now, notwithstanding the difficulty
+      of your position, you had the courage to show yourself my only partisan.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not at all, madame; do not go and say such things!&rdquo; cried the doctor,
+      affecting a pleasant kind of anger. &ldquo;Plague on&rsquo;t! you would get me into a
+      pretty scrape; so pray be silent on that subject. Vade retro Satanas!&mdash;which
+      means: Get thee behind me, charming little demon that you are!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be afraid,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, with a smile; &ldquo;I will not
+      compromise you. Only allow me to remind you, that you have often made me
+      offers of service, and spoken to me of your devotion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Put me to the test&mdash;and you will see if I do not keep my promises.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then! give me a proof on the instant,&rdquo; said Adrienne, quickly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Capital! this is how I like to be taken at my word. What can I do for
+      you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you still very intimate with your friend the minister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I am just treating him for a loss of voice, which he always has, the
+      day they put questions to him in the house. He likes it better.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I want you to obtain from him something very important for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For you? pray, what is it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant, the valet entered the room, delivered a letter to M.
+      Baleinier, and said to him: &ldquo;A footman has just brought this letter for
+      you, sir; it is very pressing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The physician took the letter, and the servant went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is one of the inconveniences of merit,&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling;
+      &ldquo;they do not leave you a moment&rsquo;s rest, my poor doctor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not speak of it, madame,&rdquo; said the physician, who could not conceal a
+      start of amazement, as he recognized the writing of D&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;these
+      patients think we are made of iron, and have monopolized the health which
+      they so much need. They have really no mercy. With your permission,
+      madame,&rdquo; added M. Baleinier, looking at Adrienne before he unsealed the
+      letter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville answered by a graceful nod. Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s
+      letter was not long; the doctor read it at a single glance, and,
+      notwithstanding his habitual prudence, he shrugged his shoulders, and said
+      hastily: &ldquo;Today! why, it&rsquo;s impossible. He is mad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You speak no doubt of some poor patient, who has placed all his hopes in
+      you&mdash;who waits and calls for you at this moment. Come, my dear M.
+      Baleinier, do not reject his prayer. It is so sweet to justify the
+      confidence we inspire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was at once so much analogy, and such contradiction, between the
+      object of this letter, written just before by Adrienne&rsquo;s most implacable
+      enemy, and these words of commiseration which she spoke in a touching
+      voice, that Dr. Baleinier himself could not help being struck with it. He
+      looked at Mdlle. de Cardoville with an almost embarrassed air, as he
+      replied: &ldquo;I am indeed speaking of one of my patients, who counts much upon
+      me&mdash;a great deal too much&mdash;for he asks me to do an
+      impossibility. But why do you feel so interested in an unknown person?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he is unfortunate, I know enough to interest me. The person for whom I
+      ask your assistance with the minister, was quite as little known to me;
+      and now I take the deepest interest in him. I must tell you, that he is
+      the son of the worthy soldier who brought Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters from
+      the heart of Siberia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! he is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An honest workman, the support of his family; but I must tell you all
+      about it&mdash;this is how the affair took place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The confidential communication which Adrienne was going to make to the
+      doctor, was cut short by Madame Saint-Dizier, who, followed by M.
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, opened abruptly the door. An expression of infernal joy,
+      hardly concealed beneath a semblance of extreme indignation, was visible
+      in her countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny threw rapidly, as he entered the apartment, an inquiring and
+      anxious glance at M. Baleinier. The doctor answered by a shake of the
+      head. The abbe bit his lips with silent rage; he had built his last hopes
+      upon the doctor, and his projects seemed now forever annihilated,
+      notwithstanding the new blow which the princess had in reserve for
+      Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; said Madame de Saint-Dizier, in a sharp, hurried voice, for
+      she was nearly choking with wicked pleasure, &ldquo;gentlemen, pray be seated! I
+      have some new and curious things to tell you, on the subject of this young
+      lady.&rdquo; She pointed to her niece, with a look of ineffable hatred and
+      disdain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My poor child, what is the matter now?&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, in a soft,
+      wheedling tone, before he left the window where he was standing with
+      Adrienne. &ldquo;Whatever happens, count upon me!&rdquo;&mdash;And the physician went
+      to seat himself between M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny and M. Tripeaud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At her aunt&rsquo;s insolent address, Mdlle. de Cardoville had proudly lined her
+      head. The blood rushed to her face, and irritated at the new attacks with
+      which she was menaced, she advanced to the table where the princess was
+      seated, and said in an agitated voice to M. Baleinier: &ldquo;I shall expect you
+      to call on me as soon as possible, my dear doctor. You know that I wish
+      particularly to speak with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne made one step towards the arm-chair, on which she had left her
+      hat. The princess rose abruptly, and exclaimed: &ldquo;What are you doing,
+      madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am about to retire. Your highness has expressed to me your will, and I
+      have told you mine. It is enough.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She took her hat. Madame de Saint-Dizier, seeing her prey about to escape,
+      hastened towards her niece, and, in defiance of all propriety, seized her
+      violently by the arm with a convulsive grasp, and bade her, &ldquo;Remain!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fie, madame!&rdquo; exclaimed Adrienne, with an accent of painful contempt,
+      &ldquo;have we sunk so low?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You wish to escape&mdash;you are afraid!&rdquo; resumed Madame de Saint-Dizier,
+      looking at her disdainfully from head to foot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With these words &ldquo;you are afraid,&rdquo; you could have made Adrienne de
+      Cardoville walk into a fiery furnace. Disengaging her arm from her aunt&rsquo;s
+      grasp, with a gesture full of nobleness and pride, she threw down the hat
+      upon the chair, and returning to the table, said imperiously to the
+      princess: &ldquo;There is something even stronger than the disgust with which
+      all this inspires me&mdash;the fear of being accused of cowardice. Go on,
+      madame! I am listening!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With her head raised, her color somewhat heightened, her glance half
+      veiled by a tear of indignation, her arms folded over her bosom, which
+      heaved in spite of herself with deep emotion, and her little foot beating
+      convulsively on the carpet, Adrienne looked steadily at her aunt. The
+      princess wished to infuse drop by drop, the poison with which she was
+      swelling, and make her victim suffer as long as possible, feeling certain
+      that she could not escape. &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; said Madame de Saint-Dizier, in a
+      forced voice, &ldquo;this has occurred: I was told that the commissary of police
+      wished to speak with me: I went to receive this magistrate; he excused
+      himself, with a troubled air, for the nature of the duty he had to
+      perform. A man, against whom a warrant was out, had been seen to enter the
+      garden-house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne started, there could be no doubt that Agricola was meant. But she
+      recovered her tranquillity, when she thought of the security of the
+      hiding-place she had given him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The magistrate,&rdquo; continued the princess, &ldquo;asked my consent to search the
+      hotel and extension, to discover this man. It was his right. I begged him
+      to commence with the garden-house, and accompanied him. Notwithstanding
+      the improper conduct of Mademoiselle, it never, I confess, entered my head
+      for a moment, that she was in any way mixed up with this police business.
+      I was deceived.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean, madame?&rdquo; cried Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know all, madame,&rdquo; said the princess, with a triumphant air,
+      &ldquo;in good time. You were in rather too great a hurry just now, to show
+      yourself so proud and satirical. Well! I accompanied the commissary in his
+      search; we came to the summer-house; I leave you to imagine the stupor and
+      astonishment of the magistrate, on seeing three creatures dressed up like
+      actresses. At my request, the fact was noted in the official report; for
+      it is well to reveal such extravagances to all whom it may concern.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10405m.jpg" alt="10305m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10405.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The princess acted very wisely,&rdquo; said Tripeaud, bowing; &ldquo;it is well that
+      the authorities should be informed of such matters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, too much interested in the fate of the workman to think of
+      answering Tripeaud or the princess, listened in silence, and strove to
+      conceal her uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The magistrate,&rdquo; resumed Madame de Saint-Dizier, &ldquo;began by a severe
+      examination of these young girls; to learn if any man had, with their
+      knowledge, been introduced into the house; with incredible effrontery,
+      they answered that they had seen nobody enter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The true-hearted, honest girls!&rdquo; thought Mademoiselle de Cardoville, full
+      of joy; &ldquo;the poor workman is safe! the protection of Dr. Baleinier will do
+      the rest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fortunately,&rdquo; continued the princess, &ldquo;one of my women, Mrs. Grivois, had
+      accompanied me. This excellent person, remembering to have seen
+      Mademoiselle return home at eight o&rsquo;clock in the morning, remarked with
+      much simplicity to the magistrate, that the man, whom they sought, might
+      probably have entered by the little garden gate, left open, accidentally,
+      by Mademoiselle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would have been well, madame,&rdquo; said Tripeaud, &ldquo;to have caused to be
+      noted also in the report, that Mademoiselle had returned home at eight
+      o&rsquo;clock in the morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not see the necessity for this,&rdquo; said the doctor, faithful to his
+      part: &ldquo;it would have been quite foreign to the search carried on by the
+      commissary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, doctor,&rdquo; said Tripeaud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, baron,&rdquo; resumed M. Baleinier, in a firm voice, &ldquo;that is my opinion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was not mine, doctor,&rdquo; said the princess; &ldquo;like M. Tripeaud, I
+      considered it important to establish the fact by an entry in the report,
+      and I saw, by the confused and troubled countenance of the magistrate, how
+      painful it was to register the scandalous conduct of a young person placed
+      in so high a position in society.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, madame,&rdquo; said Adrienne, losing patience, &ldquo;I believe your
+      modesty to be about equal to that of this candid commissary of police; but
+      it seems to me, that your mutual innocence was alarmed a little too soon.
+      You might, and ought to have reflected, that there was nothing
+      extraordinary in my coming home at eight o&rsquo;clock, if I had gone out at
+      six.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The excuse, though somewhat tardy, is at least cunning,&rdquo; said the
+      princess, spitefully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not excuse myself, madame,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;but as M. Baleinier has
+      been kind enough to speak a word in my favor, I give the possible
+      interpretation of a fact, which it would not become me to explain in your
+      presence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact will stand, however, in the report,&rdquo; said Tripeaud, &ldquo;until the
+      explanation is given.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, his forehead resting on his hand, remained as if a
+      stranger to this scene; he was too much occupied with his fears at the
+      consequences of the approaching interview between Mdlle. de Cardoville and
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters&mdash;for there seemed no possibility of using
+      force to prevent Adrienne from going out that evening.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier went on: &ldquo;The fact which so greatly scandalized the
+      commissary is nothing compared to what I yet have to tell you, gentlemen.
+      We had searched all parts of the pavilion without finding any one, and
+      were just about to quit the bed-chamber, for we had taken this room the
+      last, when Mrs. Grivois pointed out to us that one of the golden mouldings
+      of a panel did not appear to come quite home to the wall. We drew the
+      attention of the magistrate to this circumstance; his men examined,
+      touched, felt&mdash;the panel flew open!&mdash;and then&mdash;can you
+      guess what we discovered? But, no! it is too odious, too revolting; I dare
+      not even&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I dare, madame,&rdquo; said Adrienne, resolutely, though she saw with the
+      utmost grief the retreat of Agricola was discovered; &ldquo;I will spare your
+      highness&rsquo;s candor the recital of this new scandal, and yet what I am about
+      to say is in nowise intended as a justification.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It requires one, however,&rdquo; said Madame de Saint-Dizier, with a disdainful
+      smile; &ldquo;a man concealed by you in your own bedroom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man concealed in her bedroom!&rdquo; cried the Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny, raising
+      his head with apparent indignation, which only covered a cruel joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man! in the bedroom of Mademoiselle!&rdquo; added Baron Tripeaud. &ldquo;I hope
+      this also was inserted in the report.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, baron,&rdquo; said the princess with a triumphant air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But this man,&rdquo; said the doctor, in a hypocritical tone, &ldquo;must have been a
+      robber? Any other supposition would be in the highest degree improbable.
+      This explains itself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your indulgence deceives you, M. Baleinier,&rdquo; answered the princess,
+      dryly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We knew the sort of thieves,&rdquo; said Tripeaud; &ldquo;they are generally young
+      men, handsome, and very rich.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are wrong, sir,&rdquo; resumed Madame de Saint-Dizier. &ldquo;Mademoiselle does
+      not raise her views so high. She proves that a dereliction from duty may
+      be ignoble as well as criminal. I am no longer astonished at the sympathy
+      which was just now professed for the lower orders. It is the more touching
+      and affecting, as the man concealed by her was dressed in a blouse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A blouse!&rdquo; cried the baron, with an air of extreme disgust; &ldquo;then he is
+      one of the common people? It really makes one&rsquo;s hair stand on end.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The man is a working smith&mdash;he confessed it,&rdquo; said the princess;
+      &ldquo;but not to be unjust&mdash;he is really a good-looking fellow. It was
+      doubtless that singular worship which Mademoiselle pays to the beautiful&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, madame, enough!&rdquo; said Adrienne suddenly, for, hitherto disdaining
+      to answer, she had listened to her aunt with growing and painful
+      indignation; &ldquo;I was just now on the point of defending myself against one
+      of your odious insinuations&mdash;but I will not a second time descend to
+      any such weakness. One word only, madame; has this honest and worthy
+      artisan been arrested?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure, he has been arrested and taken to prison, under a strong
+      escort. Does not that pierce your heart?&rdquo; sneered the princess, with a
+      triumphant air. &ldquo;Your tender pity for this interesting smith must indeed
+      be very great, since it deprives you of your sarcastic assurance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame; for I have something better to do than to satirize that
+      which is utterly odious and ridiculous,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, whose eyes grew
+      dim with tears at the thought of the cruel hurt to Agricola&rsquo;s family.
+      Then, putting her hat on, and tying the strings, she said to the doctor:
+      &ldquo;M. Baleinier, I asked you just now for your interest with the minister.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame; and it will give me great pleasure to act on your behalf.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is your carriage below?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame,&rdquo; said the doctor, much surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will be good enough to accompany me immediately to the minister&rsquo;s.
+      Introduced by you, he will not refuse me the favor, or rather the act of
+      justice, that I have to solicit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said the princess; &ldquo;do you dare take such a course,
+      without my orders, after what has just passed? It is really quite
+      unheard-of.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It confounds one,&rdquo; added Tripeaud; &ldquo;but we must not be surprised at
+      anything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment Adrienne asked the doctor if his carriage was below, D&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      started. A look of intense satisfaction flashed across his countenance,
+      and he could hardly repress the violence of his delight, when, darting, a
+      rapid and significant glance at the doctor, he saw the latter respond to
+      it by trace closing his eyelids in token of comprehension and assent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When therefore the princess resumed, in an angry tone, addressing herself
+      to Adrienne: &ldquo;Madame, I forbid you leaving the house!&rdquo;&mdash;D&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      said to the speaker, with a peculiar inflection of the voice: &ldquo;I think,
+      your highness, we may trust the lady to the doctor&rsquo;s care.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10389m.jpg" alt="10389m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10389.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The marquis pronounced these words in so significant a manner, that the
+      princess, having looked by turns at the physician and D&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      understood it all, and her countenance grew radiant with joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not only did this pass with extreme rapidity, but the night was already
+      almost come, so that Adrienne, absorbed in painful thoughts with regard to
+      Agricola, did not perceive the different signals exchanged between the
+      princess, the doctor, and the abbe. Even had she done so, they would have
+      been incomprehensible to her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not wishing to have the appearance of yielding too readily, to the
+      suggestion of the marquis, Madame de Saint-Dizier resumed: &ldquo;Though the
+      doctor seems to me to be far too indulgent to mademoiselle, I might not
+      see any great objection to trusting her with him; but that I do not wish
+      to establish such a precedent, for hence forward she must have no will but
+      mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said the physician gravely, feigning to be somewhat shocked by
+      the words of the Princess de Saint-Dizier, &ldquo;I do not think I have been too
+      indulgent to mademoiselle&mdash;but only just. I am at her orders, to take
+      her to the minister if she wishes it. I do not know what she intends to
+      solicit, but I believe her incapable of abusing the confidence I repose in
+      her, or making me support a recommendation undeserved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, much moved, extended her hand cordially to the doctor, and said
+      to him: &ldquo;Rest assured, my excellent friend, that you will thank me for the
+      step I am taking, for you will assist in a noble action.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Tripeaud, who was not in the secret of the new plans of the doctor and the
+      abbe in a low voice faltered to the latter, with a stupefied air, &ldquo;What!
+      will you let her go?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes,&rdquo; answered D&rsquo;Aigrigny abruptly, making a sign that he should
+      listen to the princess, who was about to speak. Advancing towards her
+      niece, she said to her in a slow and measured tone, laying a peculiar
+      emphasis on every word: &ldquo;One moment more, mademoiselle&mdash;one last word
+      in presence of these gentlemen. Answer me! Notwithstanding the heavy
+      charges impending over you, are you still determined to resist my formal
+      commands?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Notwithstanding the scandalous exposure which has just taken place, you
+      still persist in withdrawing yourself from my authority?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You refuse positively to submit to the regular and decent mode of life
+      which I would impose upon you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have already told you, madame, that I am about to quit this dwelling in
+      order to live alone and after my own fashion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that your final decision?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is my last word.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Reflect! the matter is serious. Beware!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have given your highness my last word, and I never speak it twice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen, you hear all this?&rdquo; resumed the princess; &ldquo;I have tried in
+      vain all that was possible to conciliate. Mademoiselle will have only
+      herself to thank for the measures to which this audacious revolt will
+      oblige me to have recourse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so, madame,&rdquo; replied Adrienne. Then, addressing M. Baleinier, she
+      said quickly to him: &ldquo;Come, my dear doctor; I am dying with impatience.
+      Let us set out immediately. Every minute lost may occasion bitter tears to
+      an honest family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Adrienne left the room precipitately with the physician. One of
+      the servants called for M. Baleinier&rsquo;s carriage. Assisted by the doctor,
+      Adrienne mounted the step, without perceiving that he said something in a
+      low whisper to the footman that opened the coach-door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When, however, he was seated by the side of Mdlle. de Cardoville, and the
+      door was closed upon them, he waited for about a second, and then called
+      out in a loud voice to the coachman: &ldquo;To the house of the minister, by the
+      private entrance!&rdquo; The horses started at a gallop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0043" id="link2HCH0043">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIII. A FALSE FRIEND.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">N</span>ight had set in dark and cold. The sky, which had been clear till the sun
+      went down, was now covered with gray and lurid clouds; a strong wind
+      raised here and there, in circling eddies, the snow that was beginning to
+      fall thick and fast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lamps threw a dubious light into the interior of Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s
+      carriage, in which he was seated alone with Adrienne de Cardoville. The
+      charming countenance of the latter, faintly illumined by the lamps beneath
+      the shade of her little gray hat, looked doubly white and pure in contrast
+      with the dark lining of the carriage, which was now filled with that,
+      sweet, delicious, and almost voluptuous perfume which hangs about the
+      garments of young women of taste. The attitude of the girl, seated next to
+      the doctor, was full of grace. Her slight and elegant figure, imprisoned
+      in her high-necked dress of blue cloth, imprinted its wavy outline on the
+      soft cushion against which she leaned; her little feet, crossed one upon
+      the other, and stretched rather forward, rested upon a thick bear-skin,
+      which carpeted the bottom of the carriage. In her hand, which was ungloved
+      and dazzlingly white, she held a magnificently embroidered handkerchief,
+      with which, to the great astonishment of M. Baleinier, she dried her eyes,
+      now filled with tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes; Adrienne wept, for she now felt the reaction from the painful scenes
+      through which she had passed at Saint-Dizier House; to the feverish and
+      nervous excitement, which had till then sustained her, had succeeded a
+      sorrowful dejection. Resolute in her independence, proud in her disdain,
+      implacable in her irony, audacious in her resistance to unjust oppression,
+      Adrienne was yet endowed with the most acute sensibility, which she always
+      dissembled, however, in the presence of her aunt and those who surrounded
+      her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding her courage, no one could have been less masculine, less
+      of a virago, than Mdlle. Cardoville. She was essentially womanly, but as a
+      woman, she knew how to exercise great empire over herself, the moment that
+      the least mark of weakness on her part would have rejoiced or emboldened
+      her enemies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The carriage had rolled onwards for some minutes; but Adrienne, drying her
+      tears in silence, to the doctor&rsquo;s great astonishment, had not yet uttered
+      a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne?&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, truly surprised at her
+      emotion; &ldquo;what! you, that were just now so courageous, weeping?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, in an agitated voice; &ldquo;I weep in presence of a
+      friend; but, before my aunt&mdash;oh! never.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, in that long interview, your stinging replies&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah me! do you think that I resigned myself with pleasure to that war of
+      sarcasm? Nothing is more painful to me than such combats of bitter irony,
+      to which I am forced by the necessity of defending myself from this woman
+      and her friends. You speak of my courage: it does not consist, I assure
+      you, in the display of wicked feelings&mdash;but in the power to repress
+      and hide all that I suffer, when I hear myself treated so grossly&mdash;in
+      the presence, too, of people that I hate and despise&mdash;when, after
+      all, I have never done them any harm, and have only asked to be allowed to
+      live alone, freely and quietly, and see those about me happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where it is: they envy your happiness, and that which you bestow
+      upon others.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And it is my aunt,&rdquo; cried Adrienne, with indignation, &ldquo;my aunt, whose
+      whole life has been one long scandal that accuses me in this revolting
+      manner!&mdash;as if she did not know me proud and honest enough never to
+      make a choice of which I should be ashamed! Oh! if I ever love, I shall
+      proclaim it, I shall be proud of it: for love, as I understand it, is the
+      most glorious feeling in the world. But, alas!&rdquo; continued Adrienne, with
+      redoubled bitterness, &ldquo;of what use are truth and honor, if they do not
+      secure you from suspicions, which are as absurd as they are odious?&rdquo; So
+      saying, she again pressed her handkerchief to her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, in a voice full of the
+      softest unction, &ldquo;becalm&mdash;it is all over now. You have in me a
+      devoted friend.&rdquo; As he pronounced these last words, he blushed in spite of
+      his diabolical craft.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10413m.jpg" alt="10413m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10413.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know you are my friend,&rdquo; said Adrienne: &ldquo;I shall never forget that, by
+      taking my part to-day, you exposed yourself to the resentment of my aunt&mdash;for
+      I am not ignorant of her power, which is very great, alas! for evil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for that,&rdquo; said the doctor, affecting a profound indifference, &ldquo;we
+      medical men are pretty safe from personal enmities.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, my dear M. Baleinier! Mme. de Saint-Dizier and her friends never
+      forgive,&rdquo; said the young girl, with a shudder. &ldquo;It needed all my
+      invincible aversion, my innate horror for all that is base, cowardly, and
+      perfidious, to induce me to break so openly with her. But if death itself
+      were the penalty, I could not hesitate and yet,&rdquo; she added, with one of
+      those graceful smiles which gave such a charm to her beautiful
+      countenance, &ldquo;yet I am fond of life: if I have to reproach myself with
+      anything, it is that I would have it too bright, too fair, too harmonious;
+      but then, you know, I am resigned to my faults.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, come, I am more tranquil,&rdquo; said the doctor, gayly; &ldquo;for you smile&mdash;that
+      is a good sign.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is often the wisest course; and yet, ought I smile, after the threats
+      that my aunt has held out to me? Still, what can she do? what is the
+      meaning of this kind of family council? Did she seriously think that the
+      advice of a M. D&rsquo;Aigrigny or a M. Tripeaud could have influenced me? And
+      then she talked of rigorous measures. What measures can she take; do you
+      know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think, between ourselves, that the princess only wished to frighten
+      you, and hopes to succeed by persuasion. She has the misfortune to fancy
+      herself a mother of the Church, and dreams of your conversion,&rdquo; said the
+      doctor, maliciously, for he now wished to tranquillize Adrienne at any
+      cost; &ldquo;but let us think no more about it. Your fire eyes must shine with
+      all their lustre, to fascinate the minister that we are going to see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, dear doctor; we ought always avoid grief, for it has the
+      disadvantage of making us forget the sorrows of others. But here am I,
+      availing myself of your kindness, without even telling you what I
+      require.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Luckily, we shall have plenty of time to talk over it, for our statesman
+      lives at some distance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In two words, here&rsquo;s the mystery,&rdquo; answered Adrienne. &ldquo;I told you what
+      reasons I had to interest myself in that honest workman. This morning he
+      came to me in great grief, to inform me that he was compromised by some
+      songs he had written (for he is a poet), and that, though innocent, he was
+      threatened with an arrest; and if they put him into prison, his family,
+      whose sole support he is, would die of hunger. Therefore he came to beg me
+      to procure bail for him, so that he might be left at liberty to work: I
+      promised immediately, thinking of your interest with the minister; for, as
+      they were already in pursuit of the poor lad, I chose to conceal him in my
+      residence, and you know how my aunt has twisted that action. Now tell me,
+      do you think, that, by means of your recommendation, the minister will
+      grant me the freedom of this workman, bail being given for the same?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt of it. There will not be the shadow of a difficulty&mdash;especially
+      when you have explained the facts to him, with that eloquence of the heart
+      which you possess in perfection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know, my dear Dr. Baleinier, why I have taken the resolution
+      (which is perhaps a strange one) to ask you to accompany me to the
+      minister&rsquo;s?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, doubtless, to recommend your friend in a more effective manner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;but also to put an end, by a decisive step, to the calumnies
+      which my aunt will be sure to spread with regard to me, and which she has
+      already, you know, had inserted in the report of the commissary of police.
+      I have preferred to address myself at once, frankly and openly, to a man
+      placed in a high social position. I will explain all to him, who will
+      believe me, because truth has an accent of its own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All this, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne, is wisely planned. You will, as the
+      saw says, kill two birds with one stone&mdash;or rather, you will obtain
+      by one act of kindness two acts of justice; you will destroy a dangerous
+      calumny, and restore a worthy youth to liberty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said Adrienne, laughing, &ldquo;thanks to this pleasing prospect, my
+      light heart has returned.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How true that in life,&rdquo; said the doctor, philosophically, &ldquo;everything
+      depends on the point of view.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne was so completely ignorant of the forms of a constitutional
+      government, and had so blind a confidence in the doctor, that she did not
+      doubt for an instant what he told her. She therefore resumed with joy:
+      &ldquo;What happiness it will be! when I go to fetch the daughters of Marshal
+      Simon, to be able to console this workman&rsquo;s mother, who is now perhaps in
+      a state of cruel anxiety, at not seeing her son return home!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you will have this pleasure,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, with a smile; &ldquo;for
+      we will solicit and intrigue to such purpose, that the good, mother may
+      learn from you the release of her son before she even knows that he has
+      been arrested.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How kind, how obliging you are!&rdquo; said Adrienne. &ldquo;Really, if the motive
+      were not so serious, I should be ashamed of making you lose so much
+      precious time, my dear M. Baleinier. But I know your heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no other wish, than to prove to you my profound devotion, my
+      sincere attachment,&rdquo; said the doctor inhaling a pinch of snuff. But at the
+      same time, he cast an uneasy glance through the window, for the carriage
+      was just crossing the Place de l&rsquo;Odeon, and in spite of the snow, he could
+      see the front of the Odeon theatre brilliantly illuminated. Now Adrienne,
+      who had just turned her head towards that side, might perhaps be
+      astonished at the singular road they were taking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In order to draw off her attention by a skillful diversion, the doctor
+      exclaimed suddenly: &ldquo;Bless me! I had almost forgotten.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter, M. Baleinier?&rdquo; said Adrienne, turning hastily towards
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had forgotten a thing of the highest importance, in regard to the
+      success of our petition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, please?&rdquo; asked the young girl, anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Baleinier gave a cunning smile. &ldquo;Every man,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;has his weakness&mdash;ministers
+      even more than others. The one we are going to visit has the folly to
+      attach the utmost importance to his title, and the first impression would
+      be unfavorable, if you did not lay great stress on the Minister.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that all, my dear M. Baleinier?&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling in her turn.
+      &ldquo;I will even go so far as Your Excellency, which is, I believe, one of his
+      adopted titles.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not now&mdash;but that is no matter; if you could even slide in a My Lord
+      or two, our business would be done at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied! since there are upstart ministers as well as City-turned
+      gentlemen, I will remember Moliere&rsquo;s M. Jourdain, and feed full the
+      gluttonous vanity of your friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I give him up to you, for I know he will be in good hands,&rdquo; replied the
+      physician, who rejoiced to see that the carriage had now entered those
+      dark streets which lead from the Place de l&rsquo;Odeon to the Pantheon
+      district; &ldquo;I do not wish to find fault with the minister for being proud,
+      since his pride may be of service to us on this occasion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These petty devices are innocent enough,&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, &ldquo;and
+      I confess that I do not scruple to have recourse to them.&rdquo; Then, leaning
+      towards the door-sash, she added: &ldquo;Gracious! how sad and dark are these
+      streets. What wind! what snow! In which quarter are we?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! are you so ungrateful, that you do not recognize by the absence of
+      shops, your dear quarter of the Faubourg Saint Germain?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I imagine we had quitted it long ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought so too,&rdquo; said the physician, leaning forward as if to ascertain
+      where they were, &ldquo;but we are still there. My poor coachman, blinded by the
+      snow, which is beating against his face, must have gone wrong just now&mdash;but
+      we are all right again. Yes, I perceive we are in the Rue Saint Guillaume&mdash;not
+      the gayest of streets by the way&mdash;but, in ten minutes, we shall
+      arrive at the minister&rsquo;s private entrance, for intimate friends like
+      myself enjoy the privilege of escaping the honors of a grand reception.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, like most carriage-people, was so little acquainted
+      with certain streets of Paris, as well as with the customs of men in
+      office, that she did not doubt for a moment the statements of Baleinier,
+      in whom she reposed the utmost confidence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When they left the Saint-Dizier House, the doctor had upon his lips a
+      question which he hesitated to put, for fear of endangering himself in the
+      eyes of Adrienne. The latter had spoken of important interests, the
+      existence of which had been concealed from her. The doctor, who was an
+      acute and skillful observer, had quite clearly remarked the embarrassment
+      and anxiety of the princess and D&rsquo;Aigrigny. He no longer doubted, that the
+      plot directed against Adrienne&mdash;one in which he was the blind agent,
+      in submission to the will of the Order&mdash;related to interests which
+      had been concealed from him, and which, for that very reason, he burned to
+      discover; for every member of the dark conspiracy to which he belonged had
+      necessarily acquired the odious vices inherent to spies and informers&mdash;envy,
+      suspicion, and jealous curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is easy to understand, therefore, that Dr. Baleinier, though quite
+      determined to serve the projects of D&rsquo;Aigrigny, was yet very anxious to
+      learn what had been kept from him. Conquering his irresolution, and
+      finding the opportunity favorable, and no time to be lost, he said to
+      Adrienne, after a moment&rsquo;s silence: &ldquo;I am going perhaps to ask you a very
+      indiscreet question. If you think it such, pray do not answer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay&mdash;go on, I entreat you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just now&mdash;a few minutes before the arrival of the commissary of
+      police was announced to your aunt&mdash;you spoke, I think, of some great
+      interests, which had hitherto been concealed from you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I did so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These words,&rdquo; continued M. Baleinier, speaking slowly and emphatically,
+      &ldquo;appeared to make a deep impression on the princess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An impression so deep,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;that sundry suspicions of mine
+      were changed to certainty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I need not tell you, my charming friend,&rdquo; resumed M. Baleinier, in a
+      bland tone, &ldquo;that if I remind you of this circumstance, it is only to
+      offer you my services, in case they should be required. If not&mdash;and
+      there is the shadow of impropriety in letting me know more&mdash;forget
+      that I have said a word.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne became serious and pensive, and, after a silence of some moments,
+      she thus answered Dr. Baleinier: &ldquo;On this subject, there are some things
+      that I do not know&mdash;others that I may tell you&mdash;others again
+      that I must keep from you: but you are so kind to-day, that I am happy to
+      be able to give you a new mark of confidence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I wish to know nothing,&rdquo; said the doctor, with an air of humble
+      deprecation, &ldquo;for I should have the appearance of accepting a kind of
+      reward; whilst I am paid a thousand times over, by the pleasure I feel in
+      serving you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen,&rdquo; said Adrienne, without attending to the delicate scruples of Dr.
+      Baleinier; &ldquo;I have powerful reasons for believing that an immense
+      inheritance must, at no very distant period, be divided between the
+      members of my family, all of whom I do not know&mdash;for, after the
+      Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, those from whom we are descended were
+      dispersed in foreign countries, and experienced a great variety of
+      fortunes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really!&rdquo; cried the doctor, becoming extremely interested. &ldquo;Where is this
+      inheritance, in whose hands?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now how will you assert your rights?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I shall learn soon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who will inform you of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I may not tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how did you find out the existence of this inheritance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That also I may not tell you,&rdquo; returned Adrienne, in a soft and
+      melancholy tone, which remarkably contrasted with the habitual vivacity of
+      her conversation. &ldquo;It is a secret&mdash;a strange secret&mdash;and in
+      those moments of excitement, in which you have sometimes surprised me, I
+      have been thinking of extraordinary circumstances connected with this
+      secret, which awakened within me lofty and magnificent ideas.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne paused and was silent, absorbed in her own reflections. Baleinier
+      did not seek to disturb her. In the first place, Mdlle. de Cardoville did
+      not perceive the direction the coach was taking; secondly, the doctor was
+      not sorry to ponder over what he had just heard. With his usual
+      perspicuity, he saw that the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny was concerned in this
+      inheritance, and he resolved instantly to make a secret report on the
+      subject; either M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny was acting under the instructions of the
+      Order, or by his own impulse; in the one event, the report of the doctor
+      would confirm a fact; in the other, it would reveal one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some time, therefore, the lady and Dr. Baleinier remained perfectly
+      silent, no longer even disturbed by the noise of the wheels, for the
+      carriage now rolled over a thick carpet of snow, and the streets had
+      become more and more deserted. Notwithstanding his crafty treachery,
+      notwithstanding his audacity and the blindness of his dupe, the doctor was
+      not quite tranquil as to the result of his machinations. The critical
+      moment approached, and the least suspicion roused in the mind of Adrienne
+      by any inadvertence on his part, might ruin all his projects.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, already fatigued by the painful emotions of the day, shuddered
+      from time to time, as the cold became more and more piercing; in her haste
+      to accompany Dr. Baleinier, she had neglected to take either shawl or
+      mantle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some minutes the coach had followed the line of a very high wall,
+      which, seen through the snow, looked white against a black sky. The
+      silence was deep and mournful. Suddenly the carriage stopped, and the
+      footman went to knock at a large gateway; he first gave two rapid knocks,
+      and then one other at a long interval. Adrienne did not notice the
+      circumstance, for the noise was not loud, and the doctor had immediately
+      begun to speak, to drown with his voice this species of signal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here we are at last,&rdquo; said he gayly to Adrienne; &ldquo;you must be very
+      winning&mdash;that is, you must be yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be sure I will do my best,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, with a smile; then she
+      added, shivering in spite of herself: &ldquo;How dreadfully cold it is! I must
+      confess, my dear Dr. Baleinier, that when I have been to fetch my poor
+      little relations from the house of our workman&rsquo;s mother, I shall be truly
+      glad to find myself once more in the warmth and light of my own cheerful
+      rooms, for you know my aversion to cold and darkness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is quite natural,&rdquo; said the doctor, gallantly; &ldquo;the most charming
+      flowers require the most light and heat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst the doctor and Mdlle. de Cardoville exchanged these few words, a
+      heavy gate had turned creaking upon its hinges, and the carriage had
+      entered a court-yard. The physician got down first, to offer his arm to
+      Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0044" id="link2HCH0044">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIV. THE MINISTER&rsquo;S CABINET.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he carriage had stopped before some steps covered with snow, which led to
+      a vestibule lighted by a lamp. The better to ascend the steps, which were
+      somewhat slippery, Adrienne leaned upon the doctor&rsquo;s arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me! how you tremble,&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied she, shuddering, &ldquo;I feel deadly cold. In my haste, I came
+      out without a shawl. But how gloomy this house appears,&rdquo; she added,
+      pointing to the entrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is what you call the minister&rsquo;s private house, the sanctum sanctorum,
+      whither our statesman retires far from the sound of the profane,&rdquo; said Dr.
+      Baleinier, with a smile. &ldquo;Pray come in!&rdquo; and he pushed open the door of a
+      large hall, completely empty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are right in saying,&rdquo; resumed Dr. Baleinier, who covered his secret
+      agitation with an appearance of gayety, &ldquo;that a minister&rsquo;s house is like
+      nobody else&rsquo;s. Not a footman&mdash;not a page, I should say&mdash;to be
+      found in the antechamber. Luckily,&rdquo; added he, opening the door of a room
+      which communicated with the vestibule,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In this seraglio reared, I know the secret ways.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville was now introduced into an apartment hung with green
+      embossed paper, and very simply furnished with mahogany chairs, covered
+      with yellow velvet; the floor was carefully polished, and a globe lamp,
+      which gave at most a third of its proper light, was suspended (at a much
+      greater height than usual) from the ceiling. Finding the appearance of
+      this habitation singularly plain for the dwelling of a minister, Adrienne,
+      though she had no suspicion, could not suppress a movement of surprise and
+      paused a moment on the threshold of the door. M. Baleinier, by whose arm
+      she held, guessed the cause of her astonishment, and said to her with a
+      smile:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This place appears to you very paltry for &lsquo;his excellency,&rsquo; does it not?
+      If you knew what a thing constitutional economy is!&mdash;Moreover, you
+      will see a &lsquo;my lord,&rsquo; who has almost as little pretension as his
+      furniture. But please to wait for me an instant. I will go and inform the
+      minister you are here, and return immediately.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gently disengaging himself from the grasp of Adrienne, who had
+      involuntarily pressed close to him, the physician opened a small side
+      door, by which he instantly disappeared. Adrienne de Cardoville was left
+      alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though she could not have explained the cause of her impression, there was
+      something awe-inspiring to the young lady in this large, cold, naked,
+      curtainless room; and as, by degrees, she noticed certain peculiarities in
+      the furniture, which she had not at first perceived, she was seized with
+      an indefinable feeling of uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Approaching the cheerless hearth, she perceived with surprise that an iron
+      grating completely enclosed the opening of the chimney, and that the tongs
+      and shovel were fastened with iron chains. Already astonished by this
+      singularity, she was about mechanically to draw towards her an armchair
+      placed against the wall, when she found that it remained motionless. She
+      then discovered that the back of this piece of furniture, as well as that
+      of all the other chairs, was fastened to the wainscoting by iron clamps.
+      Unable to repress a smile, she exclaimed: &ldquo;Have they so little confidence
+      in the statesman in whose house I am, that they are obliged to fasten the
+      furniture to the walls?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne had recourse to this somewhat forced pleasantry as a kind of
+      effort to resist the painful feeling of apprehension that was gradually
+      creeping over her; for the most profound and mournful silence reigned in
+      this habitation, where nothing indicated the life, the movement and the
+      activity, which usually surround a great centre of business. Only, from
+      time to time, the young lady heard the violent gusts of wind from without.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More than a quarter of an hour had elapsed, and M. Baleinier did not
+      return. In her impatient anxiety, Adrienne wished to call some one to
+      inquire about the doctor and the minister. She raised her eyes to look for
+      a bell-rope by the side of the chimney-glass; she found none, but she
+      perceived, that what she had hitherto taken for a glass, thanks to the
+      half obscurity of the room, was in reality a large sheet of shining tin.
+      Drawing nearer to it, she accidentally touched a bronzed candlestick; and
+      this, as well as a clock, was fixed to the marble of the chimney-piece.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In certain dispositions of mind, the most insignificant circumstances
+      often assume terrific proportions. This immovable candlestick, this
+      furniture fastened to the wainscot, this glass replaced by a tin sheet,
+      this profound silence, and the prolonged absence of M. Baleinier, had such
+      an effect upon Adrienne, that she was struck with a vague terror. Yet such
+      was her implicit confidence in the doctor, that she reproached herself
+      with her own fears, persuading herself that the causes of them were after
+      all of no real importance, and that it was unreasonable to feel uneasy at
+      such trifles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still, though she thus strove to regain courage, her anxiety induced her
+      to do what otherwise she would never have attempted. She approached the
+      little door by which the doctor had disappeared, and applied her ear to
+      it. She held her breath, and listened, but heard nothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, a dull, heavy sound, like that of a falling body, was audible
+      just above her head; she thought she could even distinguish a stifled
+      moaning. Raising her eyes, hastily, she saw some particles of the plaster
+      fall from the ceiling, loosened, no doubt, by the shaking of the floor
+      above.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No longer able to resist the feeling of terror, Adrienne ran to the door
+      by which she had entered with the doctor, in order to call some one. To
+      her great surprise, she found it was fastened on the outside. Yet, since
+      her arrival, she had heard no sound of a key turning in the lock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More and more alarmed, the young girl flew to the little door by which the
+      physician had disappeared, and at which she had just been listening. This
+      door also was fastened on the outside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still, wishing to struggle with the terror which was gaining invincibly
+      upon her, Adrienne called to her aid all the firmness of her character,
+      and tried to argue away her fears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must have been deceived.&rdquo; she said; &ldquo;it was only a fall that I heard.
+      The moaning had no existence, except in my imagination. There are a
+      thousand reasons for believing that it was not a person who fell down.
+      But, then, these locked doors? They, perhaps, do not know that I am here;
+      they may have thought that there was nobody in this room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she uttered these words, Adrienne looked round with anxiety; then she
+      added, in a firm voice: &ldquo;No weakness! it is useless to try to blind myself
+      to my real situation. On the contrary, I must look it well in the face. It
+      is evident that I am not here at a minister&rsquo;s house; no end of reasons
+      prove it beyond a doubt; M. Baleinier has therefore deceived me. But for
+      what end? Why has he brought me hither? Where am I?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The last two questions appeared to Adrienne both equally insoluble. It
+      only remained clear, that she was the victim of M. Baleinier&rsquo;s perfidy.
+      But this certainly seemed so horrible to the young girl&rsquo;s truthful and
+      generous soul, that she still tried to combat the idea by the recollection
+      of the confiding friendship which she had always shown this man. She said
+      to herself with bitterness: &ldquo;See how weakness and fear may lead one to
+      unjust and odious suspicions! Yes; for until the last extremity, it is not
+      justifiable to believe in so infernal a deception&mdash;and then only upon
+      the clearest evidence. I will call some one: it is the only way of
+      completely satisfying these doubts.&rdquo; Then, remembering that there was no
+      bell, she added: &ldquo;No matter; I will knock, and some one will doubtless
+      answer.&rdquo; With her little, delicate hand, Adrienne struck the door several
+      times.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dull, heavy sound which came from the door showed that it was very
+      thick. No answer was returned to the young girl. She ran to the other
+      door. There was the same appeal on her part, the same profound silence
+      without&mdash;only interrupted from time to time by the howling of the
+      wind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not more timid than other people,&rdquo; said Adrienne, shuddering; &ldquo;I do
+      not know if it is the excessive cold, but I tremble in spite of myself. I
+      endeavor to guard against all weakness; yet I think that any one in my
+      position would find all this very strange and frightful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant, loud cries, or rather savage and dreadful howls, burst
+      furiously from the room just above, and soon after a sort of stamping of
+      feet, like the noise of a violent struggle, shook the ceiling of the
+      apartment. Struck with consternation, Adrienne uttered a loud cry of
+      terror became deadly pale, stood for a moment motionless with affright,
+      and then rushed to one of the windows, and abruptly threw it open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A violent gust of wind, mixed with melted snow, beat against Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      face, swept roughly into the room, and soon extinguished the flickering
+      and smoky light of the lamp. Thus, plunged in profound darkness, with her
+      hands clinging to the bars that were placed across the window, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville yielded at length to the full influence of her fears, so long
+      restrained, and was about to call aloud for help, when an unexpected
+      apparition rendered her for some minutes absolutely mute with terror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another wing of the building, opposite to that in which she was, stood at
+      no great distance. Through the midst of the black darkness, which filled
+      the space between, one large, lighted window was distinctly visible.
+      Through the curtainless panes, Adrienne perceived a white figure, gaunt
+      and ghastly, dragging after it a sort of shroud, and passing and repassing
+      continually before the window, with an abrupt and restless motion. Her
+      eyes fixed upon this window, shining through the darkness, Adrienne
+      remained as if fascinated by that fatal vision: and, as the spectacle
+      filled up the measure of her fears, she called for help with all her
+      might, without quitting the bars of the window to which she clung. After a
+      few seconds, whilst she was thus crying out, two tall women entered the
+      room in silence, unperceived by Mdlle. de Cardoville, who was still
+      clinging to the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These women, of about forty to fifty years of age, robust and masculine,
+      were negligently and shabbily dressed, like chambermaids of the lower
+      sort; over their clothes they wore large aprons of blue cotton, cut
+      sloping from their necks, and reaching down to their feet. One of them,
+      who held a lamp in her hand, had a broad, red, shining face, a large
+      pimpled nose, small green eyes, and tow hair, which straggled rough and
+      shaggy from beneath her dirty white cap. The other, sallow, withered, and
+      bony, wore a mourning-cap over a parchment visage, pitted with the
+      small-pox, and rendered still more repulsive by the thick black eyebrows,
+      and some long gray hairs that overshadowed the upper lip. This woman
+      carried, half unfolded in her hand, a garment of strange form, made of
+      thick gray stuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They both entered silently by the little door, at the moment when
+      Adrienne, in the excess of her terror, was grasping the bars of the
+      window, and crying out: &ldquo;Help! help!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Pointing out the young lady to each other, one of them went to place the
+      lamp on the chimney-piece, whilst the other (she who wore the mourning
+      cap) approached the window, and laid her great bony hand upon Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville&rsquo;s shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Turning round, Adrienne uttered a new cry of terror at the sight of this
+      grim figure. Then, the first moment of stupor over, she began to feel less
+      afraid; hideous as was this woman, it was at least some one to speak to;
+      she exclaimed, therefore, in an agitated voice: &ldquo;Where is M. Baleinier?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The two women looked at each other, exchanged a leer of mutual
+      intelligence, but did not answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask you, madame,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, &ldquo;where is M. Baleinier, who brought
+      me hither? I wish to see him instantly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is gone,&rdquo; said the big woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gone!&rdquo; cried Adrienne; &ldquo;gone without me!&mdash;Gracious heaven! what can
+      be the meaning of all this?&rdquo; Then, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, she
+      resumed, &ldquo;Please to fetch me a coach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The two women looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. &ldquo;I
+      entreat you, madame,&rdquo; continued Adrienne, with forced calmness in her
+      voice, &ldquo;to fetch me a coach since M. Baleinier is gone without me. I wish
+      to leave this place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, madame,&rdquo; said the tall woman, who was called &ldquo;Tomboy,&rdquo;
+       without appearing to listen to what Adrienne asked, &ldquo;it is time for you to
+      go to bed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To go to bed!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. Cardoville, in alarm. &ldquo;This is really enough
+      to drive one mad.&rdquo; Then, addressing the two women, she added: &ldquo;What is
+      this house? where am I? answer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are in a house,&rdquo; said Tomboy, in a rough voice, &ldquo;where you must not
+      make a row from the window, as you did just now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where you must not put out the lamp as you have done,&rdquo; added the
+      other woman, who was called Gervaise, &ldquo;or else we shall have a crow to
+      pick with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, unable to utter a word, and trembling with fear, looked in a
+      kind of stupor from one to the other of these horrible women; her reason
+      strove in vain to comprehend what was passing around her. Suddenly she
+      thought she had guessed it, and exclaimed: &ldquo;I see there is a mistake here.
+      I do not understand how, but there is a mistake. You take me for some one
+      else. Do you know who I am? My name is Adrienne de Cardoville You see,
+      therefore, that I am at liberty to leave this house; no one in the world
+      has the right to detain me. I command you, then, to fetch me a coach
+      immediately. If there are none in this quarter, let me have some one to
+      accompany me home to the Rue de Babylone, Saint-Dizier House. I will
+      reward such a person liberally, and you also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, have you finished?&rdquo; said Tomboy. &ldquo;What is the use of telling us all
+      this rubbish?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take care,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, who wished to try every means; &ldquo;if you
+      detain me here by force, it will be very serious. You do not know to what
+      you expose yourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you come to bed; yes or no?&rdquo; said Gervaise, in a tone of harsh
+      impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, madame,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, precipitately, &ldquo;let me out this
+      place, and I will give each of you two thousand francs. It is not enough?
+      I will give you ten&mdash;twenty&mdash;whatever you ask. I am rich&mdash;only
+      let me out for heaven&rsquo;s sake, let me out!&mdash;I cannot remain here&mdash;I
+      am afraid.&rdquo; As she said this, the tone of the poor girl&rsquo;s voice was
+      heartrending.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Twenty thousand francs!&mdash;that&rsquo;s the usual figure, ain&rsquo;t it, Tomboy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let be, Gervaise! they all sing the same song.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then? since reasons, prayers, and menaces are all in vain,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne gathering energy from her desperate position, &ldquo;I declare to you
+      that I will go out and that instantly. We will see if you are bold enough
+      to employ force against me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Adrienne advanced resolutely towards the door. But, at this
+      moment, the wild hoarse cries, which had preceded the noise of the
+      struggle that had so frightened her, again resounded; only, this time they
+      were not accompanied by the movement of feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! what screams!&rdquo; said Adrienne, stopping short, and in her terror
+      drawing nigh to the two women. &ldquo;Do you not hear those cries? What, then,
+      is this house, in which one hears such things? And over there, too,&rdquo; added
+      she almost beside herself, as she pointed to the other wing where the
+      lighted windows shone through the darkness, and the white figure continued
+      to pass and repass before it; &ldquo;over there! do you see? What is it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! that &lsquo;un,&rdquo; said Tomboy; &ldquo;one of the folks who, like you, have not
+      behaved well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say?&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, clasping her hands in
+      terror. &ldquo;Heavens! what is this house? What do they do to them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What will be done to you, if you are naughty, and refuse to come to bed,&rdquo;
+       answered Gervaise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They put this on them,&rdquo; said Tomboy, showing the garment that she had
+      held under her arm, &ldquo;they clap &lsquo;em into the strait-waistcoast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; cried Adrienne, hiding her face in her hands with horror. A terrible
+      discovery had flashed suddenly upon her. She understood it all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Capping the violent emotions of the day, the effect of this last blow was
+      dreadful. The young girl felt her strength give way. Her hands fell
+      powerless, her face became fearfully pale, all her limbs trembled, and
+      sinking upon her knees, and casting a terrified glance at the strait
+      waistcoat she was just able to falter in a feeble voice, &ldquo;Oh, no:&mdash;not
+      that&mdash;for pity&rsquo;s sake, madame. I will do&mdash;whatever you wish.&rdquo;
+       And, her strength quite failing, she would have fallen upon the ground if
+      the two women had not run towards her, and received her fainting into
+      their arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A fainting fit,&rdquo; said Tomboy; &ldquo;that&rsquo;s not dangerous. Let us carry her to
+      bed. We can undress her, and this will be all nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Carry her, then,&rdquo; said Gervaise. &ldquo;I will take the lamp.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The tall and robust Tomboy took up Mdlle. de Cardoville as if she had been
+      a sleeping child, carried her in her arms, and followed her companion into
+      the chamber through which M. Baleinier had made his exit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This chamber, though perfectly clean, was cold and bare. A greenish paper
+      covered the walls, and a low, little iron bedstead, the head of which
+      formed a kind of shelf, stood in one corner; a stove, fixed in the
+      chimney-place, was surrounded by an iron grating, which forbade a near
+      approach; a table fastened to the wall, a chair placed before this table,
+      and also clamped to the floor, a mahogany chest of drawers, and a rush
+      bottomed armchair completed the scanty furniture. The curtainless window
+      was furnished on the inside with an iron grating, which served to protect
+      the panes from being broken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was into this gloomy retreat, which formed so painful a contrast with
+      the charming little summer-house in the Rue de Babylone, that Adrienne was
+      carried by Tomboy, who, with the assistance of Gervaise, placed the
+      inanimate form on the bed. The lamp was deposited on the shelf at the head
+      of the couch. Whilst one of the nurses held her up, the other unfastened
+      and took off the cloth dress of the young girl, whose head drooped
+      languidly on her bosom. Though in a swoon, large tears trickled slowly
+      from her closed eyes, whose long black lashes threw their shadows on the
+      transparent whiteness of her cheeks. Over her neck and breast of ivory
+      flowed the golden waves of her magnificent hair, which had come down at
+      the time of her fall. When, as they unlaced her satin corset, less soft,
+      less fresh, less white than the virgin form beneath, which lay like a
+      statue of alabaster in its covering of lace and lawn, one of the horrible
+      hags felt the arms and shoulders of the young girl with her large, red,
+      horny, and chapped hands. Though she did not completely recover the use of
+      her senses, she started involuntarily from the rude and brutal touch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hasn&rsquo;t she little feet?&rdquo; said the nurse, who, kneeling down, was employed
+      in drawing off Adrienne&rsquo;s stockings. &ldquo;I could hold them both in the hollow
+      of my hand.&rdquo; In fact, a small, rosy foot, smooth as a child&rsquo;s, here and
+      there veined with azure, was soon exposed to view, as was also a leg with
+      pink knee and ankle, of as pure and exquisite a form as that of Diana
+      Huntress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what hair!&rdquo; said Tomboy; &ldquo;so long and soft!&mdash;She might almost
+      walk upon it. &lsquo;Twould be a pity to cut it off, to put ice upon her skull!&rdquo;
+       As she spoke, she gathered up Adrienne&rsquo;s magnificent hair, and twisted it
+      as well as she could behind her head. Alas! it was no longer the fair,
+      light hand of Georgette, Florine, or Hebe that arranged the beauteous
+      locks of their mistress with so much love and pride!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And as she again felt the rude touch of the nurse&rsquo;s hand, the young girl
+      was once more seized with the same nervous trembling, only more frequently
+      and strongly than before. And soon, whether by a sort of instinctive
+      repulsion, magnetically excited during her swoon, or from the effect of
+      the cold night air, Adrienne again started and slowly came to herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe her alarm, horror, and chaste indignation,
+      as, thrusting aside with both her hands the numerous curls that covered
+      her face, bathed in tears, she saw herself half-naked between these filthy
+      hags. At first, she uttered a cry of shame and terror; then to escape from
+      the looks of the women, by a movement, rapid as thought, she drew down the
+      lamp placed on the shelf at the head of her bed, so that it was
+      extinguished and broken to pieces on the floor. After which, in the midst
+      of the darkness, the unfortunate girl, covering herself with the
+      bed-clothes, burst into passionate sobs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The nurses attributed Adrienne&rsquo;s cry and violent actions to a fit of
+      furious madness. &ldquo;Oh! you begin again to break the lamps&mdash;that&rsquo;s your
+      partickler fancy, is it?&rdquo; cried Tomboy, angrily, as she felt her way in
+      the dark. &ldquo;Well! I gave you fair warning. You shall have the strait
+      waistcoat on this very night, like the mad gal upstairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it,&rdquo; said the other; &ldquo;hold her fast, Tommy, while I go and fetch a
+      light. Between us, we&rsquo;ll soon master her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make haste, for, in spite of her soft look, she must be a regular fury.
+      We shall have to sit up all night with her, I suppose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Sad and painful contrast! That morning, Adrienne had risen free, smiling,
+      happy, in the midst of all the wonders of luxury and art, and surrounded
+      by the delicate attentions of the three charming girls whom she had chosen
+      to serve her. In her generous and fantastic mood, she had prepared a
+      magnificent and fairy-like surprise for the young Indian prince, her
+      relation; she had also taken a noble resolution with regard to the two
+      orphans brought home by Dagobert; in her interview with Mme. de
+      Saint-Dizier, she had shown herself by turns proud and sensitive,
+      melancholy and gay, ironical and serious, loyal and courageous; finally,
+      she had come to this accursed house to plead in favor of an honest and
+      laborious artisan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now, in the evening delivered over by an atrocious piece of treachery
+      to the ignoble hands of two coarse-minded muses in a madhouse&mdash;Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville felt her delicate limbs imprisoned in that abominable
+      garment, which is called a strait-waistcoat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville passed a horrible night in company with the two hags.
+      The next morning, at nine o&rsquo;clock, what was the young lady&rsquo;s stupor to see
+      Dr. Baleinier enter the room, still smiling with an air at once benevolent
+      and paternal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear child?&rdquo; said he, in a bland, affectionate voice; &ldquo;how have
+      we spent the night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0045" id="link2HCH0045">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLV. THE VISIT.
+    </h2>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10421m.jpg" alt="10421m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10421.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The keepers, yielding to Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s prayers, and, above all,
+      to her promises of good behavior, had only left on the canvas jacket a
+      portion of the time. Towards morning, they had allowed her to rise and
+      dress herself, without interfering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne was seated on the edge of her bed. The alteration in her
+      features, her dreadful paleness, the lurid fire of fever shining in her
+      eyes, the convulsive trembling which ever and anon shook her frame, showed
+      already the fatal effects of this terrible night upon a susceptible and
+      high-strung organization. At sight of Dr. Baleinier, who, with a sign,
+      made Gervaise and her mate leave the room, Adrienne remained petrified.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She felt a kind of giddiness at the thought of the audacity of the man,
+      who dared to present himself to her! But when the physician repeated, in
+      the softest tone of affectionate interest: &ldquo;Well, my poor child! how have
+      we spent the night?&rdquo; she pressed her hands to her burning forehead, as if
+      in doubt whether she was awake or sleeping. Then, staring at the doctor,
+      she half opened her lips; but they trembled so much that it was impossible
+      for her to utter a word. Anger, indignation, contempt, and, above all, the
+      bitter and acutely painful feeling of a generous heart, whose confidence
+      has been basely betrayed, so overpowered Adrienne that she was unable to
+      break the silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come! I see how it is,&rdquo; said the doctor, shaking his head
+      sorrowfully; &ldquo;you are very much displeased with me&mdash;is it not so?
+      Well! I expected it, my dear child.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, pronounced with the most hypocritical effrontery, made
+      Adrienne start up. Her pale cheek flushed, her large eyes sparkled, she
+      lifted proudly her beautiful head, whilst her upper lip curled slightly
+      with a smile of disdainful bitterness; then, passing in angry silence
+      before M. Baleinier, who retained his seat, she directed her swift and
+      firm steps towards the door. This door, in which was a little wicket, was
+      fastened on the outside. Adrienne turned towards the doctor, and said to
+      him, with an imperious gesture; &ldquo;Open that door for me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne,&rdquo; said the physician, &ldquo;be calm. Let us talk
+      like good friends&mdash;for you know I am your friend.&rdquo; And he inhaled
+      slowly a pinch of snuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It appears, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, in a voice trembling with indignation,
+      &ldquo;I am not to leave this place to-day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! no. In such a state of excitement&mdash;if you knew how inflamed
+      your face is, and your eyes so feverish, your pulse must be at least
+      eighty to the minute&mdash;I conjure you, my dear child, not to aggravate
+      your symptoms by this fatal agitation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After looking fixedly at the doctor, Adrienne returned with a slow step,
+      and again took her seat on the edge of the bed. &ldquo;That is right,&rdquo; resumed
+      M. Baleinier: &ldquo;only be reasonable; and, as I said before, let us talk
+      together like good friends.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You say well, sir,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, in a collected and perfectly calm
+      voice; &ldquo;let us talk like friends. You wish to make me pass for mad&mdash;is
+      it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish, my dear child, that one day you may feel towards me as much
+      gratitude as you now do aversion. The latter I had fully foreseen&mdash;but,
+      however painful may be the performance of certain duties, we must resign
+      ourselves to it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Baleinier sighed, as he said this, with such a natural air of
+      conviction, that for a moment Adrienne could not repress a movement of
+      surprise; then, while her lip curled with a bitter laugh, she answered:
+      &ldquo;Oh, it&rsquo;s very clear, you have done all this for my good?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, my dear young lady&mdash;have I ever had any other design than to
+      be useful to you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, sir, if your impudence be not still more odious than your
+      cowardly treachery!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Treachery!&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, shrugging his shoulders with a grieved
+      air; &ldquo;treachery, indeed! Only reflect, my poor child&mdash;do you think,
+      if I were not acting with good faith, conscientiously, in your interest, I
+      should return this morning to meet your indignation, for which I was fully
+      prepared? I am the head physician of this asylum, which belongs to me&mdash;but
+      I have two of my pupils here, doctors, like myself&mdash;and might have
+      left them to take care of you but, no&mdash;I could not consent to it&mdash;I
+      knew your character, your nature, your previous history, and (leaving out
+      of the question the interest I feel for you) I can treat your case better
+      than any one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne had heard M. Baleinier without interrupting him; she now looked
+      at him fixedly, and said: &ldquo;Pray, sir, how much do they pay you to make me
+      pass for mad?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame!&rdquo; cried M. Baleinier, who felt stung in spite of, himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know I am rich,&rdquo; continued Adrienne, with overwhelming disdain; &ldquo;I
+      will double the sum that they give you. Come, sir&mdash;in the name of
+      friendship, as you call it, let me have the pleasure of outbidding them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your keepers,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, recovering all his coolness, &ldquo;have
+      informed me, in their report of the night&rsquo;s proceedings, that you made
+      similar propositions to them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, sir; I offered them what might be acceptable to poor women,
+      without education, whom misfortune has forced to undertake a painful
+      employment&mdash;but to you, sir a man of the world, a man of science, a
+      man of great abilities&mdash;that is quite different&mdash;the pay must be
+      a great deal higher. There is treachery at all prices; so do not found
+      your refusal on the smallness of my offer to those wretched women. Tell me&mdash;how
+      much do you want?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your keepers, in their report of the night, have also spoken of threats,&rdquo;
+       resumed M. Baleinier, with the same coolness; &ldquo;have you any of those
+      likewise to address me? Believe me, my poor child, you will do well to
+      exhaust at once your attempts at corruption, and your vain threats of
+      vengeance. We shall then come to the true state of the case.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you deem my threats vain!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, at length
+      giving way to the full tide of her indignation, till then restrained. &ldquo;Do
+      you think, sir, that when I leave this place&mdash;for this outrage must
+      have an end&mdash;that I will not proclaim aloud your infamous treachery?
+      Do you think chat I will not denounce to the contempt and horror of all,
+      your base conspiracy with Madame de Saint-Dizier? Oh! do you think that I
+      will conceal the frightful treatment I have received! But, mad as I may
+      be, I know that there are laws in this country, by which I will demand a
+      full reparation for myself, and shame, disgrace, and punishment, for you,
+      and for those who have employed you! Henceforth, between you and me will
+      be hate and war to the death; and all my strength, all my intelligence&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Permit me to interrupt you, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne,&rdquo; said the doctor,
+      still perfectly calm and affectionate: &ldquo;nothing can be more unfavorable to
+      your cure, than to cherish idle hopes: they will only tend to keep up a
+      state of deplorable excitement: it is best to put the facts fairly before
+      you, that you may understand clearly your position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;1. It is impossible for you to leave this house. 2. You can have no
+      communication with any one beyond its walls. 3. No one enters here that I
+      cannot perfectly depend upon. 4. I am completely indifferent to your
+      threats of vengeance because law and reason are both in my favor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! have you the right to shut me up here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We should never have come to that determination, without a number of
+      reasons of the most serious kind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! there are reasons for it, it seems.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, too many.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will perhaps inform me of them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! they are only too conclusive; and if you should ever apply to the
+      protection of the laws, as you threatened me just now, we should be
+      obliged to state them. The fantastical eccentricity of your manner of
+      living, your whimsical mode of dressing up your maids, your extravagant
+      expenditure, the story of the Indian prince, to whom you offered a royal
+      hospitality, your unprecedented resolution of going to live by yourself,
+      like a young bachelor, the adventure of the man found concealed in your
+      bed-chamber; finally, the report of your yesterday&rsquo;s conversation, which
+      was faithfully taken down in shorthand, by a person employed for that
+      purpose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10429m.jpg" alt="10429m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10429.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yesterday?&rdquo; cried Adrienne, with as much indignation as surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! to be prepared for every event, in case you should misinterpret
+      the interest we take in you, we had all your answers reported by a man who
+      was concealed behind a curtain in the next room; and really, one day, in a
+      calmer state of mind, when you come to read over quietly the particulars
+      of what took place, you will no longer be astonished at the resolution we
+      have been forced to adopt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with contempt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The facts I have cited being thus confirmed and acknowledged, you will
+      understand, my dear Mdlle. Adrienne, that your friends are perfectly free
+      from responsibility. It was their duty to endeavor to cure this
+      derangement of mind, which at present only shows itself in idle whims, but
+      which, were it to increase, might seriously compromise the happiness of
+      your future life. Now, in my opinion, we may hope to see a radical cure,
+      by means of a treatment at once physical and moral; but the first
+      condition of this attempt was to remove you from the scenes which so
+      dangerously excited your imagination; whilst a calm retreat, the repose of
+      a simple and solitary life combined with my anxious, I may say, paternal
+      care, will gradually bring about a complete recovery&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a bitter laugh, &ldquo;the love of a noble
+      independence, generosity, the worship of the beautiful, detestation of
+      what is base and odious, such are the maladies of which you wish to cure
+      me; I fear that my case is desperate, for my aunt has long ago tried to
+      effect that benevolent purpose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, we may perhaps not succeed; but at least we will attempt it. You
+      see, then, there is a mass of serious facts, quite enough to justify the
+      determination come to by the family-council, which puts me completely at
+      my ease with regard to your menaces. It is to that I wish to return; a man
+      of my age and condition never acts lightly&mdash;in such circumstances,
+      and you can readily understand what I was saying to you just now. In a
+      word, do not hope to leave this place before your complete recovery, and
+      rest assured, that I am and shall ever be safe from your resentment. This
+      being once admitted, let us talk of your actual state with all the
+      interest that you naturally inspire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think, sir, that, considering I am mad, you speak to me very
+      reasonably.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mad! no, thank heaven, my poor child, you are not mad yet&mdash;and I
+      hope that, by my care, you will never be so. It is to prevent your
+      becoming mad, that one must take it in time; and believe me, it is full
+      time. You look at me with such an air of surprise&mdash;now tell me, what
+      interest can I have in talking to you thus? Is it the hatred of your aunt
+      that I wish to favor? To what end, I would ask? What can she do for me or
+      against me? I think of her at this moment neither more nor less than I
+      thought yesterday. Is it a new language that I hold to yourself? Did I not
+      speak to you yesterday many times, of the dangerous excitement of mind in
+      which you were, and of your singular whims and fancies? It is true, I made
+      use of stratagem to bring you hither. No doubt, I did so. I hastened to
+      avail myself of the opportunity, which you yourself offered, my poor, dear
+      child; for you would never have come hither with your own good will. One
+      day or the other, we must have found some pretext to get you here: and I
+      said to myself; &lsquo;Her interest before all! Do your duty, let whatever will
+      betide!&rsquo;&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst M. Baleinier was speaking, Adrienne&rsquo;s countenance, which had
+      hitherto expressed alternately indignation and disdain, assumed an
+      indefinable look of anguish and horror. On hearing this man talk in such a
+      natural manner, and with such an appearance of sincerity, justice and
+      reason, she felt herself more alarmed than ever. An atrocious deception,
+      clothed in such forms, frightened her a hundred times more than the avowed
+      hatred of Madame de Saint-Dizier. This audacious hypocrisy seemed to her
+      so monstrous, that she believed it almost impossible.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10437m.jpg" alt="10437m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10437.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne had so little the art of hiding her emotions, that the doctor, a
+      skillful and profound physiognomist, instantly perceived the impression he
+      had produced. &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said he to himself, &ldquo;that is a great step. Fright
+      has succeeded to disdain and anger. Doubt will come next. I shall not
+      leave this place, till she has said to me: &lsquo;Return soon, my good M.
+      Baleinier!&rsquo;&rdquo; With a voice of sorrowful emotion, which seemed to come from
+      the very depths of his heart, the doctor thus continued: &ldquo;I see, you are
+      still suspicious of me. All I can say to you is falsehood, fraud,
+      hypocrisy, hate&mdash;is it not so?&mdash;Hate you? why, in heaven&rsquo;s name,
+      should I hate you? What have you done to me? or rather&mdash;you will
+      perhaps attach more value to this reason from a man of my sort,&rdquo; added M.
+      Baleinier, bitterly, &ldquo;or rather, what interest have I to hate you?&mdash;You,
+      that have only been reduced to the state in which you are by an over
+      abundance of the most generous instincts&mdash;you, that are suffering, as
+      it were, from an excess of good qualities&mdash;you can bring yourself
+      coolly and deliberately to accuse an honest man, who has never given you
+      any but marks of affection, of the basest, the blackest, the most
+      abominable crime, of which a human being could be guilty. Yes, I call it a
+      crime; because the audacious deception of which you accuse me would not
+      deserve any other name. Really, my poor child, it is hard&mdash;very hard&mdash;and
+      I now see, that an independent spirit may sometimes exhibit as much
+      injustice and intolerance as the most narrow mind. It does not incense me&mdash;no&mdash;it
+      only pains me: yes, I assure you&mdash;it pains me cruelly.&rdquo; And the
+      doctor drew his hand across his moist eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to give the accent, the look, the gesture of M.
+      Baleinier, as he thus expressed himself. The most able and practiced
+      lawyer, or the greatest actor in the world, could not have played this
+      scene with more effect than the doctor&mdash;or rather, no one could have
+      played it so well&mdash;M. Baleinier, carried away by the influence of the
+      situations, was himself half convinced of what he said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In few words, he felt all the horror of his own perfidy but he felt also
+      that Adrienne could not believe it; for there are combinations of such
+      nefarious character, that pure and upright minds are unable to comprehend
+      them as possible. If a lofty spirit looks down into the abyss of evil,
+      beyond a certain depth it is seized with giddiness, and no longer able to
+      distinguish one object from the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And then the most perverse of men have a day, an hour, a moment, in which
+      the good instincts, planted in the heart of every creature, appear in
+      spite of themselves. Adrienne was too interesting, was in too cruel a
+      position, for the doctor mot to feel some pity for her in his heart; the
+      tone of sympathy, which for some time past he had been obliged to assume
+      towards her, and the sweet confidence of the young girl in return, had
+      become for this man habitual and necessary ratifications. But sympathy and
+      habit were now to yield to implacable necessity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus the Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny had idolized his mother; dying, she called him
+      to her&mdash;and he turned away from the last prayer of a parent in the
+      agony of death. After such an example, how could M. Baleinier hesitate to
+      sacrifice Adrienne? The members of the Order, of which he formed a part,
+      were bound to him&mdash;but he was perhaps still more strongly bound to
+      them, for a long partnership in evil creates terrible and indissoluble
+      ties.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment M. Baleinier finished his fervid address to Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, the slide of the wicket in the door was softly pushed back,
+      and a pair of eyes peered attentively into the chamber, unperceived by the
+      doctor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne could not withdraw her gaze from the physician&rsquo;s, which seemed to
+      fascinate her. Mute, overpowered, seized with a vague terror, unable to
+      penetrate the dark depths of this man&rsquo;s soul, moved in spite of herself by
+      the accent of sorrow, half feigned and half real&mdash;the young lady had
+      a momentary feeling of doubt. For the first time, it came into her mind,
+      that M. Baleinier might perhaps be committing a frightful error&mdash;committing
+      it in good faith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Besides, the anguish of the past night, the dangers of her position, her
+      feverish agitation, all concurred to fill her mind with trouble and
+      indecision. She looked at the physician with ever increasing surprise, and
+      making a violent effort not to yield to a weakness, of which she partly
+      foresaw the dreadful consequences, she exclaimed: &ldquo;No, no, sir; I will
+      not, I cannot believe it. You have too much skill, too much experience, to
+      commit such an error.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An error!&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, in a grave and sorrowful tone. &ldquo;Let me
+      speak to you in the name of that skill and experience, which you are
+      pleased to ascribe to me. Hear me but for a moment, my dear child; and
+      then I will appeal to yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To me!&rdquo; replied the young girl, in a kind of stupor; &ldquo;you wish to
+      persuade me, that&mdash;&rdquo; Then, interrupting herself, she added, with a
+      convulsive laugh: &ldquo;This only is wanting to your triumph&mdash;to bring me
+      to confess that I am mad&mdash;that my proper place is here&mdash;that I
+      owe you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gratitude. Yes, you do owe it me, even as I told you at the commencement
+      of this conversation. Listen to me then; my words may be cruel, but there
+      are wounds which can only be cured with steel and fire. I conjure you, my
+      dear child&mdash;reflect&mdash;throw back one impartial glance at your
+      past life&mdash;weigh your own thoughts&mdash;and you will be afraid of
+      yourself. Remember those moments of strange excitement, during which, as
+      you have told me, you seemed to soar above the earth&mdash;and, above all,
+      while it is yet time&mdash;while you preserve enough clearness of mind to
+      compare and judge&mdash;compare, I entreat, your manner of living with
+      that of other ladies of your age? Is there a single one who acts as you
+      act? who thinks as you think? unless, indeed, you imagine yourself so
+      superior to other women, that, in virtue of that supremacy, you can
+      justify a life and habits that have no parallel in the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have never had such stupid pride, you know it well,&rdquo; said Adrienne,
+      looking at the doctor with growing terror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, my dear child, to what are we to attribute your strange and
+      inexplicable mode of life? Can you even persuade yourself that it is
+      founded on reason? Oh, my child! take care?&mdash;As yet, you only indulge
+      in charming originalities of conduct, poetical eccentricities, sweet and
+      vague reveries&mdash;but the tendency is fatal, the downward course
+      irresistible. Take care, take care!&mdash;the healthful, graceful,
+      spiritual portion of your intelligence has yet the upper hand, and
+      imprints its stamp upon all your extravagances; but you do not know,
+      believe me, with what frightful force the insane portion of the mind, at a
+      given moment, develops itself and strangles up the rest. Then we have no
+      longer graceful eccentricities, like yours, but ridiculous, sordid,
+      hideous delusions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you frighten me,&rdquo; said the unfortunate girl, as she passed her
+      trembling hands across her burning brow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then,&rdquo; continued M. Baleinier, in an agitated voice, &ldquo;then the last rays
+      of intelligence are extinguished; then madness&mdash;for we must pronounce
+      the dreaded word&mdash;gets the upper hand, and displays itself in furious
+      and savage transports.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like the woman upstairs,&rdquo; murmured Adrienne, as, with fixed and eager
+      look, she raised her finger towards the ceiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sometimes,&rdquo; continued the doctor, alarmed himself at the terrible
+      consequences of his own words, but yielding to the inexorable fatality of
+      his situation, &ldquo;sometimes madness takes a stupid and brutal form; the
+      unfortunate creature, who is attacked by it, preserves nothing human but
+      the shape&mdash;has only the instincts of the lower animals&mdash;eats
+      with voracity, and moves ever backwards and forwards in the cell, in which
+      such a being is obliged to be confined. That is all its life&mdash;all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like the woman yonder.&rdquo; cried Adrienne, with a still wilder look, as she
+      slowly raised her arm towards the window that was visible on the other
+      side of the building.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why&mdash;yes,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier. &ldquo;Like you, unhappy child, those women
+      were young, fair, and sensible, but like you, alas! they had in them the
+      fatal germ of insanity, which, not having been destroyed in time, grew,
+      and grew, larger and ever larger, until it overspread and destroyed their
+      reason.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, mercy!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, whose head was getting confused
+      with terror; &ldquo;mercy! do not tell me such things!&mdash;I am afraid. Take
+      me from this place&mdash;oh! take me from this place!&rdquo; she added, with a
+      heartrending accent; &ldquo;for, if I remain here, I shall end by going mad!
+      No,&rdquo; added she, struggling with the terrible agony which assailed her,
+      &ldquo;no, do not hope it! I shall not become mad. I have all my reason. I am
+      not blind enough to believe what you tell me. Doubtless, I live
+      differently from others; think differently from others; am shocked by
+      things that do not offend others; but what does all this prove? Only that
+      I am different from others. Have I a bad heart? Am I envious or selfish?
+      My ideas are singular, I knew&mdash;yes, I confess it&mdash;but then, M.
+      Baleinier, is not their tendency good, generous, noble!&mdash;Oh!&rdquo; cried
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s supplicating voice, while her tears flowed abundantly, &ldquo;I have
+      never in my life done one malicious action; my worst errors have arisen
+      from excess of generosity. Is it madness to wish to see everybody about
+      one too happy? And again, if you are mad, you must feel it yourself&mdash;and
+      I do not feel it&mdash;and yet&mdash;I scarcely know&mdash;you tell me
+      such terrible things of those two women! You ought to know these things
+      better than I. But then,&rdquo; added Mdlle, de Cardoville, with an accent of
+      the deepest despair, &ldquo;something ought to have been done. Why, if you felt
+      an interest for me, did you wait so long? Why did you not take pity on me
+      sooner? But the most frightful fact is, that I do not know whether I ought
+      to believe you&mdash;for all this may be a snare&mdash;but no, no! you
+      weep&mdash;it is true, then!&mdash;you weep!&rdquo; She looked anxiously at M.
+      Baleinier, who, notwithstanding his cynical philosophy, could not restrain
+      his tears at the sight of these nameless tortures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You weep over me,&rdquo; she continued; &ldquo;so it is true! But (good heaven!) must
+      there not be something done? I will do all that you wish&mdash;all&mdash;so
+      that I may not be like those women. But if it should be too late? no, it
+      is not too late&mdash;say it is not too late, my good M. Baleinier! Oh,
+      now I ask your pardon for what I said when you came in&mdash;but then I
+      did not know, you see&mdash;I did not know!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To these few broken words, interrupted by sobs, and rushing forth in a
+      sort of feverish excitement, succeeded a silence of some minutes, during
+      which the deeply affected physician dried his tears. His resolution had
+      almost failed him. Adrienne hid her face in her hands. Suddenly she again
+      lifted her head; her countenance was calmer than before, though agitated
+      by a nervous trembling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Baleinier,&rdquo; she resumed, with touching dignity, &ldquo;I hardly know what I
+      said to you just now. Terror, I think, made me wander; I have again
+      collected myself. Hear me! I know that I am in your power; I know that
+      nothing can deliver me from it. Are you an implacable enemy? or are you a
+      friend? I am not able to determine. Do you really apprehend, as you assure
+      me, that what is now eccentricity will hereafter become madness&mdash;or
+      are you rather the accomplice in some infernal machination? You alone can
+      answer. In spite of my boasted courage, I confess myself conquered.
+      Whatever is required of me&mdash;you understand, whatever it may be, I
+      will subscribe to, I give you my word and you know that I hold it sacred&mdash;you
+      have therefore no longer any interest to keep me here. If, on the
+      contrary, you really think my reason in danger&mdash;and I own that you
+      have awakened in my mind vague, but frightful doubts&mdash;tell it me, and
+      I will believe you. I am alone, at your mercy, without friends, without
+      counsel. I trust myself blindly to you. I know not whether I address
+      myself to a deliverer or a destroyer&mdash;but I say to you&mdash;here is
+      my happiness&mdash;here is my life&mdash;take it&mdash;I have no strength
+      to dispute it with you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These touching words, full of mournful resignation and almost hopeless
+      reliance, gave the finishing stroke to the indecision of M. Baleinier.
+      Already deeply moved by this scene, and without reflecting on the
+      consequences of what he was about to do, he determined at all events to
+      dissipate the terrible and unjust fears with which he had inspired
+      Adrienne. Sentiments of remorse and pity, which now animated the
+      physician, were visible in his countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Alas! they were too visible. The moment he approached to take the hand of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, a low but sharp voice exclaimed from behind the
+      wicket: &ldquo;M. Baleinier!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rodin!&rdquo; muttered the startled doctor to himself; &ldquo;he&rsquo;s been spying on
+      me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who calls you?&rdquo; asked the lady of the physician.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A person that I promised to meet here this morning.&rdquo; replied he, with the
+      utmost depression, &ldquo;to go with him to St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, which is close
+      at hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what answer have you to give me?&rdquo; said Adrienne with mortal anguish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s solemn silence, during which he turned his face towards
+      the wicket, the doctor replied, in a voice of deep emotion: &ldquo;I am&mdash;what
+      I have always been&mdash;a friend incapable of deceiving you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne became deadly pale. Then, extending her hand to M. Baleinier, she
+      said to him in a voice that she endeavored to render calm: &ldquo;Thank you&mdash;I
+      will have courage&mdash;but will it be very long?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps a month. Solitude, reflection, a proper regimen, my attentive
+      care, may do much. You will be allowed everything that is compatible with
+      your situation. Every attention will be paid you. If this room displeases
+      you, I will see you have another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;this or another&mdash;it is of little consequence,&rdquo; answered
+      Adrienne, with an air of the deepest dejection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come! be of good courage. There is no reason to despair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps you flatter me,&rdquo; said Adrienne with the shadow of a smile.
+      &ldquo;Return soon,&rdquo; she added, &ldquo;my dear M. Baleinier! my only hope rests in you
+      now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Her head fell upon her bosom, her hands upon her knees and she remained
+      sitting on the edge of the bed, pale, motionless, overwhelmed with woe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mad!&rdquo; she said when M. Baleinier had disappeared. &ldquo;Perhaps mad!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We have enlarged upon this episode much less romantic than it may appear.
+      Many times have motives of interest or vengeance or perfidious machination
+      led to the abuse of the imprudent facility with which inmates are received
+      in certain private lunatic asylums from the hands of their families or
+      friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We shall subsequently explain our views, as to the establishment of a
+      system of inspection, by the crown or the civil magistrates, for the
+      periodical survey of these institutions, and others of no less importance,
+      at present placed beyond the reach of all superintendence. These latter
+      are the nunneries of which we will presently have an example.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0046" id="link2HCH0046">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVI. PRESENTIMENTS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hilst the preceding events took place in Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s asylum, other
+      scenes were passing about the same hour, at Frances Baudoin&rsquo;s, in the Rue
+      Brise-Miche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seven o&rsquo;clock in the morning had just struck at St. Mary church; the day
+      was dark and gloomy, and the sleet rattled against the windows of the
+      joyless chamber of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As yet ignorant of her son&rsquo;s arrest, Frances had waited for him the whole
+      of the preceding evening, and a good part of the night, with the most
+      anxious uneasiness; yielding at length to fatigue and sleep, about three
+      o&rsquo;clock in the morning, she had thrown herself on a mattress beside the
+      bed of Rose and Blanche. But she rose with the first dawn of day, to
+      ascend to Agricola&rsquo;s garret, in the very faint hope that he might have
+      returned home some hours before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche had just risen, and dressed themselves. They were alone
+      in the sad, chilly apartment. Spoil-sport, whom Dagobert had left in
+      Paris, was stretched at full length near the cold stove; with his long
+      muzzle resting on his forepaws, he kept his eye fixed on the sisters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having slept but little during the night, they had perceived the agitation
+      and anguish of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife. They had seen her walk up and down, now
+      talking to herself, now listening to the least noise that came up the
+      staircase, and now kneeling before the crucifix placed at one extremity of
+      the room. The orphans were not aware, that, whilst she brayed with fervor
+      on behalf of her son, this excellent woman was praying for them also. For
+      the state of their souls filled her with anxiety and alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day before, when Dagobert had set out for Chartres, Frances, having
+      assisted Rose and Blanche to rise, had invited them to say their morning
+      prayer: they answered with the utmost simplicity, that they did not know
+      any, and that they never more than addressed their mother, who was in
+      heaven. When Frances, struck with painful surprise, spoke to them of
+      catechism, confirmation, communion, the sisters opened widely their large
+      eyes with astonishment, understanding nothing of such talk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      According to her simple faith, terrified at the ignorance of the young
+      girls in matters of religion, Dagobert&rsquo;s wife believed their souls to be
+      in the greatest peril, the more so as, having asked them if they had ever
+      been baptized (at the same time explaining to them the nature of that
+      sacrament), the orphans answered they did not think they had, since there
+      was neither church nor priest in the village where they were born, during
+      their mother&rsquo;s exile in Siberia.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Placing one&rsquo;s self in the position of Frances, you understand how much she
+      was grieved and alarmed; for, in her eyes, these young girls, whom she
+      already loved tenderly, so charmed was she with their sweet disposition,
+      were nothing but poor heathens, innocently doomed to eternal damnation.
+      So, unable to restrain her tears, or conceal her horrors, she had clasped
+      them in her arms, promising immediately to attend to their salvation, and
+      regretting that Dagobert had not thought of having them baptized by the
+      way. Now, it must be confessed, that this notion had never once occurred
+      to the ex-grenadier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When she went to her usual Sunday devotions, Frances had not dared to take
+      Rose and Blanche with her, as their complete ignorance of sacred things
+      would have rendered their presence at church, if not useless, scandalous;
+      but, in her own fervent prayers she implored celestial mercy for these
+      orphans, who did not themselves know the desperate position of their
+      souls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche were now left alone, in the absence of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife.
+      They were still dressed in mourning, their charming faces seeming even
+      more pensive than usual. Though they were accustomed to a life of
+      misfortune, they had been struck, since their arrival in the Rue Brise
+      Miche, with the painful contrast between the poor dwelling which they had
+      come to inhabit, and the wonders which their young imagination had
+      conceived of Paris, that golden city of their dreams. But, soon this
+      natural astonishment was replaced by thoughts of singular gravity for
+      their age. The contemplation of such honest and laborious poverty made the
+      orphans have reflections no longer those of children, but of young women.
+      Assisted by their admirable spirit of justice and of sympathy for all that
+      is good, by their noble heart, by a character at once delicate and
+      courageous, they had observed and meditated much during the last
+      twenty-four hours.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10447m.jpg" alt="10447m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10447.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister,&rdquo; said Rose to Blanche, when Frances had quitted the room,
+      &ldquo;Dagobert&rsquo;s poor wife is very uneasy. Did you remark in the night, how
+      agitated she was? how she wept and prayed?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was grieved to see it, sister, and wondered what could be the cause.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am almost afraid to guess. Perhaps we may be the cause of her
+      uneasiness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so, sister? Because we cannot say prayers, nor tell if we have ever
+      been baptized?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That seemed to give her a good deal of pain, it is true. I was quite
+      touched by it, for it proves that she loves us tenderly. But I could not
+      understand how we ran such terrible danger as she said we did.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor I either, sister. We have always tried not to displease our mother,
+      who sees and hears us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We love those who love us; we are resigned to whatever may happen to us.
+      So, who can reproach us with any harm?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No one. But, perhaps, we may do some without meaning it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, and therefore I thought: We may perhaps be the cause of her
+      uneasiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen, sister! yesterday Madame Baudoin tried to work at those sacks of
+      coarse cloth there on the table.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but in about an half-hour, she told us sorrowfully, that she could
+      not go on, because her eyes failed her, and she could not see clearly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So that she is not able to earn her living.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;but her son, M. Agricola, works for her. He looks so good, so
+      gay, so frank, and so happy to devote himself for his mother. Oh, indeed!
+      he is the worthy brother of our angel Gabriel!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will see my reason for speaking of this. Our good old Dagobert told
+      us, that, when we arrived here, he had only a few pieces of money left.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now both he and his wife are unable to earn their living; what can a poor
+      old soldier like him do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right; he only knows how to love us, and take care of us, like
+      his children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It must then be M. Agricola who will have to support his father; for
+      Gabriel is a poor priest, who possesses nothing, and can render no
+      assistance to those who have brought him up. So M. Agricola will have to
+      support the whole family by himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless&mdash;he owes it to father and mother&mdash;it is his duty, and
+      he will do it with a good will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sister&mdash;but he owes us nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say, Blanche?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is obliged to work for us also, as we possess nothing in the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had not thought of that. True.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is all very well, sister, for our father to be Duke and Marshal of
+      France, as Dagobert tells us, it is all very well for us to hope great
+      things from this medal, but as long as father is not here, and our hopes
+      are not realized, we shall be merely poor orphans, obliged to remain a
+      burden to this honest family, to whom we already owe so much, and who find
+      it so hard to live, that&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why do you pause, sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I am about to say would make other people laugh; but you will
+      understand it. Yesterday, when Dagobert&rsquo;s wife saw poor Spoil-sport at his
+      dinner, she said, sorrowfully: &lsquo;Alas! he eats as much as a man!&rsquo;&mdash;so
+      that I could almost have cried to hear her. They must be very poor, and
+      yet we have come to increase their poverty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sisters looked sadly at each other, while Spoil-sport pretended not to
+      know they were talking of his voracity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, I understand,&rdquo; said Rose, after a moment&rsquo;s silence. &ldquo;Well, we
+      must not be at the charge of any one. We are young, and have courage. Till
+      our fate is decided, let us fancy ourselves daughters of workmen. After
+      all, is not our grandfather a workman? Let us find some employment, and
+      earn our own living. It must be so proud and happy to earn one&rsquo;s living!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good little sister,&rdquo; said Blanche, kissing Rose. &ldquo;What happiness! You
+      have forestalled my thought; kiss me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your project is mine exactly. Yesterday, when I heard Dagobert&rsquo;s wife
+      complain so sadly that she had lost her sight. I looked into your large
+      eyes, which reminded me of my own, and said to myself: &lsquo;Well! this poor
+      old woman may have lost her sight, but Rose and Blanche Simon can see
+      pretty clearly&rsquo;&mdash;which is a compensation,&rdquo; added Blanche, with a
+      smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, after all,&rdquo; resumed Rose, smiling in her turn, &ldquo;the young ladies in
+      question are not so very awkward, as not to be able to sew up great sacks
+      of coarse cloth&mdash;though it may chafe their fingers a little.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So we had both the same thought, as usual; only I wished to surprise you,
+      and waited till we were alone, to tell you my plan.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, but there is something teases me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all, Dagobert and his wife will be sure to say to us: &lsquo;Young
+      ladies, you are not fitted for such work. What, daughters of a Marshal of
+      France sewing up great ugly bags!&rsquo; And then, if we insist upon it, they
+      will add: &lsquo;Well, we have no work to give you. If you want any, you must
+      hunt for it.&rsquo; What would Misses Simon do then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact is, that when Dagobert has made up his mind to anything&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! even then, if we coax him well&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, in certain things; but in others he is immovable. It is just as when
+      upon the journey, we wished to prevent his doing so much for us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, an idea strikes me,&rdquo; cried Rose, &ldquo;an excellent idea!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it? quick!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know the young woman they call Mother Bunch, who appears to be so
+      serviceable and persevering?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh yes! and so timid and discreet. She seems always to be afraid of
+      giving offence, even if she looks at one. Yesterday, she did not perceive
+      that I saw her; but her eyes were fixed on you with so good and sweet an
+      expression, that tears came into mine at the very sight of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, we must ask her how she gets work, for certainly she lives by her
+      labor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right. She will tell us all about it; and when we know, Dagobert
+      may scold us, or try to make great ladies of us, but we will be as
+      obstinate as he is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is it; we must show some spirit! We will prove to him, as he says
+      himself, that we have soldier&rsquo;s blood in our veins.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will say to him: &lsquo;Suppose, as you say, we should one day be rich, my
+      good Dagobert, we shall only remember this time with the more pleasure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is agreed then, is it not, Rose? The first time we are alone with
+      Mother Bunch, we must make her our confidant, and ask her for information.
+      She is so good a person, that she will not refuse us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And when father comes home, he will be pleased, I am sure, with our
+      courage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And will approve our wish to support ourselves, as if we were alone in
+      the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words of her sister, Rose started. A cloud of sadness, almost of
+      alarm, passed over her charming countenance, as she exclaimed: &ldquo;Oh,
+      sister, what a horrible idea!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter? your look frightens me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At the moment I heard you say, that our father would approve our wish to
+      support ourselves, as if we were alone in the world&mdash;a frightful
+      thought struck me&mdash;I know not why&mdash;but feel how my heart beats&mdash;just
+      as if some misfortune were about to happen us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true; your poor heart beats violently. But what was this thought?
+      You alarm me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When we were prisoners, they did not at least separate us, and, besides,
+      the prison was a kind of shelter&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A sad one, though shared with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if, when arrived here, any accident had parted us from Dagobert&mdash;if
+      we had been left alone, without help, in this great town?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sister! do not speak of that. It would indeed be terrible. What would
+      become of us, kind heaven?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This cruel thought made the girls remain for a moment speechless with
+      emotion. Their sweet faces, which had just before glowed with a noble
+      hope, grew pale and sad. After a pretty long silence, Rose uplifted her
+      eyes, now filled with tears, &ldquo;Why does this thought,&rdquo; she said, trembling,
+      &ldquo;affect us so deeply, sister? My heart sinks within me, as if it were
+      really to happen to us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I feel as frightened as you yourself. Alas! were we both to be lost in
+      this immense city, what would become of us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not let us give way to such ideas, Blanche! Are we not here in
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s house, in the midst of good people?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, sister,&rdquo; said Rose, with a pensive air, &ldquo;it is perhaps good for
+      us to have had this thought.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because we shall now find this poor lodging all the better, as it affords
+      a shelter from all our fears. And when, thanks to our labor, we are no
+      longer a burden to any one, what more can we need until the arrival of our
+      father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall want for nothing&mdash;there you are right&mdash;but still, why
+      did this thought occur to us, and why does it weigh so heavily on our
+      minds?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, indeed&mdash;why? Are we not here in the midst of friends that love
+      us? How could we suppose that we should ever be left alone in Paris? It is
+      impossible that such a misfortune should happen to us&mdash;is it not, my
+      dear sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible!&rdquo; said Rose, shuddering. &ldquo;If the day before we reached that
+      village in Germany, where poor Jovial was killed, any one had said to us:
+      &lsquo;To-morrow, you will be in prison&rsquo;&mdash;we should have answered as now:
+      &lsquo;It is impossible. Is not Dagobert here to protect us; what have we to
+      fear?&rsquo; And yet, sister, the day after we were in prison at Leipsic.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! do not speak thus, my dear sister! It frightens me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By a sympathetic impulse, the orphans took one another by the hand, while
+      they pressed close together, and looked around with involuntary fear. The
+      sensation they felt was in fact deep, strange, inexplicable, and yet
+      lowering&mdash;one of those dark presentiments which come over us, in
+      spite of ourselves&mdash;those fatal gleams of prescience, which throw a
+      lurid light on the mysterious profundities of the future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Unaccountable glimpses of divination! often no sooner perceived than
+      forgotten&mdash;but, when justified by the event, appearing with all the
+      attributes of an awful fatality!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The daughters of Marshal Simon were still absorbed in the mournful reverie
+      which these singular thoughts had awakened, when Dagobert&rsquo;s wife,
+      returning from her son&rsquo;s chamber, entered the room with a painfully
+      agitated countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0047" id="link2HCH0047">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVII. THE LETTER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">F</span>rances&rsquo; agitation was so perceptible that Rose could not help exclaiming:
+      &ldquo;Good gracious, what is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my dear young ladies! I can no longer conceal it from you,&rdquo; said
+      Frances, bursting into tears. &ldquo;Since yesterday I have not seen him. I
+      expected my son to supper as usual, and he never came; but I would not let
+      you see how much I suffered. I continued to expect him, minute after
+      minute; for ten years he has never gone up to bed without coming to kiss
+      me; so I spent a good part of the night close to the door, listening if I
+      could hear his step. But he did not come; and, at last, about three
+      o&rsquo;clock in the morning, I threw myself down upon the mattress. I have just
+      been to see (for I still had a faint hope), if my son had come in this
+      morning&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, madame!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no sign of him!&rdquo; said the poor mother, drying her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche looked at each other with emotion; the same thought
+      filled the minds of both; if Agricola should not return, how would this
+      family live? would they not, in such an event, become doubly burdensome?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, perhaps, madame,&rdquo; said Blanche, &ldquo;M. Agricola remained too late at
+      his work to return home last night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! no, no! he would have returned in the middle of the night, because he
+      knew what uneasiness he would cause me by stopping out. Alas! some
+      misfortune must have happened to him! Perhaps he has been injured at the
+      forge, he is so persevering at his work. Oh, my poor boy! and, as if I did
+      not feel enough anxiety about him, I am also uneasy about the poor young
+      woman who lives upstairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I left my son&rsquo;s room, I went into hers, to tell her my grief, for
+      she is almost a daughter to me; but I did not find her in the little
+      closet where she lives, and the bed had not even been slept in. Where can
+      she have gone so early&mdash;she, that never goes out?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche looked at each other with fresh uneasiness, for they
+      counted much upon Mother Bunch to help them in the resolution they had
+      taken. Fortunately, both they and Frances were soon to be satisfied on
+      this head, for they heard two low knocks at the door, and the sempstress&rsquo;s
+      voice, saying: &ldquo;Can I come in, Mrs. Baudoin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By a spontaneous impulse, Rose and Blanche ran to the door, and opened it
+      to the young girl. Sleet and snow had been falling incessantly since the
+      evening before; the gingham dress of the young sempstress, her scanty
+      cotton shawl, and the black net cap, which, leaving uncovered two thick
+      bands of chestnut hair, encircled her pale and interesting countenance,
+      were all dripping wet; the cold had given a livid appearance to her thin,
+      white hands; it was only in the fire of her blue eyes, generally so soft
+      and timid, that one perceived the extraordinary energy which this frail
+      and fearful creature had gathered from the emergency of the occasion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me! where do you come from, my good Mother Bunch?&rdquo; said Frances.
+      &ldquo;Just now, in going to see if my son had returned, I opened your door, and
+      was quite astonished to find you gone out so early.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I bring you news of Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of my son!&rdquo; cried Frances, trembling all over. &ldquo;What has happened to him?
+      Did you see him?&mdash;Did you speak to him?&mdash;Where is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not see him, but I know where he is.&rdquo; Then, perceiving that Frances
+      grew very pale, the girl added: &ldquo;He is well; he is in no danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blessed be God, who has pity on a poor sinner!&mdash;who yesterday
+      restored me my husband, and to-day, after a night of cruel anguish,
+      assures me of the safety of my child!&rdquo; So saying, Frances knelt down upon
+      the floor, and crossed herself with fervor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During the moment of silence, caused by this pious action, Rose and
+      Blanche approached Mother Bunch, and said to her in a low voice, with an
+      expression of touching interest: &ldquo;How wet you are! you must be very cold.
+      Take care you do not get ill. We did not venture to ask Madame Frances to
+      light the fire in the stove, but now we will do so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Surprised and affected by the kindness of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters, the
+      hunchback, who was more sensible than others to the least mark of
+      kindness, answered them with a look of ineffable gratitude: &ldquo;I am much
+      obliged to you, young ladies; but I am accustomed to the cold, and am
+      moreover so anxious that I do not feel it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And my son?&rdquo; said Frances, rising after she had remained some moments on
+      her knees; &ldquo;why did he stay out all night? And could you tell me where to
+      find him, my good girl? Will he soon come? why is he so long?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10455m.jpg" alt="10455m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10455.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I assure you, Agricola is well; but I must inform you, that for some time&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must have courage, mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! the blood runs cold in my veins. What has happened? why shall I not
+      see him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, he is arrested.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Arrested!&rdquo; cried Rose and Blanche, with affright.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father! Thy will be done!&rdquo; said Frances; &ldquo;but it is a great misfortune.
+      Arrested! for what? He is so good and honest, that there must be some
+      mistake.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The day before yesterday,&rdquo; resumed Mother Bunch, &ldquo;I received an anonymous
+      letter, by which I was informed that Agricola might be arrested at any
+      moment, on account of his song. We agreed together that he should go to
+      the rich young lady in the Rue de Babylone, who had offered him her
+      services, and ask her to procure bail for him; to prevent his going to
+      prison. Yesterday morning he set out to go to the young lady&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And neither of you told me anything of all this&mdash;why did you hide it
+      from me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That we might not make you uneasy, mother; for, counting on the
+      generosity of that young lady, I expected Agricola back every moment. When
+      he did not come yesterday evening. I said to myself: &lsquo;Perhaps the
+      necessary formalities with regard to the bail have detained him.&rsquo; But the
+      time passed on, and he did not make his appearance. So, I watched all
+      night, expecting him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you did not go to bed either, my good girl?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, I was too uneasy. This morning, not being able to conquer my fears, I
+      went out before dawn. I remembered the address of the young lady in the
+      Rue de Babylone, and I ran thither.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, well!&rdquo; said Frances, with anxiety; &ldquo;you were in the right. According
+      to what my son told us, that young lady appeared very good and generous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch shook her head sorrowfully; a tear glittered in her eyes, as
+      she continued: &ldquo;It was still dark when I arrived at the Rue de Babylone; I
+      waited till daylight was come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor child! you, who are so weak and timid,&rdquo; said Frances, with deep
+      feeling, &ldquo;to go so far, and in this dreadful weather!&mdash;Oh, you have
+      been a real daughter to me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has not Agricola been like a brother to me!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, softly,
+      with a slight blush.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When it was daylight,&rdquo; she resumed: &ldquo;I ventured to ring at the door of
+      the little summer-house; a charming young girl, but with a sad, pale
+      countenance, opened the door to me. &lsquo;I come in the name of an unfortunate
+      mother in despair,&rsquo; said I to her immediately, for I was so poorly dressed
+      that I feared to be sent away as a beggar; but seeing, on the contrary,
+      that the young girl listened to me with kindness, I asked her if, the day
+      before, a young workman had not come to solicit a great favor of her
+      mistress. &lsquo;Alas! yes,&rsquo; answered the young girl; &lsquo;my mistress was going to
+      interest herself for him, and, hearing that he was in danger of being
+      arrested, she concealed him here; unfortunately, his retreat was
+      discovered, and yesterday afternoon, at four o&rsquo;clock, he was arrested and
+      taken to prison.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Though the orphans took no part in this melancholy conversation, the
+      sorrow and anxiety depicted in their countenances, showed how much they
+      felt for the sufferings of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the young lady?&rdquo; cried Frances. &ldquo;You should have tried to see her, my
+      good Mother Bunch, and begged her not to abandon my son. She is so rich
+      that she must have influence, and her protection might save us from great
+      calamities.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with bitter grief, &ldquo;we must renounce this last
+      hope.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; said Frances. &ldquo;If this young lady is so good, she will have pity
+      upon us, when she knows that my son is the only support of a whole family,
+      and that for him to go to prison is worse than for another, because it
+      will reduce us all to the greatest misery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But this young lady,&rdquo; replied the girl, &ldquo;according to what I learned from
+      her weeping maid, was taken last evening to a lunatic asylum: it appears
+      she is mad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mad! Oh! it is horrible for her, and for us also&mdash;for now there is
+      no hope. What will become of us without my son? Oh, merciful heaven!&rdquo; The
+      unfortunate woman hid her face in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A profound silence followed this heart-rending outburst. Rose and Blanche
+      exchanged mournful glances, for they perceived that their presence
+      augmented the weighty embarrassments of this family. Mother Bunch, worn
+      out with fatigue, a prey to painful emotions, and trembling with cold in
+      her wet clothes, sank exhausted on a chair, and reflected on their
+      desperate position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That position was indeed a cruel one!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Often, in times of political disturbances, or of agitation amongst the
+      laboring classes, caused by want of work, or by the unjust reduction of
+      wages (the result of the powerful coalition of the capitalists)&mdash;often
+      are whole families reduced, by a measure of preventive imprisonment, to as
+      deplorable a position as that of Dagobert&rsquo;s household by Agricola&rsquo;s arrest&mdash;an
+      arrest, which, as will afterwards appear, was entirely owing to Rodin&rsquo;s
+      arts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now, with regard to this &ldquo;precautionary imprisonment,&rdquo; of which the
+      victims are almost always honest and industrious mechanics, driven to the
+      necessity of combining together by the In organization of Labor and the
+      Insufficiency of Wages, it is painful to see the law, which ought to be
+      equal for all, refuse to strikers what it grants to masters&mdash;because
+      the latter can dispose of a certain sum of money. Thus, under many
+      circumstances, the rich man, by giving bail, can escape the annoyance and
+      inconveniences of a preventive incarceration; he deposits a sum of money,
+      pledges his word to appear on a certain day, and goes back to his
+      pleasures, his occupations, and the sweet delights of his family. Nothing
+      can be better; an accused person is innocent till he is proved guilty; we
+      cannot be too much impressed with that indulgent maxim. It is well for the
+      rich man that he can avail himself of the mercy of the law. But how is it
+      with the poor?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not only has he no bail to give, for his whole capital consists of his
+      daily labor; but it is upon him chiefly that the rigors of preventive
+      measures must fall with a terrible and fatal force.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For the rich man, imprisonment is merely the privation of ease and
+      comfort, tedious hours, and the pain of separation from his family&mdash;distresses
+      not unworthy of interest, for all suffering deserves pity, and the tears
+      of the rich man separated from his children are as bitter as those of the
+      poor. But the absence of the rich man does not condemn his family to
+      hunger and cold, and the incurable maladies caused by exhaustion and
+      misery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For the workman, on the contrary, imprisonment means want, misery,
+      sometimes death, to those most dear to him. Possessing nothing, he is
+      unable to find bail, and he goes to prison. But if he have, as it often
+      happens, an old, infirm father or mother, a sick wife, or children in the
+      cradle? What will become of this unfortunate family? They could hardly
+      manage to live from day to day upon the wages of this man, wages almost
+      always insufficient, and suddenly this only resource will be wanting for
+      three or four months together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What will this family do? To whom will they have recourse?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What will become of these infirm old men, these sickly wives, these little
+      children, unable to gain their daily bread? If they chance to have a
+      little linen and a few spare clothes, these will be carried to the
+      pawnbroker&rsquo;s, and thus they will exist for a week or so&mdash;but
+      afterwards?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And if winter adds the rigors of the season to this frightful and
+      inevitable misery?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then will the imprisoned artisan see in his mind&rsquo;s eyes, during the long
+      and sleepless nights, those who are dear to him, wan, gaunt, haggard,
+      exhausted, stretched almost naked upon filthy straw, or huddled close
+      together to warm their frozen limbs. And, should he afterwards be
+      acquitted, it is ruin and desolation that he finds on his return to his
+      poor dwelling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And then, after that long cessation from labor, he will find it difficult
+      to return to his old employers. How many days will be lost in seeking for
+      work! and a day without employment is a day without bread!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us repeat our opinion, that if, under various circumstances, the law
+      did not afford to the rich the facility of giving bail, we could only
+      lament over all such victims of individual and inevitable misfortune. But
+      since the law does provide the means of setting provisionally at liberty
+      those who possess a certain sum of money, why should it deprive of this
+      advantage those very persons, for whom liberty is indeed indispensable, as
+      it involves the existence of themselves and families?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Is there any remedy for this deplorable state of things? We believe there
+      is.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The law has fixed the minimum of bail at five hundred francs. Now five
+      hundred francs represent, upon the average, six months&rsquo; labor of an
+      industrious workman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If he have a wife and two children (which is also about the average), it
+      is evidently quite impossible for him to have saved any such sum.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So, to ask of such a man five hundred francs, to enable him to continue to
+      support his family, is in fact to put him beyond the pale of the law,
+      though, more than any one else, he requires its protection, because of the
+      disastrous consequences which his imprisonment entails upon others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Would it not be equitable and humane, a noble and salutary example, to
+      accept, in every case where bail is allowed (and where the good character
+      of the accused could be honorably established), moral guarantees, in the
+      absence of material ones, from those who have no capital but their labor
+      and their integrity&mdash;to accept the word of an honest man to appear
+      upon the day of trial? Would it not be great and moral, in these days to
+      raise the value of the lighted word, and exalt man in his own eyes, by
+      showing him that his promise was held to be sufficient security?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Will you so degrade the dignity of man, as to treat this proposition as an
+      impossible and Utopian dream? We ask, how many prisoners of war have ever
+      broken their parole, and if officers and soldiers are not brothers of the
+      workingman?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without exaggerating the virtue of promise-keeping in the honest and
+      laborious poor, we feel certain, that an engagement taken by the accused
+      to appear on the day of trial would be always fulfilled, not only with
+      fidelity, but with the warmest gratitude&mdash;for his family would not
+      have suffered by his absence, thanks to the indulgence of the law.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There is also another fact, of which France may well be proud. It is, that
+      her magistrates (although miserably paid as the army itself) are generally
+      wise, upright, humane, and independent; they have the true feeling of
+      their own useful and sacred mission; they know how to appreciate the wants
+      and distresses of the working classes, with whom they are so often brought
+      in contact; to them might be safely granted the power of fixing those
+      cases in which a moral security, the only one that can be given by the
+      honest and necessitous man, should be received as sufficient.(10)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally, if those who make the laws have so low an opinion of the people
+      as to reject with disdain the suggestions we have ventured to throw out,
+      let them at least so reduce the minimum of bail, as to render it available
+      for those who have most need to escape the fruitless rigors of
+      imprisonment. Let them take as their lowest limit, the month&rsquo;s wages of an
+      artisan&mdash;say eighty francs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This sum would still be exorbitant; but, with the aid of friends, the
+      pawnbroker&rsquo;s, and some little advances, eighty francs might perhaps be
+      found&mdash;not always, it is true&mdash;but still sometimes&mdash;and, at
+      all events, many families would be rescued from frightful misery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having made these observations, let us return to Dagobert&rsquo;s family, who,
+      in consequence of the preventive arrest of Agricola, were now reduced to
+      an almost hopeless state.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The anguish of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife increased, the more she reflected on her
+      situation, for, including the marshal&rsquo;s daughters, four persons were left
+      absolutely without resource. It must be confessed, however, that the
+      excellent mother thought less of herself, than of the grief which her son
+      must feel in thinking over her deplorable position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment there was a knock at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is there?&rdquo; said Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is me&mdash;Father Loriot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; said Dagobert&rsquo;s wife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dyer, who also performed the functions of a porter, appeared at the
+      door of the room. This time, his arms were no longer of a bright apple
+      green, but of a magnificent violet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mrs. Baudoin,&rdquo; said Father Loriot, &ldquo;here is a letter that the giver of
+      holy water at Saint Merely&rsquo;s has just brought from Abbe Dubois, with a
+      request that I would bring it up to you immediately, as it is very
+      pressing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A letter from my confessor?&rdquo; said Frances, in astonishment; and, as she
+      took it, added: &ldquo;Thank you, Father Loriot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not want anything?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, Father Loriot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My respects to the ladies!&rdquo; and the dyer went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch, will you read this letter for me?&rdquo; said Frances, anxious to
+      learn the contents of the missive in question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mother,&rdquo;&mdash;and the young girl read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;MY DEAR MADAME BAUDOIN,&mdash;I am in the habit of hearing you Tuesday
+      and Saturday, but I shall not be at liberty either to-morrow or the last
+      day of the week; you must then come to me this morning, unless you wish to
+      remain a whole week without approaching the tribunal of penance.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heavens! a week!&rdquo; cried Dagobert&rsquo;s wife. &ldquo;Alas! I am only too
+      conscious of the necessity of going there today, notwithstanding the
+      trouble and grief in which I am plunged.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, addressing herself to the orphans, she continued: &ldquo;Heaven has heard
+      the prayers that I made for you, my dear young ladies; this very day I
+      shall be able to consult a good and holy man with regard to the great
+      dangers to which you are exposed. Poor dear souls, that are so innocent,
+      and yet so guilty, without any fault of your own! Heaven is my witness,
+      that my heart bleeds for you as much as for my son.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche looked at each other in confusion; they could not
+      understand the fears with which the state of their souls inspired the wife
+      of Dagobert. The latter soon resumed, addressing the young sempstress:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My good girl, will you render me yet another service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My husband took Agricola&rsquo;s week&rsquo;s wages with him to pay his journey to
+      Chartres. It was all the money I had in the house; I am sure that my poor
+      child had none about him, and in prison he will perhaps want some.
+      Therefore take my silver cup, fork, and spoon, the two pair of sheets that
+      remain over, and my wadded silk shawl, that Agricola gave me on my
+      birthday, and carry them all to the pawnbroker&rsquo;s. I will try and find out
+      in which prison my son is confined, and will send him half of the little
+      sum we get upon the things; the rest will serve us till my husband comes
+      home. And then, what shall we do? What a blow for him&mdash;and only more
+      misery in prospect&mdash;since my son is in prison, and I have lost my
+      sight. Almighty Father!&rdquo; cried the unfortunate mother, with an expression
+      of impatient and bitter grief, &ldquo;why am I thus afflicted? Have I not done
+      enough to deserve some pity, if not for myself, at least for those
+      belonging to me?&rdquo; But immediately reproaching herself for this outburst,
+      she added, &ldquo;No, no! I ought to accept with thankfulness all that Thou
+      sandiest me. Forgive me for these complaints, or punish only myself!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be of good courage, mother!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch. &ldquo;Agricola is innocent,
+      and will not remain long in prison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But now I think of it,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, &ldquo;to go to the
+      pawnbroker&rsquo;s will make you lose much time, my poor girl.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can make up that in the night, Madame Frances; I could not sleep,
+      knowing you in such trouble. Work will amuse me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, but the candles&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind, I am a little beforehand with my work,&rdquo; said the poor girl,
+      telling a falsehood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kiss me, at least,&rdquo; said Frances, with moist eyes, &ldquo;for you are the very
+      best creature in the world.&rdquo; So saying, she hastened cut of the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche were left alone with Mother Bunch; at length had arrived
+      the moment for which they had waited with so much impatience. Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      wife proceeded to St. Merely Church, where her confessor was expecting to
+      see her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0048" id="link2HCH0048">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVIII. THE CONFESSIONAL
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">N</span>othing could be more gloomy than the appearance of St. Merely Church, on
+      this dark and snowy winter&rsquo;s day. Frances stopped a moment beneath the
+      porch, to behold a lugubrious spectacle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While a priest was mumbling some words in a low voice, two or three dirty
+      choristers, in soiled surplices, were charting the prayers for the dead,
+      with an absent and sullen air, round a plain deal coffin, followed only by
+      a sobbing old man and a child, miserably clad. The beadle and the
+      sacristan, very much displeased at being disturbed for so wretched a
+      funeral, had not deigned to put on their liveries, but, yawning with
+      impatience, waited for the end of the ceremony, so useless to the
+      interests of the establishment. At length, a few drops of holy water being
+      sprinkled on the coffin, the priest handed the brush to the beadle, and
+      retired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then took place one of those shameful scenes, the necessary consequence of
+      an ignoble and sacrilegious traffic, so frequent with regard to the
+      burials of the poor, who cannot afford to pay for tapers, high mass, or
+      violins&mdash;for now St. Thomas Aquinas&rsquo; Church has violins even for the
+      dead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man stretched forth his hand to the sacristan to receive the
+      brush. &ldquo;Come, look sharp!&rdquo; said that official, blowing on his fingers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The emotion of the old man was profound, and his weakness extreme; he
+      remained for a moment without stirring, while the brush was clasped
+      tightly in his trembling hand. In that coffin was his daughter, the mother
+      of the ragged child who wept by his side&mdash;his heart was breaking at
+      the thought of that last farewell; he stood motionless, and his bosom
+      heaved with convulsive sobs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, will you make haste?&rdquo; said the brutal beadle. &ldquo;Do you think we are
+      going to sleep here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The old man quickened his movements. He made the sign of the cross over
+      the corpse, and, stooping down, was about to place the brush in the hand
+      of his grandson, when the sacristan, thinking the affair had lasted long
+      enough, snatched the sprinkling-brush from the child, and made a sign to
+      the bearers to carry away the coffin&mdash;which was immediately done.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wasn&rsquo;t that old beggar a slow coach?&rdquo; said the beadle to his companion,
+      as they went back to the sacristy. &ldquo;We shall hardly have time to get
+      breakfast, and to dress ourselves for the bang-up funeral of this morning.
+      That will be something like a dead man, that&rsquo;s worth the trouble. I shall
+      shoulder my halberd in style!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And mount your colonel&rsquo;s epaulets, to throw dust in the eyes of the women
+      that let out the chairs&mdash;eh, you old rascal!&rdquo; said the other, with a
+      sly look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can I do, Capillare? When one has a fine figure, it must be seen,&rdquo;
+       answered the beadle, with a triumphant air. &ldquo;I cannot blind the women to
+      prevent their losing their hearts!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus conversing; the two men reached the sacristy. The sight of the
+      funeral had only increased the gloom of Frances. When she entered the
+      church, seven or eight persons, scattered about upon chairs, alone
+      occupied the damp and icy building. One of the distributors of holy water,
+      an old fellow with a rubicund, joyous, wine-bibbing face, seeing Frances
+      approach the little font, said to her in a low voice: &ldquo;Abbe Dubois is not
+      yet in his box. Be quick, and you will have the first wag of his beard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Though shocked at this pleasantry, Frances thanked the irreverent speaker,
+      made devoutly the sign of the cross, advanced some steps into the church,
+      and knelt down upon the stones to repeat the prayer, which she always
+      offered up before approaching the tribunal of penance. Having said this
+      prayer, she went towards a dark corner of the church, in which was an
+      oaken confessional, with a black curtain drawn across the grated door. The
+      places on each side were vacant; so Frances knelt down in that upon the
+      right hand, and remained there for some time absorbed in bitter
+      reflections.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few minutes, a priest of tall stature, with gray hair and a stern
+      countenance, clad in a long black cassock, stalked slowly along one of the
+      aisles of the church. A short, old, misshapen man, badly dressed, leaning
+      upon an umbrella, accompanied him, and from time to time whispered in his
+      ear, when the priest would stop to listen with a profound and respectful
+      deference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As they approached the confessional, the short old man, perceiving Frances
+      on her knees, looked at the priest with an air of interrogation. &ldquo;It is
+      she,&rdquo; said the clergyman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, in two or three hours, they will expect the two girls at St. Mary&rsquo;s
+      Convent. I count upon it,&rdquo; said the old man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so, for the sake of their souls,&rdquo; answered the priest; and, bowing
+      gravely, he entered the confessional. The short old man quitted the
+      church.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10465m.jpg" alt="10465m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10465.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      This old man was Rodin. It was on leaving Saint Merely&rsquo;s that he went to
+      the lunatic asylum, to assure himself that Dr. Baleinier had faithfully
+      executed his instructions with regard to Adrienne de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances was still kneeling in the interior of the confessional. One of the
+      slides opened, and a voice began to speak. It was that of the priest, who,
+      for the last twenty years had been the confessor of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, and
+      exercised over her an irresistible and all-powerful influence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You received my letter?&rdquo; said the voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well&mdash;I listen to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bless me, father&mdash;for I have sinned!&rdquo; said Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The voice pronounced the formula of the benediction. Dagobert&rsquo;s wife
+      answered &ldquo;amen,&rdquo; as was proper, said her confider to &ldquo;It is my fault,&rdquo;
+       gave an account of the manner in which she had performed her last penance,
+      and then proceeded to the enumeration of the new sins, committed since she
+      had received absolution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For this excellent woman, a glorious martyr of industry and maternal love,
+      always fancied herself sinning: her conscience was incessantly tormented
+      by the fear that she had committed some incomprehensible offence. This
+      mild and courageous creature, who, after a whole life of devotion, ought
+      to have passed what time remained to her in calm serenity of soul, looked
+      upon herself as a great sinner, and lived in continual anxiety, doubting
+      much her ultimate salvation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said Frances, in a trembling voice, &ldquo;I accuse myself of omitting
+      my evening prayer the day before yesterday. My husband, from whom I had
+      been separated for many years, returned home. The joy and the agitation
+      caused by his arrival, made me commit this great sin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; said the voice, in a severe tone, which redoubled the poor
+      woman&rsquo;s uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, I accuse myself of falling into the same sin yesterday evening. I
+      was in a state of mortal anxiety, for my son did not come home as usual,
+      and I waited for him minute after minute, till the hour had passed over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; said the voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, I accuse myself of having told a falsehood all this week to my
+      son, by letting him think that on account of his reproaching me for
+      neglecting my health, I had taken a little wine for my dinner&mdash;whereas
+      I had left it for him, who has more need of it, because he works so much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on!&rdquo; said the voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, I accuse myself of a momentary want of resignation this morning,
+      when I learned that my poor son was arrested; instead of submitting with
+      respect and gratitude to this new trial which the Lord hath sent me&mdash;alas!
+      I rebelled against it in my grief&mdash;and of this I accuse myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bad week,&rdquo; said the priest, in a tone of still greater severity, &ldquo;a bad
+      week&mdash;for you have always put the creature before the Creator. But
+      proceed!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, father!&rdquo; resumed Frances, much dejected, &ldquo;I know that I am a great
+      sinner; and I fear that I am on the road to sins of a still graver kind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My husband brought with him from Siberia two young orphans, daughters of
+      Marshal Simon. Yesterday morning, I asked them to say their prayers, and I
+      learned from them, with as much fright as sorrow, that they know none of
+      the mysteries of our holy faith, though they are fifteen years old. They
+      have never received the sacrament, nor are they even baptized, father&mdash;not
+      even baptized!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They must be heathens!&rdquo; cried the voice, in a tone of angry surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what so much grieves me, father; for, as I and my husband are in
+      the room of parents to these young orphans, we should be guilty of the
+      sins which they might commit&mdash;should we not, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&mdash;since you take the place of those who ought to watch
+      over their souls. The shepherd must answer for his flock,&rdquo; said the voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if they should happen to be in mortal sin, father, I and my husband
+      would be in mortal sin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the voice; &ldquo;you take the place of their parents; and fathers
+      and mothers are guilty of all the sins which their children commit when
+      those sins arise from the want of a Christian education.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, father! what am I to do? I address myself to you as I would to
+      heaven itself. Every day, every hour, that these poor young girls remain
+      heathens, may contribute to bring about their eternal damnation, may it
+      not, father?&rdquo; said Frances, in a tone of the deepest emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered the voice; &ldquo;and the weight of this terrible responsibility
+      rests upon you and your husband; you have the charge of souls!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lord, have mercy upon me!&rdquo; said Frances weeping.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must not grieve yourself thus,&rdquo; answered the voice, in a softer tone;
+      &ldquo;happily for these unfortunates, they have met you upon the way. They,
+      will have in you and your husband good and pious examples&mdash;for I
+      suppose that your husband, though formerly an ungodly person, now
+      practices his religious duties!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must pray for him, father,&rdquo; said Frances, sorrowfully; &ldquo;grace has not
+      yet touched his heart. He is like my poor child, who has also not been
+      called to holiness. Ah, father!&rdquo; said Frances, drying her tears, &ldquo;these
+      thoughts are my heaviest cross.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So neither your husband nor your son practises,&rdquo; resumed the voice, in a
+      tone of reflection; &ldquo;this is serious&mdash;very serious. The religious
+      education of these two unfortunate girls has yet to begin. In your house,
+      they will have ever before them the most deplorable examples. Take care! I
+      have warned you. You have the charge of souls&mdash;your responsibility is
+      immense!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, it is that which makes me wretched&mdash;I am at a loss what to
+      do. Help me, and give me your counsels: for twenty years your voice has
+      been to me as the voice of the Lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! you must agree with your husband to send these unfortunate girls to
+      some religious house where they may be instructed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are too poor, father, to pay for their schooling, and unfortunately my
+      son has just been put in prison for songs that he wrote.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Behold the fruit of impiety,&rdquo; said the voice, severely; &ldquo;look at Gabriel!
+      he has followed my counsels, and is now the model of every Christian
+      virtue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My son, Agricola, has had good qualities, father; he is so kind, so
+      devoted!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without religion,&rdquo; said the voice, with redoubled severity, &ldquo;what you
+      call good qualities are only vain appearances; at the least breath of the
+      devil they will disappear&mdash;for the devil lurks in every soul that has
+      no religion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! my poor son!&rdquo; said Frances, weeping; &ldquo;I pray for him every day, that
+      faith may enlighten him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have always told you,&rdquo; resumed the voice, &ldquo;that you have been too weak
+      with him. God now punishes you for it. You should have parted from this
+      irreligious son, and not sanctioned his impiety by loving him as you do.
+      &lsquo;If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off,&rsquo; saith the Scripture.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, father! you know it is the only time I have disobeyed you; but I
+      could not bring myself to part from my son.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore is your salvation uncertain&mdash;but God is merciful. Do not
+      fall into the same fault with regard to these young girls, whom Providence
+      has sent you, that you might save them from eternal damnation. Do not
+      plunge them into it by your own culpable indifference.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, father! I have wept and prayed for them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is not sufficient. These unfortunate children cannot have any notion
+      of good or evil. Their souls must be an abyss of scandal and impurity&mdash;brought
+      up as they have been, by an impious mother, and a soldier devoid of
+      religion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for that, father,&rdquo; said Frances, with simplicity, &ldquo;they are gentle as
+      angels, and my husband, who has not quitted them since their birth,
+      declares they have the best hearts in the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your husband has dwelt all his life in mortal sin,&rdquo; said the voice,
+      harshly; &ldquo;how can he judge of the state of souls? I repeat to you, that as
+      you represent the parents of these unfortunates, it is not to-morrow, but
+      it is today, and on the instant, that you must labor for their salvation,
+      if you would not incur a terrible responsibility.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true&mdash;I know it well, father&mdash;and I suffer as much from
+      this fear as from grief at my son&rsquo;s arrest. But what is to be done? I
+      could not instruct these young girls at home&mdash;for I have not the
+      knowledge&mdash;I have only faith&mdash;and then my poor husband, in his
+      blindness, makes game of sacred things, which my son, at least, respects
+      in my presence, out of regard for me. Then, once more, father, come to my
+      aid, I conjure you! Advise me: what is to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We cannot abandon these two young souls to frightful perdition,&rdquo; said the
+      voice, after a moment&rsquo;s silence: &ldquo;there are not two ways of saving them:
+      there is only one, and that is to place them in a religious house, where
+      they may be surrounded by good and pious examples.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, father! if we were not so poor, or if I could still work, I would try
+      to gain sufficient to pay for their board, and do for them as I did for
+      Gabriel. Unfortunately, I have quite lost my sight; but you, father, know
+      some charitable souls, and if you could get any of them to interest them,
+      selves for these poor orphans&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is their father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was in India; but, my husband tells me, he will soon be in France.
+      That, however, is uncertain. Besides, it would make my heart bleed to see
+      those poor children share our misery&mdash;which will soon be extreme&mdash;for
+      we only live by my son&rsquo;s labor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have these girls no relation here?&rdquo; asked the voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe not, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was their mother who entrusted them to your husband, to bring them to
+      France?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; he was obliged to set out yesterday for Chartres, on some
+      very pressing business, as he told me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It will be remembered that Dagobert had not thought fit to inform his wife
+      of the hopes which the daughters of Marshall Simon founded on the
+      possession of the medal, and that he had particularly charged them not to
+      mention these hopes, even to Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&rdquo; resumed the voice, after a pause of some moments&rsquo; duration, &ldquo;your
+      husband is not in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, father; but he will doubtless return this evening or to-morrow
+      morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me,&rdquo; said the voice, after another pause. &ldquo;Every minute lost
+      for those two young girls is a new step on the road to perdition. At any
+      moment the hand of God may smite them, for He alone knows the hour of our
+      death; and were they to die in the state in which they now are, they would
+      most probably be lost to all eternity. This very day, therefore, you must
+      open their eyes to the divine light, and place them in a religious house.
+      It is your duty&mdash;it should be your desire!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes, father; but, unfortunately, I am too poor, as I have already
+      told you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it&mdash;you do not want for zeal or faith&mdash;but even were you
+      capable of directing these young girls, the impious examples of your
+      husband and son would daily destroy your work. Others must do for these
+      orphans, in the name of Christian charity, that which you cannot do,
+      though you are answerable for them before heaven.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, father! if, thanks to you, this good work could be accomplished, how
+      grateful I should be!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not impossible. I know the superior of a convent, where these young
+      girls would be instructed as they ought. The charge for their board would
+      be diminished in consideration of their poverty; but, however small, it
+      must be paid and there would be also an outfit to furnish. All that would
+      be too dear for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! yes, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, by taking a little from my poor-box, and by applying to one or two
+      generous persons, I think I shall be able to complete the necessary sum,
+      and so get the young girls received at the convent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, father! you are my deliverer, and these children&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to be so&mdash;but, in the interest of their salvation, and to
+      make these measures really efficacious, I must attach some conditions to
+      the support I offer you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Name them, father; they are accepted beforehand. Your commands shall be
+      obeyed in everything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all, the children must be taken this very morning to the
+      convent, by my housekeeper, to whom you must bring them almost
+      immediately.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, father; that is impossible!&rdquo; cried Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible? why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the absence of my husband&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I dare not take a such a step without consulting him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not only must you abstain from consulting him, but the thing must be done
+      during his absence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, father? should I not wait for his return?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, for two reasons,&rdquo; answered the priest, sternly: &ldquo;first, because his
+      hardened impiety would certainly lead him to oppose your pious resolution;
+      secondly, because it is indispensable that these young girls should break
+      off all connection with your husband, who, therefore, must be left in
+      ignorance of the place of their retreat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father,&rdquo; said Frances, a prey to cruel doubt and embarrassment, &ldquo;it
+      is to my husband that these children were entrusted&mdash;and to dispose
+      of them without his consent would be&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you instruct these children at your house&mdash;yes or no?&rdquo;
+       interrupted the voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, father, I cannot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are they exposed to fall into a state of final impenitence by remaining
+      with you&mdash;yes or no?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father, they are so exposed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you responsible, as you take the place of their parents, for the
+      mortal sins they may commit&mdash;yes or no?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, father! I am responsible before God.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it in the interest of their eternal salvation that I enjoin you to
+      place them this very day in a convent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is for their salvation, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, choose!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But tell me, I entreat you, father if I have the right to dispose of them
+      without the consent of my husband?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The right! you have not only the right, but it is your sacred duty. Would
+      you not be bound, I ask you, to rescue these unfortunate creatures from a
+      fire, against the will of your husband, or during his absence? Well! you
+      must now rescue them, not from a fire that will only consume the body, but
+      from one in which their souls would burn to all eternity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, I implore you, father,&rdquo; said the poor woman, whose indecision
+      and anguish increased every minute; &ldquo;satisfy my doubts!&mdash;How can I
+      act thus, when I have sworn obedience to my husband?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Obedience for good&mdash;yes&mdash;but never for evil. You confess, that,
+      were it left to him, the salvation of these orphans would be doubtful, and
+      perhaps impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father,&rdquo; said Frances, trembling, &ldquo;when my husband returns, he will
+      ask me where are these children? Must I tell him a falsehood?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence is not falsehood; you will tell him that you cannot answer his
+      question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My husband is the kindest of men; but such an answer will drive him
+      almost mad. He has been a soldier, and his anger will be terrible,
+      father,&rdquo; said Frances, shuddering at the thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And were his anger a hundred times more terrible, you should be proud to
+      brave it in so sacred a cause!&rdquo; cried the voice, with indignation. &ldquo;Do you
+      think that salvation is to be so easily gained on earth? Since when does
+      the sinner, that would walk in the way of the Lord, turn aside for the
+      stones and briars that may bruise and tear him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon, father, pardon!&rdquo; said Frances, with the resignation of despair.
+      &ldquo;Permit me to ask one more question, one only. Alas! if you do not guide
+      me, how shall I find the way?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When Marshal Simon arrives, he will ask his children of my husband. What
+      answer can he then give to their father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When Marshal Simon arrives, you will let me know immediately, and then&mdash;I
+      will see what is to be done. The rights of a father are only sacred in so
+      far as he make use of them for the salvation of his children. Before and
+      above the father on earth, is the Father in heaven, whom we must first
+      serve. Reflect upon all this. By accepting what I propose to you, these
+      young girls will be saved from perdition; they will not be at your charge;
+      they will not partake of your misery; they will be brought up in a sacred
+      institution, as, after all, the daughters of a Marshal of France ought to
+      be&mdash;and, when their father arrives at Paris, if he be found worthy of
+      seeing them again, instead of finding poor, ignorant, half savage
+      heathens, he will behold two girls, pious, modest, and well informed, who,
+      being acceptable with the Almighty, may invoke His mercy for their father,
+      who, it must be owned, has great need of it&mdash;being a man of violence,
+      war, and battle. Now decide! Will you, on peril of your soul, sacrifice
+      the welfare of these girls in this world and the next, because of an
+      impious dread of your husband&rsquo;s anger?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Though rude and fettered by intolerance, the confessor&rsquo;s language was
+      (taking his view of the case) reasonable and just, because the honest
+      priest was himself convinced of what he said; a blind instrument of Rodin,
+      ignorant of the end in view, he believed firmly, that, in forcing Frances
+      to place these young girls in a convent, he was performing a pious duty.
+      Such was, and is, one of the most wonderful resources of the order to
+      which Rodin belonged&mdash;to have for accomplices good and sincere
+      people, who are ignorant of the nature of the plots in which they are the
+      principal actors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances, long accustomed to submit to the influence of her confessor,
+      could find nothing to object to his last words. She resigned herself to
+      follow his directions, though she trembled to think of the furious anger
+      of Dagobert, when he should no longer find the children that a dying
+      mother had confided to his care. But, according to the priest&rsquo;s opinion,
+      the more terrible this anger might appear to her, the more she would show
+      her pious humility by exposing herself to it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God&rsquo;s will be done, father!&rdquo; said she, in reply to her confessor.
+      &ldquo;Whatever may happen, I wilt do my duty as a Christian&mdash;in obedience
+      to your commands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the Lord will reward you for what you may have to suffer in the
+      accomplishment of this meritorious act. You promise then, before God, that
+      you will not answer any of your husband&rsquo;s questions, when he asks you for
+      the daughters of Marshal Simon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father, I promise!&rdquo; said Frances, with a shudder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And will preserve the same silence towards Marshal Simon himself, in case
+      he should return, before his daughters appear to me sufficiently grounded
+      in the faith to be restored to him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father,&rdquo; said Frances, in a still fainter voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will come and give me an account of the scene that takes place
+      between you and your husband, upon his return?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; when must I bring the orphans to your house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In an hour. I will write to the superior, and leave the letter with my
+      housekeeper. She is a trusty person, and will conduct the young girls to
+      the convent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After she had listened to the exhortations of her confessor, and received
+      absolution for her late sins, on condition of performing penance,
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s wife left the confessional.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The church was no longer deserted. An immense crowd pressed into it, drawn
+      thither by the pomp of the grand funeral of which the beadle had spoken to
+      the sacristan two hours before. It was with the greatest difficulty that
+      Frances could reach the door of the church, now hung with sumptuous
+      drapery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What a contrast to the poor and humble train, which had that morning so
+      timidly presented themselves beneath the porch!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The numerous clergy of the parish, in full procession, advanced
+      majestically to receive the coffin covered with a velvet pall; the watered
+      silks and stuffs of their copes and stoles, their splendid silvered
+      embroideries, sparkled in the light of a thousand tapers. The beadle
+      strutted in all the glory of his brilliant uniform and flashing epaulets;
+      on the opposite side walked in high glee the sacristan, carrying his
+      whalebone staff with a magisterial air; the voice of the choristers, now
+      clad in fresh, white surplices, rolled out in bursts of thunder; the
+      trumpets&rsquo; blare shook the windows; and upon the countenances of all those
+      who were to have a share in the spoils of this rich corpse, this excellent
+      corpse, this first-class corpse, a look of satisfaction was visible,
+      intense and yet subdued, which suited admirably with the air and attitude
+      of the two heirs, tall, vigorous fellows with florid complexions, who,
+      without overstepping the limits of a charming modesty of enjoyment, seemed
+      to cuddle and hug themselves most comfortably in their mourning cloaks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding her simplicity and pious faith, Dagobert&rsquo;s wife was
+      painfully impressed with this revolting difference between the reception
+      of the rich and the poor man&rsquo;s coffin at the door of the house of God&mdash;for
+      surely, if equality be ever real, it is in the presence of death and
+      eternity!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two sad spectacles she had witnessed, tended still further to depress
+      the spirits of Frances. Having succeeded with no small trouble in making
+      her way out of the church, she hastened to return to the Rue Brise-Miche,
+      in order to fetch the orphans and conduct them to the housekeeper of her
+      confessor, who was in her turn to take them to St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent,
+      situated, as we know, next door to Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s lunatic-asylum, in
+      which&mdash;Adrienne de Cardoville was confined.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0049" id="link2HCH0049">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIX. MY LORD AND SPOIL-SPORT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he wife of Dagobert, having quitted the church, arrived at the corner of
+      the Rue Brise-Miche, when she was accosted by the distributor of holy
+      water; he came running out of breath, to beg her to return to Saint
+      Mery&rsquo;s, where the Abbe Dubois had yet something of importance to say to
+      her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment Frances turned to go back, a hackney-coach stopped in front of
+      the house she inhabited. The coachman quitted his box to open the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Driver,&rdquo; said a stout woman dressed in black, who was seated in the
+      carriage, and held a pug-dog upon her knees, &ldquo;ask if Mrs. Frances Baudoin
+      lives in this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, ma&rsquo;am,&rdquo; said the coachman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The reader will no doubt have recognized Mrs. Grivois, head waiting-woman
+      to the Princess de Saint-Dizier, accompanied by My Lord, who exercised a
+      real tyranny over his mistress. The dyer, whom we have already seen
+      performing the duties of a porter, being questioned by the coachman as to
+      the dwelling of Frances, came out of his workshop, and advanced gallantly
+      to the coach-door, to inform Mrs. Grivois, that Frances Baudoin did in
+      fact live in the house, but that she was at present from home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The arms, hands, and part of the face of Father Loriot were now of a
+      superb gold-color. The sight of this yellow personage singularly provoked
+      My Lord, and at the moment the dyer rested his hand upon the edge of the
+      coach-window, the cur began to yelp frightfully, and bit him in the wrist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! gracious heaven!&rdquo; cried Mrs. Grivois, in an agony, whilst Father
+      Loriot, withdrew his hand with precipitation; &ldquo;I hope there is nothing
+      poisonous in the dye that you have about you&mdash;my dog is so delicate!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, she carefully wiped the pug-nose, spotted with yellow. Father
+      Loriot, not at all satisfied with this speech, when he had expected to
+      receive some apology from Mrs. Grivois on account of her dog&rsquo;s behavior,
+      said to her, as with difficulty he restrained his anger: &ldquo;If you did not
+      belong to the fair sex, which obliges me to respect you in the person of
+      that wretched animal I would have the pleasure of taking him by the tail,
+      and making him in one minute a dog of the brightest orange color, by
+      plunging him into my cauldron, which is already on the fire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dye my pet yellow!&rdquo; cried Mrs. Grivois, in great wrath, as she descended
+      from the hackney-coach, clasping My Lord tenderly to her bosom, and
+      surveying Father Loriot with a savage look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I told you, Mrs. Baudoin is not at home,&rdquo; said the dyer, as he saw the
+      pug-dog&rsquo;s mistress advance in the direction of the dark staircase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind; I will wait for her,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois tartly. &ldquo;On which
+      story does she live?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Up four pair!&rdquo; answered Father Loriot, returning abruptly to his shop.
+      And he added to himself, with a chuckle at the anticipation: &ldquo;I hope
+      Father Dagobert&rsquo;s big prowler will be in a bad humor, and give that
+      villainous pug a shaking by the skin of his neck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20117m.jpg" alt="20117m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20117.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois mounted the steep staircase with some difficulty, stopping at
+      every landing-place to take breath, and looking about her with profound
+      disgust. At length she reached the fourth story, and paused an instant at
+      the door of the humble chamber, in which the two sisters and Mother Bunch
+      then were.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young sempstress was occupied in collecting the different articles
+      that she was about to carry to the pawnbroker&rsquo;s. Rose and Blanche seemed
+      happier, and somewhat less uneasy about the future; for they had learned
+      from Mother Bunch, that, when they knew how to sew, they might between
+      them earn eight francs a week, which would at least afford some assistance
+      to the family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The presence of Mrs. Grivois in Baudoin&rsquo;s dwelling was occasioned by a new
+      resolution of Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the Princess de Saint-Dizier; they had
+      thought it more prudent to send Mrs. Grivois, on whom they could blindly
+      depend, to fetch the young girls, and the confessor was charged to inform
+      Frances that it was not to his housekeeper, but to a lady that would call
+      on her with a note from him, that she was to deliver the orphans, to be
+      taken to a religious establishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having knocked at the door, the waiting-woman of the Princess de Saint
+      Dizier entered the room, and asked for Frances Baudoin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is not at home, madame,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch timidly, not a little
+      astonished at so unexpected a visit, and casting down her eyes before the
+      gaze of this woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I will wait for her, as I have important affairs to speak of,&rdquo;
+       answered Mrs. Grivois, examining with curiosity and attention the faces of
+      the two orphans, who also cast down their eyes with an air of confusion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Madame Grivois sat down, not without some repugnance, in the
+      old arm-chair of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, and believing that she might now leave
+      her favorite at liberty, she laid him carefully on the floor. Immediately,
+      a low growl, deep and hollow, sounding from behind the armchair, made Mrs.
+      Grivois jump from her seat, and sent the pug-dog, yelping with affright,
+      and trembling through his fat, to take refuge close to his mistress, with
+      all the symptoms of angry alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! is there a dog here?&rdquo; cried Mrs. Grivois, stooping precipitately to
+      catch up My Lord, whilst, as if he wished himself to answer the question,
+      Spoil-sport rose leisurely from his place behind the arm-chair, and
+      appeared suddenly, yawning and stretching himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of this powerful animal, with his double row of formidable
+      pointed fangs, which he seemed to take delight in displaying as he opened
+      his large jaws, Mrs. Grivois could not help giving utterance to a cry of
+      terror. The snappish pug had at first trembled in all his limbs at the
+      Siberian&rsquo;s approach; but, finding himself in safety on the lap of his
+      mistress, he began to growl insolently, and to throw the most provoking
+      glances at Spoil-sport. These the worthy companion of the deceased Jovial
+      answered disdainfully by gaping anew; after which he went smelling round
+      Mrs. Grivois with a sort of uneasiness, turned his back upon My Lord, and
+      stretched himself at the feet of Rose and Blanche, keeping his large,
+      intelligent eyes fixed upon them, as if he foresaw that they were menaced
+      with some danger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Turn out that beast,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, imperiously; &ldquo;he frightens my
+      dog, and may do him some harm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be afraid, madame,&rdquo; replied Rose, with a smile; &ldquo;Spoil-sport will
+      do no harm, if he is not attacked.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10473m.jpg" alt="10473m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10473.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind!&rdquo; cried Mrs. Grivois; &ldquo;an accident soon happens. The very
+      sight of that enormous dog, with his wolf&rsquo;s head and terrible teeth, is
+      enough to make one tremble at the injuries he might do one. I tell you to
+      turn him out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois had pronounced these last words in a tone of irritation,
+      which did not sound at all satisfactory in Spoil-sport&rsquo;s ears; so he
+      growled and showed his teeth, turning his head in the direction of the
+      stranger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be quiet, Spoilsport!&rdquo; said Blanche sternly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A new personage here entered the room, and put an end to this situation,
+      which was embarrassing enough for the two young girls. It was a
+      commissionaire, with a letter in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, sir?&rdquo; asked Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A very pressing letter from the good man of the house; the dyer below
+      stairs told me to bring it up here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A letter from Dagobert!&rdquo; cried Rose and Blanche, with a lively expression
+      of pleasure. &ldquo;He is returned then? where is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know whether the good man is called Dagobert or not,&rdquo; said the
+      porter; &ldquo;but he is an old trooper, with a gray moustache, and may be found
+      close by, at the office of the Chartres coaches.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is he!&rdquo; cried Blanche. &ldquo;Give me the letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The porter handed it to the young girl, who opened it in all haste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois was struck dumb with dismay; she knew that Dagobert had been
+      decoyed from Paris, that the Abbe Dubois might have an opportunity to act
+      with safety upon Frances. Hitherto, all had succeeded; the good woman had
+      consented to place the young girls in the hands of a religious community&mdash;and
+      now arrives this soldier, who was thought to be absent from Paris for two
+      or three days at least, and whose sudden return might easily ruin this
+      laborious machination, at the moment when it seemed to promise success.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; said Blanche, when she had read the letter. &ldquo;What a misfortune!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, then, sister?&rdquo; cried Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yesterday, half way to Chartres, Dagobert perceived that he had lost his
+      purse. He was unable to continue his journey; he took a place upon credit,
+      to return, and he asks his wife to send him some money to the office, to
+      pay what he owes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it,&rdquo; said the porter; &ldquo;for the good man told me to make haste,
+      because he was there in pledge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And nothing in the house!&rdquo; cried Blanche. &ldquo;Dear me! what is to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, Mrs. Grivois felt her hopes revive for a moment, they were
+      soon, however, dispelled by Mother Bunch, who exclaimed, as she pointed to
+      the parcel she had just made up: &ldquo;Be satisfied, dear young ladies! here is
+      a resource. The pawnbroker&rsquo;s, to which I am going, is not far off, and I
+      will take the money direct to M. Dagobert: in half an hour, at latest, he
+      will be here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear friend! you are right,&rdquo; said Rose. &ldquo;How good you are! you
+      think of everything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And here,&rdquo; said Blanche, &ldquo;is the letter, with the address upon it. Take
+      that with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch: then, addressing the porter, she
+      added: &ldquo;Return to the person who sent you, and tell him I shall be at the
+      coach-office very shortly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10481m.jpg" alt="10481m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10481.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Infernal hunchback!&rdquo; thought Mrs. Grivois, with suppressed rage, &ldquo;she
+      thinks of everything. Without her, we should have escaped the plague of
+      this man&rsquo;s return. What is to be done now? The girls would not go with me,
+      before the arrival of the soldier&rsquo;s wife; to propose it to them would
+      expose me to a refusal, and might compromise all. Once more, what is to be
+      done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be uneasy, ladies,&rdquo; said the porter as he went out; &ldquo;I will go and
+      assure the good man, that he will not have to remain long in pledge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst Mother Bunch was occupied in tying her parcel, in which she had
+      placed the silver cup, fork, and spoon, Mrs. Grivois seemed to reflect
+      deeply. Suddenly she started. Her countenance, which had been for some
+      moments expressive of anxiety and rage, brightened up on the instant. She
+      rose, still holding My Lord in her arms, and said to the young girls: &ldquo;As
+      Mrs. Baudoin does not come in, I am going to pay a visit in the
+      neighborhood, and will return immediately. Pray tell her so!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With these words Mr. Grivois took her departure, a few minutes before
+      Mother Bunch left.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0050" id="link2HCH0050">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER L. APPEARANCES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>fter she had again endeavored to cheer up the orphans, the sewing-girl
+      descended the stairs, not without difficulty, for, in addition to the
+      parcel, which was already heavy, she had fetched down from her own room
+      the only blanket she possessed&mdash;thus leaving herself without
+      protection from the cold of her icy garret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The evening before, tortured with anxiety as to Agricola&rsquo;s fate, the girl
+      had been unable to work; the miseries of expectation and hope delayed had
+      prevented her from doing so; now another day would be lost, and yet it was
+      necessary to live. Those overwhelming sorrows, which deprive the poor of
+      the faculty of labor, are doubly dreaded; they paralyze the strength, and,
+      with that forced cessation from toil, want and destitution are often added
+      to grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Mother Bunch, that complete incarnation of holiest duty, had yet
+      strength enough to devote herself for the service of others. Some of the
+      most frail and feeble creatures are endowed with extraordinary vigor of
+      soul; it would seem as if, in these weak, infirm organizations, the spirit
+      reigned absolutely over the body, and knew how to inspire it with a
+      factitious energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus, for the last twenty-four hours, Mother Bunch had neither slept nor
+      eaten; she had suffered from the cold, through the whole of a frosty
+      night. In the morning she had endured great fatigue, in going, amid rain
+      and snow, to the Rue de Babylone and back, twice crossing Paris and yet
+      her strength was not exhausted&mdash;so immense is the power of the human
+      heart!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She had just arrived at the corner of the Rue Saint Mery. Since the recent
+      Rue des Prouvaires conspiracy, there were stationed in this populous
+      quarter of the town a much larger number of police-officers than usual.
+      Now the young sempstress, though bending beneath the weight of her parcel,
+      had quickened her pace almost to a run, when, just as she passed in front
+      of one of the police, two five-franc pieces fell on the ground behind her,
+      thrown there by a stout woman in black, who followed her closely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Immediately after the stout woman pointed out the two pieces to the
+      policeman, and said something hastily to him with regard to Mother Bunch.
+      Then she withdrew at all speed in the direction of the Rue Brise-Miche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The policeman, struck with what Mrs. Grivois had said to him ( for it was
+      that person), picked up the money, and, running after the humpback, cried
+      out to her: &ldquo;Hi, there! young woman, I say&mdash;stop! stop!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On this outcry, several persons turned round suddenly and, as always
+      happens in those quarters of the town, a nucleus of five or six persons
+      soon grew to a considerable crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not knowing that the policeman was calling to her, Mother Bunch only
+      quickened her speed, wishing to get to the pawnbroker&rsquo;s as soon as
+      possible, and trying to avoid touching any of the passers-by, so much did
+      she dread the brutal and cruel railleries, to which her infirmity so often
+      exposed her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, she heard many persons running after her, and at the same
+      instant a hand was laid rudely on her shoulder. It was the policeman,
+      followed by another officer, who had been drawn to the spot by the noise.
+      Mother Bunch turned round, struck with as much surprise as fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She found herself in the centre of a crowd, composed chiefly of that
+      hideous scum, idle and in rags, insolent and malicious, besotted with
+      ignorance, brutalized by want, and always loafing about the corners.
+      Workmen are scarcely ever met with in these mobs, for they are for the
+      most part engaged in their daily labors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, can&rsquo;t you hear? you are deaf as Punch&rsquo;s dog,&rdquo; said the policeman,
+      seizing Mother Bunch so rudely by the arm, that she let her parcel fall at
+      her feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the unfortunate girl, looking round in terror, saw herself exposed to
+      all those insolent, mocking, malicious glances, when she beheld the
+      cynical and coarse grimace on so many ignoble and filthy countenances, she
+      trembled in all her limbs, and became fearfully pale. No doubt the
+      policeman had spoken roughly to her; but how could he speak otherwise to a
+      poor deformed girl, pale and trembling, with her features agitated by
+      grief and fear&mdash;to a wretched creature, miserably clad, who wore in
+      winter a thin cotton gown, soiled with mud, and wet with melted snow&mdash;for
+      the poor sempstress had walked much and far that morning. So the policeman
+      resumed, with great severity, following that supreme law of appearances
+      which makes poverty always suspected: &ldquo;Stop a bit, young woman! it seems
+      you are in a mighty hurry, to let your money fall without picking it up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was her blunt hid in her hump?&rdquo; said the hoarse voice of a match-boy, a
+      hideous and repulsive specimen of precocious depravity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This sally was received with laughter, shouts, and hooting, which served
+      to complete the sewing-girl&rsquo;s dismay and terror. She was hardly able to
+      answer, in a feeble voice, as the policeman handed her the two pieces of
+      silver: &ldquo;This money, sir, is not mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You lie,&rdquo; said the other officer, approaching; &ldquo;a respectable lady saw it
+      drop from your pocket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I assure you, sir, it is not so,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, trembling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you that you lie,&rdquo; resumed the officer; &ldquo;for the lady, struck with
+      your guilty and frightened air, said to me: &lsquo;Look at yonder little
+      hunchback, running away with that large parcel, and letting her money fall
+      without even stopping to pick it up&mdash;it is not natural.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bobby,&rdquo; resumed the match-vendor in his hoarse voice, &ldquo;be on your guard!
+      Feel her hump, for that is her luggage-van. I&rsquo;m sure that you&rsquo;ll find
+      boots, and cloaks, and umbrellas, and clocks in it&mdash;for I just heard
+      the hour strike in the bend of her back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then came fresh bursts of laughter and shouts and hooting, for this
+      horrible mob has no pity for those who implore and suffer. The crowd
+      increased more and more, and now they indulged in hoarse cries, piercing
+      whistles, and all kinds of horse play.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let a fellow see her; it&rsquo;s free gratis.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t push so; I&rsquo;ve paid for my place!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make her stand up on something, that all may have a look.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My corns are being ground: it was not worth coming.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Show her properly&mdash;or return the money.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s fair, ain&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give it us in the &lsquo;garden&rsquo; style.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Trot her out in all her paces! Kim up!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Fancy the feelings of this unfortunate creature, with her delicate mind,
+      good heart, and lofty soul, and yet with so timid and nervous a character,
+      as she stood alone with the two policemen in the thick of the crowd, and
+      was forced to listen to all these coarse and savage insults.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the young sempstress did not yet understand of what crime she was
+      accused. She soon discovered it, however, for the policeman, seizing the
+      parcel which she had picked up and now held in her trembling hands, said
+      to her rudely: &ldquo;What is there in that bundle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir&mdash;it is&mdash;I am going&mdash;&rdquo; The unfortunate girl hesitated&mdash;unable,
+      in her terror, to find the word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If that&rsquo;s all you have to answer,&rdquo; said the policeman, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s no great
+      shakes. Come, make haste! turn your bundle inside out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the policeman snatched the parcel from her, half opened it, and
+      repeated, as he enumerated the divers articles it contained: &ldquo;The devil!&mdash;sheets&mdash;a
+      spoon and fork&mdash;a silver mug&mdash;a shawl&mdash;a blanket&mdash;you&rsquo;re
+      a downy mot! it was not so bad a move. Dressed like a beggar, and with
+      silver plate about you. Oh, yes! you&rsquo;re a deep &lsquo;un.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those articles do not belong to you,&rdquo; said the other officer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; replied Mother Bunch, whose strength was failing her; &ldquo;but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, vile hunchback! you have stolen more than you are big!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stolen!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, clasping her hands in horror, for she now
+      understood it all. &ldquo;Stolen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The guard! make way for the lobsters!&rdquo; cried several persons at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, ho! here&rsquo;s the lobsters!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fire-eaters!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Arab devourers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come for their dromedary!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of these noisy jests, two soldiers and a corporal advanced
+      with much difficulty. Their bayonets and the barrels of their guns were
+      alone visible above the heads of this hideous and compact crowd. Some
+      officious person had been to inform the officer at the nearest guard
+      house, that a considerable crowd obstructed the public way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, here is the guard&mdash;so march to the guard-house!&rdquo; said the
+      policeman, taking Mother Bunch by the arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the poor girl, in a voice stifled by sobs, clasping her hands
+      in terror, and sinking upon her knees on the pavement; &ldquo;sir,&mdash;have
+      pity&mdash;let me explain&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will explain at the guard-house; so come on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir&mdash;I am not a thief,&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, in a heart-rending
+      tone; &ldquo;have pity upon me&mdash;do not take me away like a thief, before
+      all this crowd. Oh! mercy! mercy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, there will be time to explain at the guard-house. The street
+      is blocked up; so come along!&rdquo; Grasping the unfortunate creature by both
+      her hands, he set her, as it were, on her feet again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant, the corporal and his two soldiers, having succeeded in
+      making their way through the crowd, approached the policeman. &ldquo;Corporal,&rdquo;
+       said the latter, &ldquo;take this girl to the guard-house. I am an officer of
+      the police.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, gentlemen!&rdquo; cried the girl, weeping hot tears, and wringing her
+      hands, &ldquo;do not take me away, before you let me explain myself. I am not a
+      thief&mdash;indeed, indeed, I am not a thief! I will tell you&mdash;it was
+      to render service to others&mdash;only let me tell you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, you should give your explanations at the guard-house; if you
+      will not walk, we must drag you along,&rdquo; said the policeman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We must renounce the attempt to paint this scene, at once ignoble and
+      terrible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Weak, overpowered, filled with alarm, the unfortunate girl was dragged
+      along by the soldiers, her knees sinking under her at every step. The two
+      police-officers had each to lend an arm to support her, and mechanically
+      she accepted their assistance. Then the vociferations and hootings burst
+      forth with redoubled fury. Half-swooning between the two men, the hapless
+      creature seemed to drain the cup of bitterness to the dregs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Beneath that foggy sky, in that dirty street, under the shadow of the tall
+      black houses, those hideous masses of people reminded one of the wildest
+      fancies of Callot and of Goya: children in rags, drunken women, grim and
+      blighted figures of men, rushed against each other, pushed, fought,
+      struggled, to follow with howls and hisses an almost inanimate victim&mdash;the
+      victim of a deplorable mistake.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of a mistake! How one shudders to think, that such arrests may often take
+      place, founded upon nothing but the suspicion caused by the appearance of
+      misery, or by some inaccurate description. Can we forget the case of that
+      young girl, who, wrongfully accused of participating in a shameful
+      traffic, found means to escape from the persons who were leading her to
+      prison, and, rushing up the stairs of a house, threw herself from a
+      window, in her despair, and was crushed to death upon the paving-stones?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Meanwhile, after the abominable denunciation of which Mother Bunch was the
+      victim, Mrs. Grivois had returned precipitately to the Rue Brise Miche.
+      She ascended in haste to the fourth story, opened the door of Frances
+      Baudoin&rsquo;s room, and saw&mdash;Dagobert in company with his wife and the
+      two orphans!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0051" id="link2HCH0051">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LI. THE CONVENT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">L</span>et us explain in a few words the presence of Dagobert. His countenance
+      was impressed with such an air of military frankness that the manager of
+      the coach-office would have been satisfied with his promise to return and
+      pay the money; but the soldier had obstinately insisted on remaining in
+      pledge, as he called it, till his wife had answered his letter. When,
+      however, on the return of the porter, he found that the money was coming,
+      his scruples were satisfied, and he hastened to run home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We may imagine the stupor of Mrs. Grivois, when, upon entering the
+      chamber, she perceived Dagobert (whom she easily recognized by the
+      description she had heard of him) seated beside his wife and the orphans.
+      The anxiety of Frances at sight of Mrs. Grivois was equally striking. Rose
+      and Blanche had told her of the visit of a lady, during her absence, upon
+      important business; and, judging by the information received from her
+      confessor, Frances had no doubt that this was the person charged to
+      conduct the orphans to a religious establishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her anxiety was terrible. Resolved to follow the counsels of Abbe Dubois,
+      she dreaded lest a word from Mrs. Grivois should put Dagobert on the scent&mdash;in
+      which case all would be lost, and the orphans would remain in their
+      present state of ignorance and mortal sin, for which she believed herself
+      responsible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, who held the hands of Rose and Blanche, left his seat as the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s waiting-woman entered the room and cast an
+      inquiring glance on Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment was critical&mdash;nay, decisive; but Mrs. Grivois had profited
+      by the example of the Princess de Saint-Dizier. So, taking her resolution
+      at once, and turning to account the precipitation with which she had
+      mounted the stairs, after the odious charge she had brought against poor
+      Mother Bunch, and even the emotion caused by the unexpected sight of
+      Dagobert, which gave to her features an expression of uneasiness and alarm&mdash;she
+      exclaimed, in an agitated voice, after the moment&rsquo;s silence necessary to
+      collect her thoughts: &ldquo;Oh, madame! I have just been the spectator of a
+      great misfortune. Excuse my agitation! but I am so excited&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me! what is the matter?&rdquo; said Frances, in a trembling voice, for she
+      dreaded every moment some indiscretion on the part of Mrs. Grivois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I called just now,&rdquo; resumed the other, &ldquo;to speak to you on some important
+      business; whilst I was waiting for you, a poor young woman, rather
+      deformed, put up sundry articles in a parcel&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Frances; &ldquo;it was Mother Bunch, an excellent, worthy creature.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought as much, madame; well, you shall hear what has happened. As you
+      did not come in, I resolved to pay a visit in the neighborhood. I go out,
+      and get as far as the Rue St. Mery, when&mdash;Oh, madame!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;what then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I see a crowd&mdash;I inquire what is the matter&mdash;I learn that a
+      policeman has just arrested a young girl as a thief, because she had been
+      seen carrying a bundle, composed of different articles which did not
+      appear to belong to her&mdash;I approached&mdash;what do I behold?&mdash;the
+      same young woman that I had met just before in this room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! the poor child!&rdquo; exclaimed Frances, growing pale, and clasping her
+      hands together. &ldquo;What a dreadful thing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Explain, then,&rdquo; said Dagobert to his wife. &ldquo;What was in this bundle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear&mdash;to confess the truth&mdash;I was a little short, and
+      I asked our poor friend to take some things for me to the pawnbroker&rsquo;s&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! and they thought she had robbed us!&rdquo; cried Dagobert; &ldquo;she, the most
+      honest girl in the world! it is dreadful&mdash;you ought to have
+      interfered, madame; you ought to have said that you knew her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tried to do so, sir; but, unfortunately, they would not hear me. The
+      crowd increased every moment, till the guard came up, and carried her
+      off.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She might die of it, she is so sensitive and timid!&rdquo; exclaimed Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, good Mother Bunch! so gentle! so considerate!&rdquo; said Blanche, turning
+      with tearful eyes towards her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not being able to help her,&rdquo; resumed Mrs. Grivois &ldquo;I hastened hither to
+      inform you of this misadventure&mdash;which may, indeed, easily be
+      repaired&mdash;as it will only be necessary to go and claim the young girl
+      as soon as possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, Dagobert hastily seized his hat, and said abruptly to Mrs.
+      Grivois: &ldquo;Zounds, madame! you should have begun by telling us that. Where
+      is the poor child? Do you know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not, sir; but there are still so many excited people in the street
+      that, if you will have the kindness to step out, you will be sure to
+      learn.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why the devil do you talk of kindness? It is my duty, madame. Poor
+      child!&rdquo; repeated Dagobert. &ldquo;Taken up as a thief!&mdash;it is really
+      horrible. I will go to the guard-house, and to the commissary of police
+      for this neighborhood, and, by hook or crook, I will find her, and have
+      her out, and bring her home with me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Dagobert hastily departed. Frances, now that she felt more
+      tranquil as to the fate of Mother Bunch, thanked the Lord that this
+      circumstance had obliged her husband to go out, for his presence at this
+      juncture caused her a terrible embarrassment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois had left My Lord in the coach below, for the moments were
+      precious. Casting a significant glance at Frances she handed her Abbe
+      Dubois&rsquo; letter, and said to her, with strong emphasis on every word: &ldquo;You
+      will see by this letter, madame, what was the object of my visit, which I
+      have not before been able to explain to you, but on which I truly
+      congratulate myself, as it brings me into connection with these two
+      charming young ladies.&rdquo; Rose and Blanche looked at each other in surprise.
+      Frances took the letter with a trembling hand. It required all the
+      pressing and threatening injunctions of her confessor to conquer the last
+      scruples of the poor woman, for she shuddered at the thought of Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      terrible indignation. Moreover, in her simplicity, she knew not how to
+      announce to the young girls that they were to accompany this lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois guessed her embarrassment, made a sign to her to be at her
+      ease, and said to Rose, whilst Frances was reading the letter of her
+      confessor: &ldquo;How happy your relation will be to see you, my dear young
+      lady!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our relation, madame?&rdquo; said Rose, more and more astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly. She knew of your arrival here, but, as she is still suffering
+      from the effects of a long illness, she was not able to come herself
+      to-day, and has sent me to fetch you to her. Unfortunately,&rdquo; added Mrs.
+      Grivois, perceiving a movement of uneasiness on the part of the two
+      sisters, &ldquo;it will not be in her power, as she tells Mrs. Baudoin in her
+      letter, to see you for more than a very short time&mdash;so you may be
+      back here in about an hour. But to-morrow or the next day after, she will
+      be well enough to leave home, and then she will come and make arrangements
+      with Mrs. Baudoin and her husband, to take you into her house&mdash;for
+      she could not bear to leave you at the charge of the worthy people who
+      have been so kind to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These last words of Mrs. Grivois made a favorable impression upon the two
+      sisters, and banished their fears of becoming a heavy burden to Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      family. If it had been proposed to them to quit altogether the house in
+      the Rue Bris-Miche, without first asking the consent of their old friend,
+      they would certainly have hesitated; but Mrs. Grivois had only spoken of
+      an hour&rsquo;s visit. They felt no suspicion, therefore, and Rose said to
+      Frances: &ldquo;We may go and see our relation, I suppose, madame, without
+      waiting for Dagobert&rsquo;s return?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said Frances, in a feeble voice, &ldquo;since you are to be back
+      almost directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, madame, I would beg these dear young ladies to come with me as soon
+      as possible, as I should like to bring them back before noon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are ready, madame,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well then, young ladies, embrace your second mother, and come,&rdquo; said Mrs.
+      Grivois, who was hardly able to control her uneasiness, for she trembled
+      lest Dagobert should return from one moment to the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche embraced Frances, who, clasping in her arms the two
+      charming and innocent creatures that she was about to deliver up, could
+      with difficulty restrain her tears, though she was fully convinced that
+      she was acting for their salvation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, young ladies,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, in the most affable tone, &ldquo;let us
+      make haste&mdash;you will excuse my impatience, I am sure&mdash;but it is
+      in the name of your relation that I speak.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having once more tenderly kissed the wife of Dagobert, the sisters quitted
+      the room hand in hand, and descended the staircase close behind Mrs.
+      Grivois, followed (without their being aware of it), by Spoil-sport. The
+      intelligent animal cautiously watched their movements, for, in the absence
+      of his master, he never let them out of his sight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For greater security, no doubt, the waiting-woman of Madame de Saint
+      Dizier had ordered the hackney-coach to wait for her at a little distance
+      from the Rue Brise-Miche, in the cloister square. In a few seconds, the
+      orphans and their conductress reached the carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, missus!&rdquo; said the coachman, opening the door; &ldquo;no offence, I hope&mdash;but
+      you have the most ill-tempered rascal of a dog! Since you put him into my
+      coach, he has never ceased howling like a roasted cat, and looks as if he
+      would eat us all up alive!&rdquo; In fact, My Lord, who detested solitude, was
+      yelling in the most deplorable manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be quiet, My Lord! here I am,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois; then addressing the two
+      sisters, she added: &ldquo;Pray, get in, my dear young ladies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche got into the coach. Before she followed them, Mrs.
+      Grivois was giving to the coachman in a low voice the direction to St.
+      Mary&rsquo;s Convent, and was adding other instructions, when suddenly the pug
+      dog, who had growled savagely when the sisters took their seats in the
+      coach, began to bark with fury. The cause of this anger was clear enough;
+      Spoil-sport, until now unperceived, had with one bound entered the
+      carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The pug, exasperated by this boldness, forgetting his ordinary prudence,
+      and excited to the utmost by rage and ugliness of temper, sprang at his
+      muzzle, and bit him so cruelly, that, in his turn, the brave Siberian dog,
+      maddened by the pain, threw himself upon the teaser, seized him by the
+      throat, and fairly strangled him with two grips of his powerful jaws&mdash;as
+      appeared by one stifled groan of the pug, previously half suffocated with
+      fat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this took place in less time than is occupied by the description. Rose
+      and Blanche had hardly opportunity to exclaim twice: &ldquo;Here, Spoil sport!
+      down!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, good gracious!&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, turning round at the noise. &ldquo;There
+      again is that monster of a dog&mdash;he will certainly hurt my love. Send
+      him away, young ladies&mdash;make him get down&mdash;it is impossible to
+      take him with us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Ignorant of the degree of Spoil-sport&rsquo;s criminality, for his paltry foe
+      was stretched lifeless under a seat, the young girls yet felt that it
+      would be improper to take the dog with them, and they therefore said to
+      him in an angry tone, at the same time slightly touching him with their
+      feet: &ldquo;Get down, Spoil-sport! go away!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The faithful animal hesitated at first to obey this order. Sad and
+      supplicatingly looked he at the orphans, and with an air of mild reproach,
+      as if blaming them for sending away their only defender. But, upon the
+      stern repetition of the command, he got down from the coach, with his tail
+      between his legs, feeling perhaps that he had been somewhat over-hasty
+      with regard to the pug.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois, who was in a great hurry to leave that quarter of the town,
+      seated herself with precipitation in the carriage; the coachman closed the
+      door, and mounted his box; and then the coach started at a rapid rate,
+      whilst Mrs. Grivois prudently let down the blinds, for fear of meeting
+      Dagobert by the way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having taken these indispensable precautions, she was able to turn her
+      attention to her pet, whom she loved with all that deep, exaggerated
+      affection, which people of a bad disposition sometimes entertain for
+      animals, as if then concentrated and lavished upon them all those feelings
+      in which they are deficient with regard to their fellow creatures. In a
+      word. Mrs. Grivois was passionately attached to this peevish, cowardly,
+      spiteful dog, partly perhaps from a secret sympathy with his vices. This
+      attachment had lasted for six years, and only seemed to increase as My
+      Lord advanced in age.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have laid some stress on this apparently puerile detail, because the
+      most trifling causes have often disastrous effects, and because we wish
+      the reader to understand what must have been the despair, fury, and
+      exasperation of this woman, when she discovered the death of her dog&mdash;a
+      despair, a fury, and an exasperation, of which the orphans might yet feel
+      the cruel consequences.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The hackney-coach had proceeded rapidly for some seconds, when Mrs.
+      Grivois, who was seated with her back to the horses, called My Lord. The
+      dog had very good reasons for not replying.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you sulky beauty!&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, soothingly; &ldquo;you have taken
+      offence, have you? It was not my fault if that great ugly dog came into
+      the coach, was it, young ladies? Come and kiss your mistress, and let us
+      make peace, old obstinate!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The same obstinate silence continued on the part of the canine noble. Rose
+      and Blanche began to look anxiously at each other, for they knew that
+      Spoil-sport was somewhat rough in his ways, though they were far from
+      suspecting what had really happened. But Mrs. Grivois, rather surprised
+      than uneasy at her pug-log&rsquo;s insensibility to her affectionate appeals,
+      and believing him to be sullenly crouching beneath the seat, stooped clown
+      to take him up, and feeling one of his paws, drew it impatiently towards
+      her whilst she said to him in a half-jesting, half angry tone: &ldquo;Come,
+      naughty fellow! you will give a pretty notion of your temper to these
+      young ladies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, she took up the dog, much astonished at his unresisting torpor;
+      but what was her fright, when, having placed him upon her lap, she saw
+      that he was quite motionless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An apoplexy!&rdquo; cried she. &ldquo;The dear creature ate too much&mdash;I was
+      always afraid of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Turning round hastily, she exclaimed: &ldquo;Stop, coachman! stop!&rdquo; without
+      reflecting that the coachman could not hear her. Then raising the cur&rsquo;s
+      head, still thinking that he was only in a fit, she perceived with horror
+      the bloody holes imprinted by five or six sharp fangs, which left no doubt
+      of the cause of his deplorable end.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her first impulse was one of grief and despair. &ldquo;Dead!&rdquo; she exclaimed;
+      &ldquo;dead! and already cold! Oh, goodness!&rdquo; And this woman burst into tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The tears of the wicked are ominous. For a bad man to weep, he must have
+      suffered much; and, with him, the reaction of suffering, instead of
+      softening the soul, inflames it to a dangerous anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus, after yielding to that first painful emotion, the mistress of My
+      Lord felt herself transported with rage and hate&mdash;yes, hate&mdash;violent
+      hate for the young girls, who had been the involuntary cause of the dog&rsquo;s
+      death. Her countenance so plainly betrayed her resentment, that Blanche
+      and Rose were frightened at the expression of her face, which had now
+      grown purple with fury, as with agitated voice and wrathful glance she
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;It was your dog that killed him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame!&rdquo; said Rose; &ldquo;we had nothing to do with it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was your dog that bit Spoil-sport first,&rdquo; added Blanche, in a
+      plaintive voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The look of terror impressed on the features of the orphans recalled Mrs.
+      Grivois to herself. She saw the fatal consequences that might arise from
+      yielding imprudently to her anger. For the very sake of vengeance, she had
+      to restrain herself, in order not to awaken suspicion in the minds of
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters. But not to appear to recover too soon from her
+      first impression, she continued for some minutes to cast irritated glances
+      at the young girls; then, little by little, her anger seemed to give way
+      to violent grief; she covered her face with her hands, heaved a long sigh,
+      and appeared to weep bitterly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor lady!&rdquo; whispered Rose to Blanche. &ldquo;How she weeps!&mdash;No doubt,
+      she loved her dog as much as we love Spoil-sport.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! yes,&rdquo; replied Blanche. &ldquo;We also wept when our old Jovial was
+      killed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a few minutes, Mrs. Grivois raised her head, dried her eyes
+      definitively, and said in a gentle, and almost affectionate voice:
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, young ladies! I was unable to repress the first movement of
+      irritation, or rather of deep sorrow&mdash;for I was tenderly attached to
+      this poor dog he has never left me for six years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are very sorry for this misfortune, madame,&rdquo; resumed Rose; &ldquo;and we
+      regret it the more, that it seems to be irreparable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was just saying to my sister, that we can the better fancy your grief,
+      as we have had to mourn the death of our old horse, that carried us all
+      the way from Siberia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear young ladies, let us think no more about it. It was my
+      fault; I should not have brought him with me; but he was always so
+      miserable, whenever I left him. You will make allowance for my weakness. A
+      good heart feels for animals as well as people; so I must trust to your
+      sensibility to excuse my hastiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not think of it, madame; it is only your grief that afflicts us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall get over it, my dear young ladies&mdash;I shall get over it. The
+      joy of the meeting between you and your relation will help to console me.
+      She will be so happy. You are so charming! and then the singular
+      circumstance of your exact likeness to each other adds to the interest you
+      inspire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are too kind to us, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no&mdash;I am sure you resemble each other as much in disposition as
+      in face.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is quite natural, madame,&rdquo; said Rose, &ldquo;for since our birth we have
+      never left each other a minute, whether by night or day. It would be
+      strange, if we were not like in character.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, my dear young ladies! you have never left each other a minute?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never, madame.&rdquo; The sisters joined hands with an expressive smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, how unhappy you would be, and how much to be pitied, if ever you
+      were separated.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame! it is impossible,&rdquo; said Blanche, smiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How impossible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who would have the heart to separate us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, my dear young ladies, it would be very cruel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame,&rdquo; resumed Blanche, &ldquo;even very wicked people would not think of
+      separating us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better, my dear young ladies&mdash;pray, why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because it would cause us too much grief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because it would kill us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor little dears!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Three months ago, we were shut up in prison. Well when the governor of
+      the prison saw us, though he looked a very stern man, he could not help
+      saying: &lsquo;It would be killing these children to separate them;&rsquo; and so we
+      remained together, and were as happy as one can be in prison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It shows your excellent heart, and also that of the persons who knew how
+      to appreciate it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The carriage stopped, and they heard the coachman call out &ldquo;Any one at the
+      gate there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! here we are at your relation&rsquo;s,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois. Two wings of a
+      gate flew open, and the carriage rolled over the gravel of a court-yard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois having drawn up one of the blinds, they found themselves in a
+      vast court, across the centre of which ran a high wall, with a kind of
+      porch upon columns, under which was a little door. Behind this wall, they
+      could see the upper part of a very large building in freestone. Compared
+      with the house in the Rue Brise-Miche, this building appeared a palace; so
+      Blanche said to Mrs. Grivois, with an expression of artless admiration:
+      &ldquo;Dear me, madame, what a fine residence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is nothing,&rdquo; replied Madame Grivois; &ldquo;wait till you see the
+      interior, which is much finer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When the coachman opened the door of the carriage, what was the rage of
+      Mrs. Grivois, and the surprise of the girls, to see Spoil-sport, who had
+      been clever enough to follow the coach. Pricking up his ears, and wagging
+      his tail, he seemed to have forgotten his late offences, and to expect to
+      be praised for his intelligent fidelity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; cried Mrs. Grivois, whose sorrows were renewed at the sight; &ldquo;has
+      that abominable dog followed the coach?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A famous dog, mum,&rdquo; answered the coachman &ldquo;he never once left the heels
+      of my horses. He must have been trained to it. He&rsquo;s a powerful beast, and
+      two men couldn&rsquo;t scare him. Look at the throat of him now!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The mistress of the deceased pug, enraged at the somewhat unseasonable
+      praises bestowed upon the Siberian, said to the orphans, &ldquo;I will announce
+      your arrival, wait for me an instant in the coach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, she went with a rapid step towards the porch, and rang the
+      bell. A woman, clad in a monastic garb, appeared at the door, and bowed
+      respectfully to Mrs. Grivois, who addressed her in these few words, &ldquo;I
+      have brought you the two young girls; the orders of Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny and
+      the princess are, that they be instantly separated, and kept apart in
+      solitary cells&mdash;you understand, sister&mdash;and subjected to the
+      rule for impenitents.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will go and inform the superior, and it will be done,&rdquo; said the
+      portress, with another bend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, will you come, my dear young ladies?&rdquo; resumed Mrs. Grivois,
+      addressing the two girls, who had secretly bestowed a few caresses upon
+      Spoil sport, so deeply were they touched by his instinctive attachment;
+      &ldquo;you will be introduced to your relation, and I will return and fetch you
+      in half an hour. Coachman keep that dog back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose and Blanche, in getting out of the coach, were so much occupied with
+      Spoil-sport, that they did not perceive the portress, who was half hidden
+      behind the little door. Neither did they remark, that the person who was
+      to introduce them was dressed as a nun, till, taking them by the hand, she
+      had led them across the threshold, when the door was immediately closed
+      behind them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As soon as Mrs. Grivois had seen the orphans safe into the convent, she
+      told the coachman to leave the court-yard, and wait for her at the outer
+      gate. The coachman obeyed; but Spoil-sport, who had seen Rose and Blanche
+      enter by the little door, ran to it, and remained there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs. Grivois then called the porter of the main entrance, a tall, vigorous
+      fellow and said to him: &ldquo;Here are ten francs for you, Nicholas, if you
+      will beat out the brains of that great dog, who is crouching under the
+      porch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Nicholas shook his head, as he observed Spoil-sport&rsquo;s size and strength.
+      &ldquo;Devil take me, madame!&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;&lsquo;tis not so easy to tackle a dog of
+      that build.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will give you twenty francs; only kill him before me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One ought to have a gun, and I have only an iron hammer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That will do; you can knock him down at a blow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, madame&mdash;I will try&mdash;but I have my doubts.&rdquo; And Nicholas
+      went to fetch his mallet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! if I had the strength!&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The porter returned with his weapon, and advanced slowly and treacherously
+      towards Spoil-sport, who was still crouching beneath the porch. &ldquo;Here, old
+      fellow! here, my good dog!&rdquo; said Nicholas striking his left hand on his
+      thigh, and keeping his right behind him, with the crowbar grasped in it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Spoil-sport rose, examined Nicholas attentively, and no doubt perceiving
+      by his manner that the porter meditated some evil design, bounded away
+      from him, outflanked the enemy, saw clearly what was intended, and kept
+      himself at a respectful distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He smells a rat,&rdquo; said Nicholas; &ldquo;the rascal&rsquo;s on his guard. He will not
+      let me come near him. It&rsquo;s no go.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are an awkward fellow,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois in a passion, as she threw
+      a five-franc piece to Nicholas: &ldquo;at all events, drive him away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That will be easier than to kill him, madame,&rdquo; said the porter. Indeed,
+      finding himself pursued, and conscious probably that it would be useless
+      to attempt an open resistance, Spoil-sport fled from the court-yard into
+      the street; but once there, he felt himself, as it were, upon neutral
+      ground, and notwithstanding all the threats of Nicholas, refused to
+      withdraw an inch further than just sufficient to keep out of reach of the
+      sledge-hammer. So that when Mrs. Grivois, pale with rage, again stepped
+      into her hackney-coach, in which were My Lord&rsquo;s lifeless remains, she saw
+      with the utmost vexation that Spoil-sport was lying at a few steps from
+      the gate, which Nicholas had just closed, having given up the chase in
+      despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Siberian dog, sure of finding his way back to the Rue Brise-Miche, had
+      determined, with the sagacity peculiar to his race, to wait for the
+      orphans on the spot where he then was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus were the two sisters confined in St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, which, as we
+      have already said, was next door to the lunatic asylum in which Adrienne
+      de Cardoville was immured.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We now conduct the reader to the dwelling of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, who was
+      waiting with dreadful anxiety for the return of her husband, knowing that
+      he would call her to account for the disappearance of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s
+      daughters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0052" id="link2HCH0052">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LII. THE INFLUENCE OF A CONFESSOR.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">H</span>ardly had the orphans quitted Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, when the poor woman,
+      kneeling down, began to pray with fervor. Her tears, long restrained, now
+      flowed abundantly; notwithstanding her sincere conviction that she had
+      performed a religious duty in delivering up the girl&rsquo;s she waited with
+      extreme fear her husband&rsquo;s return. Though blinded by her pious zeal, she
+      could not hide from herself, that Dagobert would have good reason to be
+      angry; and then this poor mother had also, under these untoward
+      circumstances, to tell him of Agricola&rsquo;s arrest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Every noise upon the stairs made Frances start with trembling anxiety;
+      after which, she would resume her fervent prayers, supplicating strength
+      to support this new and arduous trial. At length, she heard a step upon
+      the landing-place below, and, feeling sure this time that it was Dagobert,
+      she hastily seated herself, dried her tears, and taking a sack of coarse
+      cloth upon her lap, appeared to be occupied with sewing&mdash;though her
+      aged hands trembled so much, that she could hardly hold the needle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some minutes the door opened, and Dagobert appeared. The soldier&rsquo;s
+      rough countenance was stern and sad; as he entered, he flung his hat
+      violently upon the table, so full of painful thought, that he did not at
+      first perceive the absence of the orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor girl!&rdquo; cried he. &ldquo;It is really terrible!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Didst see Mother Bunch? didst claim her?&rdquo; said Frances hastily,
+      forgetting for a moment her own fears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have seen her&mdash;but in what a state&mdash;twas enough to break
+      one&rsquo;s heart. I claimed her, and pretty loud too, I can tell you; but they
+      said to me, that the commissary must first come to our place in order&mdash;&rdquo;
+       here Dagobert paused, threw a glance of surprise round the room, and
+      exclaimed abruptly: &ldquo;Where are the children?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances felt herself seized with an icy shudder. &ldquo;My dear,&rdquo; she began in a
+      feeble voice&mdash;but she was unable to continue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where are Rose and Blanche! Answer me then! And Spoil-sport, who is not
+      here either!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be angry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said Dagobert, abruptly, &ldquo;I see you have let them go out with a
+      neighbor&mdash;why not have accompanied them yourself, or let them wait
+      for me, if they wished to take a walk; which is natural enough, this room
+      being so dull. But I am astonished that they should have gone out before
+      they had news of good Mother Bunch&mdash;they have such kind hearts. But
+      how pale you are?&rdquo; added the soldier looking nearer at Frances; &ldquo;what is
+      the matter, my poor wife? Are you ill?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert took Frances&rsquo;s hand affectionately in his own but the latter,
+      painfully agitated by these words, pronounced with touching goodness,
+      bowed her head and wept as she kissed her husband&rsquo;s hand. The soldier,
+      growing more and more uneasy as he felt the scalding tears of his wife,
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;You weep, you do not answer&mdash;tell me, then, the cause of
+      your grief, poor wife! Is it because I spoke a little loud, in asking you
+      how you could let the dear children go out with a neighbor? Remember their
+      dying mother entrusted them to my care&mdash;&lsquo;tis sacred, you see&mdash;and
+      with them, I am like an old hen after her chickens,&rdquo; added he, laughing to
+      enliven Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you are right in loving them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then&mdash;becalm&mdash;you know me of old. With my great, hoarse
+      voice, I am not so bad a fellow at bottom. As you can trust to this
+      neighbor, there is no great harm done; but, in future, my good Frances, do
+      not take any step with regard to the children without consulting me. They
+      asked, I suppose, to go out for a little stroll with Spoil-sport?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my dear!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No! Who is this neighbor, to whom you have entrusted them? Where has she
+      taken them? What time will she bring them back?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know,&rdquo; murmured Frances, in a failing voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not know!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, with indignation; but restraining
+      himself, he added, in a tone of friendly reproach: &ldquo;You do not know? You
+      cannot even fix an hour, or, better still, not entrust them to any one?
+      The children must have been very anxious to go out. They knew that I
+      should return at any moment, so why not wait for me&mdash;eh, Frances? I
+      ask you, why did they not wait for me? Answer me, will you!&mdash;Zounds!
+      you would make a saint swear!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, stamping his foot; &ldquo;answer
+      me, I say!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The courage of Frances was fast failing. These pressing and reiterated
+      questions, which might end by the discovery of the truth, made her endure
+      a thousand slow and poignant tortures. She preferred coming at once to the
+      point, and determined to bear the full weight of her husband&rsquo;s anger, like
+      a humble and resigned victim, obstinately faithful to the promise she had
+      sworn to her confessor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not having the strength to rise, she bowed her head, allowed her arms to
+      fall on either side of the chair, and said to her husband in a tone of the
+      deepest despondency: &ldquo;Do with me what you will&mdash;but do not ask what
+      is become of the children&mdash;I cannot answer you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      If a thunderbolt had fallen at the feet of the soldier, he would not have
+      been more violently, more deeply moved; he became deadly pale; his bald
+      forehead was covered with cold sweat; with fixed and staring look, he
+      remained for some moments motionless, mute, and petrified. Then, as if
+      roused with a start from this momentary torpor, and filled with a terrific
+      energy, he seized his wife by the shoulders, lifted her like a feather,
+      placed her on her feet before him, and, leaning over her, exclaimed in a
+      tone of mingled fury and despair: &ldquo;The children!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mercy! mercy!&rdquo; gasped Frances, in a faint voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where are the children?&rdquo; repeated Dagobert, as he shook with his powerful
+      hands that poor frail body, and added in a voice of thunder: &ldquo;Will you
+      answer? the children!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kill me, or forgive me, I cannot answer you,&rdquo; replied the unhappy woman,
+      with that inflexible, yet mild obstinacy, peculiar to timid characters,
+      when they act from convictions of doing right.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wretch!&rdquo; cried the soldier; wild with rage, grief, despair, he lifted up
+      his wife as if he would have dashed her upon the floor&mdash;but he was
+      too brave a man to commit such cowardly cruelty, and, after that first
+      burst of involuntary fury, he let her go.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Overpowered, Frances sank upon her knees, clasped her hands, and, by the
+      faint motion of her lips, it was clear that she was praying. Dagobert had
+      then a moment of stunning giddiness; his thoughts wandered; what had just
+      happened was so sudden, so incomprehensible that it required some minutes
+      to convince himself that his wife (that angel of goodness, whose life had
+      been one course of heroic self-devotion, and who knew what the daughters
+      of Marshal Simon were to him) should say to him: &ldquo;Do not ask me about them&mdash;I
+      cannot answer you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The firmest, the strongest mind would have been shaken by this
+      inexplicable fact. But, when the soldier had a little recovered himself,
+      he began to look coolly at the circumstances, and reasoned thus sensibly
+      with himself: &ldquo;My wife alone can explain to me this inconceivable mystery&mdash;I
+      do not mean either to beat or kill her&mdash;let us try every possibly
+      method, therefore, to induce her to speak, and above all, let me try to
+      control myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He took a chair, handed another to his wife, who was still on her knees,
+      and said to her: &ldquo;Sit down.&rdquo; With an air of the utmost dejection, Frances
+      obeyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, wife,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert in a broken voice, interrupted by
+      involuntary starts, which betrayed the boiling impatience he could hardly
+      restrain. &ldquo;Understand me&mdash;this cannot pass over in this manner&mdash;you
+      know. I will never use violence towards you&mdash;just now, I gave way to
+      a first moment of hastiness&mdash;I am sorry for it. Be sure, I shall not
+      do so again: but, after all, I must know what has become of these
+      children. Their mother entrusted them to my care, and I did not bring them
+      all the way from Siberia, for you to say to me: &lsquo;Do not ask me&mdash;I
+      cannot tell you what I have done with them.&rsquo; There is no reason in that.
+      Suppose Marshal Simon were to arrive, and say to me, &lsquo;Dagobert, my
+      children?&rsquo; what answer am I to give him? See, I am calm&mdash;judge for
+      yourself&mdash;I am calm&mdash;but just put yourself in my place, and tell
+      me&mdash;what answer am I to give to the marshal? Well&mdash;what say you!
+      Will you speak!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! my dear&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is of no use crying alas!&rdquo; said the soldier wiping his forehead, on
+      which the veins were swollen as if they would burst; &ldquo;what am I to answer
+      to the marshal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Accuse me to him&mdash;I will bear it all&mdash;I will say&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What will you say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That, on going out, you entrusted the two girls to me, and that not
+      finding them on return you asked be about them&mdash;and that my answer
+      was, that I could not tell you what had become of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you think the marshal will be satisfied with such reasons?&rdquo; cried
+      Dagobert, clinching his fists convulsively upon his knees.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, I can give no other&mdash;either to him or you&mdash;no&mdash;not
+      if I were to die for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert bounded from his chair at this answer, which was given with
+      hopeless resignation. His patience was exhausted; but determined not to
+      yield to new bursts of anger, or to spend his breath in useless menaces,
+      he abruptly opened one of the windows, and exposed his burning forehead to
+      the cool air. A little calmer, he walked up and down for a few moments,
+      and then returned to seat himself beside his wife. She, with her eyes
+      bathed in tears, fixed her gaze upon the crucifix, thinking that she also
+      had to bear a heavy cross.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert resumed: &ldquo;By the manner in which you speak, I see that no
+      accident has happened, which might endanger the health of the children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, oh no! thank God, they are quite well&mdash;that is all I can say to
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did they go out alone?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot answer you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has any one taken them away?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my dear! why ask me these questions? I cannot answer you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will they come back here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert started up; his patience was once more exhausted. But, after
+      taking a few turns in the room, he again seated himself as before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After all,&rdquo; said he to his wife, &ldquo;you have no interest to conceal from me
+      what is become of the children. Why refuse to let me know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot do otherwise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think you will change your opinion, when you know something that I am
+      now forced to tell you. Listen to me well!&rdquo; added Dagobert, in an agitated
+      voice; &ldquo;if these children are not restored to me before the 13th of
+      February&mdash;a day close at hand&mdash;I am in the position of a man
+      that would rob the daughters of Marshal Simon&mdash;rob them, d&rsquo;ye
+      understand?&rdquo; said the soldier, becoming more and more agitated. Then, with
+      an accent of despair which pierced Frances&rsquo;s heart, he continued: &ldquo;And yet
+      I have done all that an honest man could do for those poor children&mdash;you
+      cannot tell what I have had to suffer on the road&mdash;my cares, my
+      anxieties&mdash;I, a soldier, with the charge of two girls. It was only by
+      strength of heart, by devotion, that I could go through with it&mdash;and
+      when, for my reward, I hoped to be able to say to their father: &lsquo;Here are
+      your children!&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo; The soldier paused. To the violence of his first
+      emotions had succeeded a mournful tenderness; he wept.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of the tears rolling slowly down Dagobert&rsquo;s gray moustache,
+      Frances felt for a moment her resolution give way; but, recalling the oath
+      which she had made to her confessor, and reflecting that the eternal
+      salvation of the orphans was at stake, she reproached herself inwardly
+      with this evil temptation, which would no doubt be severely blamed by Abbe
+      Dubois. She answered, therefore, in a trembling voice: &ldquo;How can they
+      accuse you of robbing these children?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Know,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, drawing his hand across his eyes, &ldquo;that if these
+      young girls have braved so many dangers, to come hither, all the way from
+      Siberia, it is that great interests are concerned&mdash;perhaps an immense
+      fortune&mdash;and that, if they are not present on the 13th February&mdash;here,
+      in Paris, Rue Saint Francois&mdash;all will be lost&mdash;and through my
+      fault&mdash;for I am responsible for your actions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The 13th February? Rue Saint Francois?&rdquo; cried Frances, looking at her
+      husband with surprise. &ldquo;Like Gabriel!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say about Gabriel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I took him in (poor deserted child!), he wore a bronze medal about
+      his neck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bronze medal!&rdquo; cried the soldier, struck with amazement; &ldquo;a bronze
+      medal with these words, &lsquo;At Paris you will be, the 13th of February, 1832,
+      Rue Saint Francois?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;how do you know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel, too!&rdquo; said the soldier speaking to himself. Then he added
+      hastily: &ldquo;Does Gabriel know that this medal was found upon him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I spoke to him of it at some time. He had also about him a portfolio,
+      filled with papers in a foreign tongue. I gave them to Abbe Dubois, my
+      confessor, to look over. He told me afterwards, that they were of little
+      consequence; and, at a later period, when a charitable person named M.
+      Rodin, undertook the education of Gabriel, and to get him into the
+      seminary, Abbe Dubois handed both papers and medal to him. Since then, I
+      have heard nothing of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When Frances spoke of her confessor a sudden light flashed across the mind
+      of the soldier, though he was far from suspecting the machinations which
+      had so long been at work with regard to Gabriel and the orphans. But he
+      had a vague feeling that his wife was acting in obedience to some secret
+      influence of the confessional&mdash;an influence of which he could not
+      understand the aim or object, but which explained, in part at least,
+      Frances&rsquo;s inconceivable obstinacy with regard to the disappearance of the
+      orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s reflection, he rose, and said sternly to his wife,
+      looking fixedly at her: &ldquo;There is a priest at the bottom of all this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean, my dear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have no interest to conceal these children. You are one of the best
+      of women. You see that I suffer; if you only were concerned, you would
+      have pity upon me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, all this smacks of the confessional,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert. &ldquo;You
+      would sacrifice me and these children to your confessor; but take care&mdash;I
+      shall find out where he lives&mdash;and a thousand thunders! I will go and
+      ask him who is master in my house, he or I&mdash;and if he does not
+      answer,&rdquo; added the soldier, with a threatening expression of countenance,
+      &ldquo;I shall know how to make him speak.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gracious heaven!&rdquo; cried Frances, clasping her hands in horror at these
+      sacrilegious words; &ldquo;remember he is a priest!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A priest, who causes discord, treachery, and misfortune in my house, is
+      as much of a wretch as any other; whom I have a right to call to account
+      for the evil he does to me and mine. Therefore, tell me immediately where
+      are the children&mdash;or else, I give you fair warning, I will go and
+      demand them of the confessor. Some crime is here hatching, of which you
+      are an accomplice without knowing it, unhappy woman! Well, I prefer having
+      to do with another than you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear,&rdquo; said Frances, in a mild, firm voice, &ldquo;you cannot think to
+      impose by violence on a venerable man, who for twenty years has had the
+      care of my soul. His age alone should be respected.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No age shall prevent me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heavens! where are you going? You alarm me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am going to your church. They must know you there&mdash;I will ask for
+      your confessor&mdash;and we shall see!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I entreat you, my dear,&rdquo; cried Frances, throwing herself in a fright
+      before Dagobert, who was hastening towards the door; &ldquo;only think, to what
+      you will expose yourself! Heavens! insult a priest? Why, it is one of the
+      reserved cases!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These last words, which appeared most alarming to the simplicity of
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, did not make any impression upon the soldier. He
+      disengaged himself from her grasp, and was going to rush out bareheaded,
+      so high was his exasperation, when the door opened, and the commissary of
+      police entered, followed by Mother Bunch and a policeman, carrying the
+      bundle which he had taken from the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The commissary!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, who recognized him by his official
+      scarf. &ldquo;Ah! so much the better&mdash;he could not have come at a fitter
+      moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0053" id="link2HCH0053">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LIII. THE EXAMINATION.
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      &ldquo;Mistress Frances Baudoin?&rdquo; asked the magistrate.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir&mdash;it is I,&rdquo; said Frances. Then, perceiving the pale and
+      trembling sewing-girl, who did not dare to come forward, she stretched out
+      her arms to her. &ldquo;Oh, my poor child!&rdquo; she exclaimed, bursting into tears;
+      &ldquo;forgive&mdash;forgive us&mdash;since it is for our sake you have suffered
+      this humiliation!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When Dagobert&rsquo;s wife had tenderly embraced the young sempstress, the
+      latter, turning towards the commissary, said to him with an expression of
+      sad and touching dignity: &ldquo;You see, sir, that I am not a thief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said the magistrate, addressing Frances, &ldquo;am I to understand
+      that the silver mug, the shawl, the sheets contained in this bundle&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Belong to me, sir. It was to render me a service that this dear girl, who
+      is the best and most honest creature in the world, undertook to carry
+      these articles to the pawnbroker&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the magistrate sternly to the policeman, &ldquo;you have committed a
+      deplorable error. I shall take care to report you, and see that you are
+      punished. You may go, sir.&rdquo; Then, addressing Mother Bunch, with an air of
+      real regret, he added: &ldquo;I can only express my sorrow for what has
+      happened. Believe me, I deeply feel for the cruel position in which you
+      have been placed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe it, sir,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, &ldquo;and I thank you.&rdquo; Overcome by so
+      many emotions, she sank upon a chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The magistrate was about to retire, when Dagobert, who had been seriously
+      reflecting for some minutes, said to him in a firm voice: &ldquo;Please to hear
+      me, Sir; I have a deposition to make.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, Sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I am about to say is very important; it is to you, in your quality
+      of a magistrate, that I make this declaration.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And as a magistrate I will hear you, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I arrived here two days ago, bringing with me from Russia two girls who
+      had been entrusted to me by their mother&mdash;the wife of Marshal Simon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of Marshal Simon, Duke de Ligny?&rdquo; said the commissary, very much
+      surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Sir. Well, I left them here, being obliged to get out on pressing
+      business. This morning, during my absence, they disappeared&mdash;and I am
+      certain I know the man who has been the cause of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, my dear,&rdquo; said Frances, much alarmed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the magistrate, &ldquo;your declaration is a very serious one.
+      Disappearance of persons&mdash;sequestration, perhaps. But are you quite
+      sure?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These young ladies were here an hour ago; I repeat, sir, that during my
+      absence, they have been taken away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not doubt the sincerity of your declaration, sir; but still it is
+      difficult to explain so strange an abduction. Who tells you that these
+      young girls will not return? Besides, whom do you suspect? One word,
+      before you make your accusation. Remember, it is the magistrate who hears
+      you. On leaving this place, the law will take its course in this affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what I wish, Sir; I am responsible for those young ladies to
+      their father. He may arrive at any moment, and I must be prepared to
+      justify myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand all these reasons, sir; but still have a care you are not
+      deceived by unfounded suspicions. Your denunciation once made, I may have
+      to act provisionally against the person accused. Now, if you should be
+      under a mistake, the consequences would be very serious for you; and,
+      without going further,&rdquo; said the magistrate, pointing to Mother Bunch,
+      with emotion, &ldquo;you see what are the results of a false accusation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You hear, my dear,&rdquo; cried Frances, terrified at the resolution of
+      Dagobert to accuse Abbe Dubois; &ldquo;do not say a word more, I entreat you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But the more the soldier reflected, the more he felt convinced that
+      nothing but the influence of her confessor could have induced Frances to
+      act as she had done; so he resumed, with assurance: &ldquo;I accuse my wife&rsquo;s
+      confessor of being the principal or the accomplice in the abduction of
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances uttered a deep groan, and hid her face in her hands; while Mother
+      Bunch, who had drawn nigh, endeavored to console her. The magistrate had
+      listened to Dagobert with extreme astonishment, and he now said to him
+      with some severity: &ldquo;Pray, sir, do not accuse unjustly a man whose
+      position is in the highest degree respectable&mdash;a priest, sir?&mdash;yes,
+      a priest? I warned you beforehand to reflect upon what you advanced. All
+      this becomes very serious, and, at your age, any levity in such matters
+      would be unpardonable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bless me, sir!&rdquo; said Dagobert, with impatience; &ldquo;at my age, one has
+      common sense. These are the facts. My wife is one of the best and most
+      honorable of human creatures&mdash;ask any one in the neighborhood, and
+      they will tell you so&mdash;but she is a devotee; and, for twenty years,
+      she has always seen with her confessor&rsquo;s eyes. She adores her son, she
+      loves me also; but she puts the confessor before us both.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the commissary, &ldquo;these family details&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are indispensable, as you shall see. I go out an hour ago, to look after
+      this poor girl here. When I come back, the young ladies have disappeared.
+      I ask my wife to whom she has entrusted them, and where they are; she
+      falls at my feet weeping, and says: &lsquo;Do what you will with me, but do not
+      ask me what has become of the children. I cannot answer you.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is thus true, madame?&rdquo; cried the commissary, looking at Frances with
+      surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Anger, threats, entreaties, had no effect,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert; &ldquo;to
+      everything she answered as mildly as a saint: &lsquo;I can tell you nothing!&rsquo;
+      Now, sir, I maintain that my wife has no interest to take away these
+      children; she is under the absolute dominion of her confessor; she has
+      acted by his orders and for his purposes; he is the guilty party.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst Dagobert spoke, the commissary looked more and more attentively at
+      Frances, who, supported by the hunchback, continued to weep bitterly.
+      After a moment&rsquo;s reflection, the magistrate advanced towards Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      wife, and said to her: &ldquo;Madame, you have heard what your husband has just
+      declared.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you to say in your justification?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, &ldquo;it is not my wife that I accuse&mdash;I do
+      not mean that; it is her confessor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir, you have applied to a magistrate; and the magistrate must act as he
+      thinks best for the discovery of the truth. Once more, madame,&rdquo; he
+      resumed, addressing Frances, &ldquo;what have you to say in your justification?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! nothing, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it true that your husband left these young girls in your charge when
+      he went out?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it true that, on his return, they were no longer to be found?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it true that, when he asked you where they were, you told him that you
+      could give him no information on the subject?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The commissary appeared to wait for Frances&rsquo; reply with kind of anxious
+      curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; said she, with the utmost simplicity, &ldquo;that was the answer I
+      made my husband.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, madame!&rdquo; said the magistrate, with an air of painful astonishment;
+      &ldquo;that was your only answer to all the prayers and commands of your
+      husband? What! you refused to give him the least information? It is
+      neither probable nor possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the truth, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, but, after all, madame, what have you done with the young ladies
+      that were entrusted to your care?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can tell you nothing about it, sir. If I would not answer my poor
+      husband, I certainly will not answer any one else.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, &ldquo;was I wrong? An honest, excellent woman
+      like that, who was always full of good sense and affection, to talk in
+      this way&mdash;is it natural? I repeat to you, sir that it is the work of
+      her confessor; act against him promptly and decidedly, we shall soon know
+      all, and my poor children will be restored to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; continued the commissary, without being able to repress a
+      certain degree of emotion, &ldquo;I am about to speak to you very severely. My
+      duty obliges me to do so. This affair becomes so serious and complicated,
+      that I must instantly commence judicial proceedings on the subject. You
+      acknowledge that these young ladies have been left in your charge, and
+      that you cannot produce them. Now, listen to me: if you refuse to give any
+      explanation in the matter, it is you alone that will be accused of their
+      disappearance. I shall be obliged, though with great regret, to take you
+      into custody.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me!&rdquo; cried Frances, with the utmost alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Her!&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert; &ldquo;never! It is her confessor that I accuse, not
+      my poor wife. Take her into custody, indeed!&rdquo; He ran towards her, as if he
+      would protect her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is too late, sir,&rdquo; said the commissary. &ldquo;You have made your charge for
+      the abduction of these two young ladies. According to your wife&rsquo;s own
+      declaration, she alone is compromised up to this point. I must take her
+      before the Public Prosecutor, who will decide what course to pursue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I say, sir,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in a menacing tone, &ldquo;that my wife shall
+      not stir from this room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the commissary coolly, &ldquo;I can appreciate your feelings; but,
+      in the interest of justice, I would beg you not to oppose a necessary
+      measure&mdash;a measure which, moreover, in ten minutes it would be quite
+      impossible for you to prevent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, spoken with calmness, recalled the soldier to himself. &ldquo;But,
+      sir,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;I do not accuse my wife.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind, my dear&mdash;do not think of me!&rdquo; said Frances, with the
+      angelic resignation of a martyr. &ldquo;The Lord is still pleased to try me
+      sorely; but I am His unworthy servant, and must gratefully resign myself
+      to His will. Let them arrest me, if they choose; I will say no more in
+      prison than I have said already on the subject of those poor children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, &ldquo;you see that my wife is out of her head. You
+      cannot arrest her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no charge, proof, or indication against the other person whom
+      you accuse, and whose character should be his protection. If I take your
+      wife, she may perhaps be restored to you after a preliminary examination.
+      I regret,&rdquo; added the commissary, in a tone of pity, &ldquo;to have to execute
+      such a mission, at the very moment when your son&rsquo;s arrest&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, looking with speechless astonishment at his wife
+      and Mother Bunch; &ldquo;what does he say? my son?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were not then aware of it? Oh, sir, a thousand pardons!&rdquo; said the
+      magistrate, with painful emotion. &ldquo;It is distressing to make you such a
+      communication.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My son!&rdquo; repeated Dagobert, pressing his two hands to his forehead. &ldquo;My
+      son! arrested!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For a political offence of no great moment,&rdquo; said the commissary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! this is too much. All comes on me at once!&rdquo; cried the soldier,
+      falling overpowered into a chair, and hiding his face with his hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a touching farewell, during which, in spite of her terror, Frances
+      remained faithful to the vow she had made to the Abbe Dubois&mdash;Dagobert,
+      who had refused to give evidence against his wife, was left leaning upon a
+      table, exhausted by contending emotions, and could not help explaining:
+      &ldquo;Yesterday, I had with me my wife, my son, my two poor orphans&mdash;and
+      now&mdash;I am alone&mdash;alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment he pronounced these words, in a despairing tone, a mild sad
+      voice was heard close behind him, saying timidly: &ldquo;M. Dagobert, I am here;
+      if you will allow me, I will remain and wait upon you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Mother Bunch!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Trusting that the reader&rsquo;s sympathy is with the old soldier thus left
+      desolate, with Agricola in his prison, Adrienne in hers, the madhouse, and
+      Rose and Blanche Simon in theirs, the nunnery; we hasten to assure him (or
+      her, as the case may be), that not only will their future steps be traced,
+      but the dark machinations of the Jesuits, and the thrilling scenes in
+      which new characters will perform their varied parts, pervaded by the
+      watching spirit of the Wandering Jew, will be revealed in Part Second of
+      this work, entitled: THE CHASTISEMENT.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0061" id="link2H_4_0061">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK IV.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_PART2" id="link2H_PART2">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PART SECOND.&mdash;THE CHASTISEMENT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_PROL2" id="link2H_PROL2">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PROLOGUE.&mdash;THE BIRD&rsquo;S-EYE VIEW OF TWO WORLDS.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     I. The Masquerade II. The Contrast III. The Carouse IV. The
+     Farewell V. The Florine VI. Mother Sainte-Perpetue VII. The
+     Temptation VIII. Mother Bunch and Mdlle. De Cardoville IX.
+     The Encounters&mdash;The Meeting XI. Discoveries XII. The Penal
+     Code XIII. Burglary
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      As the eagle, perched upon the cliff, commands an all-comprehensive view&mdash;not
+      only of what happens on the plains and in the woodlands, but of matters
+      occurring upon the heights, which its aerie overlooks, so may the reader
+      have sights pointed out to him, which lie below the level of the
+      unassisted eye.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the year 1831, the powerful Order of the Jesuits saw fit to begin to
+      act upon information which had for some time been digesting in their
+      hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As it related to a sum estimated at no less than thirty or forty millions
+      of francs, it is no wonder that they should redouble all exertions to
+      obtain it from the rightful owners.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were, presumably, the descendants of Marius, Count of Rennepont, in
+      the reign of Louis XIV. of France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They were distinguished from other men by a simple token, which all, in
+      the year above named, had in their hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a bronze medal, bearing these legends on reverse and obverse:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                 VICTIM
+                  of
+               L. C. D. J.
+               Pray for me!
+
+                 PARIS,
+            February the 13th, 1682.
+
+                IN PARIS
+            Rue St Francois, No. 3,
+            In a century and a half
+               you will be.
+
+            February the 13th, 1832.
+               PRAY FOR ME!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Those who had this token were descendants of a family whom, a hundred and
+      fifty years ago, persecution scattered through the world, in emigration
+      and exile; in changes of religion, fortune and name. For this family&mdash;what
+      grandeur, what reverses, what obscurity, what lustre, what penury, what
+      glory! How many crimes sullied, how many virtues honored it! The history
+      of this single family is the history of humanity! Passing through many
+      generations, throbbing in the veins of the poor and the rich, the
+      sovereign and the bandit, the wise and the simple, the coward and the
+      brave, the saint and the atheist, the blood flowed on to the year we have
+      named.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seven representatives summed up the virtue, courage, degradation,
+      splendor, and poverty of the race. Seven: two orphan twin daughters of
+      exiled parents, a dethroned prince, a humble missionary priest, a man of
+      the middle class, a young lady of high name and large fortune, and a
+      working man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fate scattered them in Russia, India, France, and America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans, Rose and Blanche Simon, had left their dead mother&rsquo;s grave in
+      Siberia, under charge of a trooper named Francis Baudoin, alias Dagobert,
+      who was as much attached to them as he had been devoted to their father,
+      his commanding general.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the road to France, this little party had met the first check, in the
+      only tavern of Mockern village. Not only had a wild beast showman, known
+      as Morok the lion-tamer, sought to pick a quarrel with the inoffensive
+      veteran, but that failing, had let a panther of his menagerie loose upon
+      the soldier&rsquo;s horse. That horse had carried Dagobert, under General
+      Simon&rsquo;s and the Great Napoleon&rsquo;s eyes, through many battles; had borne the
+      General&rsquo;s wife (a Polish lady under the Czar&rsquo;s ban) to her home of exile
+      in Siberia, and their children now across Russia and Germany, but only to
+      perish thus cruelly. An unseen hand appeared in a manifestation of spite
+      otherwise unaccountable. Dagobert, denounced as a French spy, and his fair
+      young companions accused of being adventuresses to help his designs, had
+      so kindled at the insult, not less to him than to his old commander&rsquo;s
+      daughters, that he had taught the pompous burgomaster of Mockern a lesson,
+      which, however, resulted in the imprisonment of the three in Leipsic jail.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      General Simon, who had vainly sought to share his master&rsquo;s St. Helena
+      captivity, had gone to fight the English in India. But notwithstanding his
+      drilling of Radja-sings sepoys, they had been beaten by the troops taught
+      by Clive, and not only was the old king of Mundi slain, and the realm
+      added to the Company&rsquo;s land, but his son, Prince Djalma, taken prisoner.
+      However, at length released, he had gone to Batavia, with General Simon.
+      The prince&rsquo;s mother was a Frenchwoman, and among the property she left him
+      in the capital of Java, the general was delighted to find just such
+      another medal as he knew was in his wife&rsquo;s possession.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The unseen hand of enmity had reached to him, for letters miscarried, and
+      he did not know either his wife&rsquo;s decease or that he had twin daughters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By a trick, on the eve of the steamship leaving Batavia for the Isthmus of
+      Suez, Djalma was separated from his friend, and sailing for Europe alone,
+      the latter had to follow in another vessel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The missionary priest trod the war trails of the wilderness, with that
+      faith and fearlessness which true soldiers of the cross should evince. In
+      one of these heroic undertakings, Indians had captured him, and dragging
+      him to their village under the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, they had
+      nailed him in derision to a cross, and prepared to scalp him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But if an unseen hand of a foe smote or stabbed at the sons of Rennepont,
+      a visible interpositor had often shielded them, in various parts of the
+      globe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A man, seeming of thirty years of age, very tall, with a countenance as
+      lofty as mournful, marked by the black eyebrows meeting, had thrown
+      himself&mdash;during a battle&rsquo;s height&mdash;between a gun of a park which
+      General Simon was charging and that officer. The cannon vomited its hail
+      of death, but when the flame and smoke had passed, the tall man stood
+      erect as before, smiling pityingly on the gunner, who fell on his knees as
+      frightened as if he beheld Satan himself. Again, as General Simon lay upon
+      the lost field of Waterloo, raging with his wounds, eager to die after
+      such a defeat, this same man staunched his hurts, and bade him live for
+      his wife&rsquo;s sake.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Years after, wearing the same unalterable look, this man accosted Dagobert
+      in Siberia, and gave him for General Simon&rsquo;s wife, the diary and letters
+      of her husband, written in India, in little hope of them ever reaching her
+      hands. And at the year our story opens, this man unbarred the cell-door of
+      Leipsic jail, and let Dagobert and the orphans out, free to continue their
+      way into France.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the other hand, when the scalping-knife had traced its mark around the
+      head of Gabriel the missionary, and when only the dexterous turn and tug
+      would have removed the trophy, a sudden apparition had terrified the
+      superstitious savages. It was a woman of thirty, whose brown tresses
+      formed a rich frame around a royal face, toned down by endless sorrowing.
+      The red-skins shrank from her steady advance, and when her hand was
+      stretched out between them and their young victim, they uttered a howl of
+      alarm, and fled as if a host of their foemen were on their track. Gabriel
+      was saved, but all his life he was doomed to bear that halo of martyrdom,
+      the circling sweep of the scalper&rsquo;s knife.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was a Jesuit. By the orders of his society he embarked for Europe. We
+      should say here, that he, though owning a medal of the seven described,
+      was unaware that he should have worn it. His vessel was driven by storms
+      to refit at the Azores, where he had changed ship into the same as was
+      bearing Prince Djalma to France, via Portsmouth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the gales followed him, and sated their fury by wrecking the &ldquo;Black
+      Eagle&rdquo; on the Picardy coast. This was at the same point as were a disabled
+      Hamburg steamer, among whose passengers where Dagobert and his two
+      charges, was destroyed the same night. Happily the tempest did not
+      annihilate them all. There were saved, Prince Djalma and a countryman of
+      his, one Faringhea, a Thuggee chief, hunted out of British India;
+      Dagobert, and Rose and Blanche Simon, whom Gabriel had rescued. These
+      survivors had recovered, thanks to the care they had received in
+      Cardoville House, a country mansion which had sheltered them, and except
+      the prince and the Strangler chief, the others were speedily able to go on
+      to Paris.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old grenadier and the orphans&mdash;until General Simon should be
+      heard from&mdash;dwelt in the former&rsquo;s house. His son had kept it, from
+      his mother&rsquo;s love for the life-long home. It was such a mean habitation as
+      a workman like Agricola Baudoin could afford to pay the rent of, and far
+      from the fit abode of the daughters of the Duke de Ligny and Marshal of
+      France, which Napoleon had created General Simon, though the rank had only
+      recently been approved by the restoration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But in Paris the unknown hostile hand showed itself more malignant than
+      ever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young lady of high name and large fortune was Adrienne de Cardoville,
+      whose aunt, the Princess de Saint-Dizier, was a Jesuit. Through her and
+      her accomplices&rsquo; machinations, the young lady&rsquo;s forward yet virtuous,
+      wildly aspiring but sensible, romantic but just, character was twisted
+      into a passable reason for her immurement in a mad-house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This asylum adjoined St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, into which Rose and Blanche Simon
+      were deceitfully conducted. To secure their removal, Dagobert had been
+      decoyed into the country, under pretence of showing some of General
+      Simon&rsquo;s document&rsquo;s to a lawyer; his son Agricola arrested for treason, on
+      account of some idle verses the blacksmith poet was guilty of, and his
+      wife rendered powerless, or, rather, a passive assistant, by the influence
+      of the confessional! When Dagobert hurried back from his wild goose chase,
+      he found the orphans gone: Mother Bunch (a fellow-tenant of the house, who
+      had been brought up in the family) ignorant, and his wife stubbornly
+      refusing to break the promise she had given her confessor, and acquaint a
+      single soul where she had permitted the girls to be taken. In his rage,
+      the soldier rashly accused that confessor, but instead of arresting the
+      Abbe Dubois, it was Mrs. Baudoin whom the magistrate felt compelled to
+      arrest, as the person whom alone he ventured to commit for examination in
+      regard to the orphans&rsquo; disappearance. Thus triumphs, for the time being,
+      the unseen foe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans in a nunnery; the dethroned prince a poor castaway in a
+      foreign land; the noble young lady in a madhouse; the missionary priest
+      under the thumb of his superiors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for the man of the middle class, and the working man, who concluded the
+      list of this family, we are to read of them, as well as of the others, in
+      the pages which now succeed these.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0054" id="link2HCH0054">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20009m.jpg" alt="20009m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20009.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20013m.jpg" alt="20013m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20013.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20019m.jpg" alt="20019m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20019.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I. THE MASQUERADE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he following day to that on which Dagobert&rsquo;s wife (arrested for not
+      accounting for the disappearance of General Simon&rsquo;s daughters) was led
+      away before a magistrate, a noisy and animated scene was transpiring on
+      the Place du Chatelet, in front of a building whose first floor and
+      basement were used as the tap-rooms of the &ldquo;Sucking Calf&rdquo; public-house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A carnival night was dying out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Quite a number of maskers, grotesquely and shabbily bedecked, had rushed
+      out of the low dance-houses in the Guildhall Ward, and were roaring out
+      staves of songs as they crossed the square. But on catching sight of a
+      second troop of mummers running about the water-side, the first party
+      stopped to wait for the others to come up, rejoicing, with many a shout,
+      in hopes of one of those verbal battles of slang and smutty talk which
+      made Vade so illustrious.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This mob&mdash;nearly all its members half seas over, soon swollen by the
+      many people who have to be up early to follow their crafts&mdash;suddenly
+      concentrated in one of the corners of the square, so that a pale, deformed
+      girl, who was going that way, was caught in the human tide. This was
+      Mother Bunch. Up with the lark, she was hurrying to receive some work from
+      her employer. Remembering how a mob had treated her when she had been
+      arrested in the streets only the day before, by mistake, the poor
+      work-girl&rsquo;s fears may be imagined when she was now surrounded by the
+      revellers against her will. But, spite of all her efforts&mdash;very
+      feeble, alas!&mdash;she could not stir a step, for the band of
+      merry-makers, newly arriving, had rushed in among the others, shoving some
+      of them aside, pushing far into the mass, and sweeping Mother Bunch&mdash;who
+      was in their way&mdash;clear over to the crowd around the public-house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The new-comers were much finer rigged out than the others, for they
+      belonged to the gay, turbulent class which goes frequently to the
+      Chaumiere, the Prado, the Colisee, and other more or less rowdyish haunts
+      of waltzers, made up generally of students, shop-girls, and counter
+      skippers, clerks, unfortunates, etc., etc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This set, while retorting to the chaff of the other party, seemed to be
+      very impatiently expecting some singularly desired person to put in her
+      appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The following snatches of conversation, passing between clowns and
+      columbines, pantaloons and fairies, Turks and sultans, debardeurs and
+      debardeuses, paired off more or less properly, will give an idea of the
+      importance of the wished-for personage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They ordered the spread to be for seven in the morning, so their
+      carriages ought to have come up afore now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Werry like, but the Bacchanal Queen has got to lead off the last dance in
+      the Prado.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to thunder I&rsquo;d &lsquo;a known that, and I&rsquo;d &lsquo;a stayed there to see her&mdash;my
+      beloved Queen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gobinet; if you call her your beloved Queen again, I&rsquo;ll scratch you!
+      Here&rsquo;s a pinch for you, anyhow!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ow, wow, Celeste! hands off! You are black-spotting the be-yutiful white
+      satin jacket my mamma gave me when I first came out as Don Pasqually!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did you call the Bacchanal Queen your beloved, then? What am I, I&rsquo;d
+      like to know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are my beloved, but not my Queen, for there is only one moon in the
+      nights of nature, and only one Bacchanal Queen in the nights at the
+      Prado.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a bit from a valentine! You can&rsquo;t come over me with such rubbish.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gobinet&rsquo;s right! the Queen was an out-and-outer tonight!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In prime feather!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never saw her more on the go!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, my eyes! wasn&rsquo;t her dress stunning?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Took your breath away!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Crushing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heavy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Im-mense!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The last kick!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No one but she can get up such dresses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, then, the dance!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! it was at once bounding waving, twisting! There is not such
+      another bayadere under the night-cap of the sky!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gobinet, give me back my shawl directly. You have already spoilt it by
+      rolling it round your great body. I don&rsquo;t choose to have my things ruined
+      for hulking beasts who call other women bayaderes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Celeste, simmer down. I am disguised as a Turk, and, when I talk of
+      bayaderes, I am only in character.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your Celeste is like them all, Gobinet; she&rsquo;s jealous of the Bacchanal
+      Queen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jealous!&mdash;do you think me jealous? Well now! that&rsquo;s too bad. If I
+      chose to be as showy as she is they would talk of me as much. After all,
+      it&rsquo;s only a nickname that makes her reputation! nickname!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In that you have nothing to envy her&mdash;since you are called Celeste!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know well enough, Gobinet, that Celeste is my real name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but it&rsquo;s fancied a nickname&mdash;when one looks in your face.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gobinet, I will put that down to your account.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And Oscar will help you to add it up, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; and you shall see the total. When I carry one, the remainder will
+      not be you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Celeste, you make me cry! I only meant to say that your celestial name
+      does not go well with your charming little face, which is still more
+      mischievous than that of the Bacchanal Queen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s right; wheedle me now, wretch!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I swear by the accursed head of my landlord, that, if you liked, you
+      could spread yourself as much as the Bacchanal Queen&mdash;which is saying
+      a great deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact is, that the Bacchanal had cheek enough, in all conscience.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not to speak of her fascinating the bobbies!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And magnetizing the beaks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They may get as angry as they please; she always finishes by making them
+      laugh.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And they all call her: Queen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Last night she charmed a slop (as modest as a country girl) whose purity
+      took up arms against the famous dance of the Storm-blown Tulip.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a quadrille! Sleepinbuff and the Bacchanal Queen, having opposite to
+      them Rose-Pompon and Ninny Moulin!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And all four making tulips as full-blown as could be!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By-the-bye, is it true what they say of Ninny Moulin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why that he is a writer, and scribbles pamphlets on religion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it is true. I have often seen him at my employer&rsquo;s, with whom he
+      deals; a bad paymaster, but a jolly fellow!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And pretends to be devout, eh?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you, my boy&mdash;when it is necessary; then he is my Lord
+      Dumoulin, as large as life. He rolls his eyes, walks with his head on one
+      side, and his toes turned in; but, when the piece is played out, he slips
+      away to the balls of which he is so fond. The girls christened him Ninny
+      Moulin. Add, that he drinks like a fish, and you have the photo of the
+      cove. All this doesn&rsquo;t prevent his writing for the religious newspapers;
+      and the saints, whom he lets in even oftener than himself, are ready to
+      swear by him. You should see his articles and his tracts&mdash;only see,
+      not read!&mdash;every page is full of the devil and his horns, and the
+      desperate fryings which await your impious revolutionists&mdash;and then
+      the authority of the bishops, the power of the Pope&mdash;hang it! how
+      could I know it all? This toper, Ninny Moulin, gives good measure enough
+      for their money!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact is, that he is both a heavy drinker and a heavy swell. How he
+      rattled on with little Rose-Pompon in the dance and the full-blown tulip!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what a rum chap he looked in his Roman helmet and top-boots.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rose-Pompon dances divinely, too; she has the poetic twist.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And don&rsquo;t show her heels a bit!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but the Bacchanal Queen is six thousand feet above the level of any
+      common leg-shaker. I always come back to her step last night in the
+      full-blown tulip.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was huge!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was serene!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I were father of a family, I would entrust her with the education of
+      my sons!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was that step, however, which offended the bobby&rsquo;s modesty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact is, it was a little free.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Free as air&mdash;so the policeman comes up to her, and says: &lsquo;Well, my
+      Queen, is your foot to keep on a-goin&rsquo; up forever?&rsquo; &lsquo;No, modest warrior!&rsquo;
+      replies the Queen; &lsquo;I practice the step only once every evening, to be
+      able to dance it when I am old. I made a vow of it, that you might become
+      an inspector.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a comic card!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe she will remain always with Sleepinbuff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because he has been a workman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What nonsense! it would preciously become us, students and shop-boys, to
+      give ourselves airs! No; but I am astonished at the Queen&rsquo;s fidelity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;they&rsquo;ve been a team for three or four good months.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She&rsquo;s wild upon him, and he on her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They must lead a gay life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sometimes I ask myself where the devil Sleepinbuff gets all the money he
+      spends. It appears that he pays all last night&rsquo;s expenses, three
+      coaches-and-four, and a breakfast this morning for twenty, at ten francs
+      a-head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say he has come into some property. That&rsquo;s why Ninny Moulin, who has
+      a good nose for eating and drinking, made acquaintance with him last night&mdash;leaving
+      out of the question that he may have some designs on the Bacchanal Queen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He! In a lot! He&rsquo;s rather too ugly. The girls like to dance with him
+      because he makes people laugh&mdash;but that&rsquo;s all. Little Rose-Pompon,
+      who is such a pretty creature, has taken him as a harmless chap-her-own,
+      in the absence of her student.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The coaches! the coaches!&rdquo; exclaimed the crowd, all with one voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Forced to stop in the midst of the maskers, Mother Bunch had not lost a
+      word of this conversation, which was deeply painful to her, as it
+      concerned her sister, whom she had not seen for a long time. Not that the
+      Bacchanal Queen had a bad heart; but the sight of the wretched poverty of
+      Mother Bunch&mdash;a poverty which she had herself shared, but which she
+      had not had the strength of mind to bear any longer&mdash;caused such
+      bitter grief to the gay, thoughtless girl, that she would no more expose
+      herself to it, after she had in vain tried to induce her sister to accept
+      assistance, which the latter always refused, knowing that its source could
+      not be honorable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The coaches! the coaches!&rdquo; once more exclaimed the crowd, as they pressed
+      forward with enthusiasm, so that Mother Bunch, carried on against her
+      will, was thrust into the foremost rank of the people assembled to see the
+      show.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was, indeed, a curious sight. A man on horseback, disguised as a
+      postilion, his blue jacket embroidered with silver, and enormous tail from
+      which the powder escaped in puffs, and a hat adorned with long ribbons,
+      preceded the first carriage, cracking his whip, and crying with all his
+      might: &ldquo;Make way for the Bacchanal Queen and her court!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In an open carriage, drawn by four lean horses, on which rode two old
+      postilions dressed as devils, was raised a downright pyramid of men and
+      women, sitting, standing, leaning, in every possible variety of odd,
+      extravagant, and grotesque costume; altogether an indescribable mass of
+      bright colors, flowers, ribbons, tinsel and spangles. Amid this heap of
+      strange forms and dresses appeared wild or graceful countenances, ugly or
+      handsome features&mdash;but all animated by the feverish excitement of a
+      jovial frenzy&mdash;all turned with an expression of fanatical admiration
+      towards the second carriage, in which the Queen was enthroned, whilst they
+      united with the multitude in reiterated shouts of &ldquo;Long live the Bacchanal
+      Queen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This second carriage, open like the first, contained only the four dancers
+      of the famous step of the Storm-blown Tulip&mdash;Ninny Moulin, Rose
+      Pompon, Sleepinbuff, and the Bacchanal Queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dumoulin, the religious writer, who wished to dispute possession of Mme.
+      de la Sainte-Colombe with his patron, M. Rodin&mdash;Dumoulin, surnamed
+      Ninny Moulin, standing on the front cushions, would have presented a
+      magnificent study for Callot or Gavarni, that eminent artist, who unites
+      with the biting strength and marvellous fancy of an illustrious
+      caricaturist, the grace, the poetry, and the depth of Hogarth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ninny Moulin, who was about thirty-five years of age, wore very much back
+      upon his head a Roman helmet of silver paper. A voluminous plume of black
+      feathers, rising from a red wood holder, was stuck on one side of this
+      headgear, breaking the too classic regularity of its outline. Beneath this
+      casque, shone forth the most rubicund and jovial face, that ever was
+      purpled by the fumes of generous wine. A prominent nose, with its
+      primitive shape modestly concealed beneath a luxuriant growth of pimples,
+      half red, half violet, gave a funny expression to a perfectly beardless
+      face; while a large mouth, with thick lips turning their insides outwards,
+      added to the air of mirth and jollity which beamed from his large gray
+      eyes, set flat in his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On seeing this joyous fellow, with a paunch like Silenus, one could not
+      help asking how it was, that he had not drowned in wine, a hundred times
+      over, the gall, bile, and venom which flowed from his pamphlets against
+      the enemies of Ultramontanism, and how his Catholic beliefs could float
+      upwards in the midst of these mad excesses of drink and dancing. The
+      question would have appeared insoluble, if one had not remembered how many
+      actors, who play the blackest and most hateful first robbers on the stage,
+      are, when off it, the best fellow in the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The weather being cold, Ninny Moulin wore a kind of box-coat, which, being
+      half-open, displayed his cuirass of scales, and his flesh-colored
+      pantaloons, finishing just below the calf in a pair of yellow tops to his
+      boots. Leaning forward in front of the carriage, he uttered wild shouts of
+      delight, mingled with the words: &ldquo;Long live the Bacchanal Queen!&rdquo;&mdash;after
+      which, he shook and whirled the enormous rattle he held in his hand.
+      Standing beside him, Sleepinbuff waved on high a banner of white silk, on
+      which were the words: &ldquo;Love and joy to the Bacchanal Queen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Sleepinbuff was about twenty-five years of age. His countenance was gay
+      and intelligent, surrounded by a collar of chestnut-colored whiskers; but
+      worn with late hours and excesses, it expressed a singular mixture of
+      carelessness and hardihood, recklessness and mockery; still, no base or
+      wicked passion had yet stamped there its fatal impress. He was the perfect
+      type of the Parisian, as the term is generally applied, whether in the
+      army, in the provinces, on board a king&rsquo;s ship, or a merchantman. It is
+      not a compliment, and yet it is far from being an insult; it is an epithet
+      which partakes at once of blame, admiration, and fear; for if, in this
+      sense, the Parisian is often idle and rebellious, he is also quick at his
+      work, resolute in danger, and always terribly satirical and fond of
+      practical jokes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was dressed in a very flashy style. He wore a black velvet jacket with
+      silver buttons, a scarlet waistcoat, trousers with broad blue stripes, a
+      Cashmere shawl for a girdle with ends loosely floating, and a chimney-pot
+      hat covered with flowers and streamers. This disguise set off his light,
+      easy figure to great advantage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the back of the carriage, standing up on the cushions, were Rose Pompon
+      and the Bacchanal Queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose-Pompon, formerly a fringe-maker, was about seventeen years old, and
+      had the prettiest and most winning little face imaginable. She was gayly
+      dressed in debardeur costume. Her powdered wig, over which was smartly
+      cocked on one side an orange and green cap laced with silver, increased
+      the effect of her bright black eyes, and of her round, carnation cheeks.
+      She wore about her neck an orange-colored cravat, of the same material as
+      her loose sash. Her tight jacket and narrow vest of light green velvet,
+      with silver ornaments, displayed to the best advantage a charming figure,
+      the pliancy of which must have well suited the evolutions of the Storm
+      blown Tulip. Her large trousers, of the same stuff and color as the
+      jacket, were not calculated to hide any of her attractions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Bacchanal Queen, being at the least a head taller, leaned with one
+      hand on the shoulder of Rose-Pompon. Mother Bunch&rsquo;s sister ruled, like a
+      true monarch, over this mad revelry, which her very presence seemed to
+      inspire, such influence had her own mirth and animation over all that
+      surrounded her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was a tall girl of about twenty years of age, light and graceful, with
+      regular features, and a merry, racketing air. Like her sister, she had
+      magnificent chestnut hair, and large blue eyes; but instead of being soft
+      and timid, like those of the young sempstress, the latter shone with
+      indefatigable ardor in the pursuit of pleasure. Such was the energy of her
+      vivacious constitution, that, notwithstanding many nights and days passed
+      in one continued revel, her complexion was as pure, her cheeks as rosy,
+      her neck as fresh and fair, as if she had that morning issued from some
+      peaceful home. Her costume, though singular and fantastic, suited her
+      admirably. It was composed of a tight, long-waisted bodice in cloth of
+      gold, trimmed with great bunches of scarlet ribbon, the ends of which
+      streamed over her naked arms, and a short petticoat of scarlet velvet,
+      ornamented with golden beads and spangles. This petticoat reached half way
+      down a leg, at once trim and strong, in a white silk stocking, and red
+      buskin with brass heel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Never had any Spanish dancer a more supple, elastic, and tempting form,
+      than this singular girl, who seemed possessed with the spirit of dancing
+      and perpetual motion, for, almost every moment, a slight undulation of
+      head, hips, and shoulders seemed to follow the music of an invisible
+      orchestra; while the tip of her right foot, placed on the carriage door in
+      the most alluring manner, continued to beat time&mdash;for the Bacchanal
+      Queen stood proudly erect upon the cushions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sort of gilt diadem, the emblem of her noisy sovereignty, hung with
+      little bells, adorned her forehead. Her long hair, in two thick braids,
+      was drawn back from her rosy cheeks, and twisted behind her head. Her left
+      hand rested on little Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s shoulder, and in her right she held an
+      enormous nosegay, which she waved to the crowd, accompanying each salute
+      with bursts of laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would be difficult to give a complete idea of this noisily animated and
+      fantastic scene, which included also a third carriage, filled, like the
+      first, with a pyramid of grotesque and extravagant masks. Amongst the
+      delighted crowd, one person alone contemplated the picture with deep
+      sorrow. It was Mother Bunch, who was still kept, in spite of herself, in
+      the first rank of spectators.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20029m.jpg" alt="20029m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20029.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Separated from her sister for a long time, she now beheld her in all the
+      pomp of her singular triumph, in the midst of the cries of joy, and the
+      applause of her companions in pleasure. Yet the eyes of the young
+      sempstress grew dim with tears; for, though the Bacchanal Queen seemed to
+      share in the stunning gayety of all around her&mdash;though her face was
+      radiant with smiles, and she appeared fully to enjoy the splendors of her
+      temporary elevation&mdash;yet she had the sincere pity of the poor
+      workwoman, almost in rags, who was seeking, with the first dawn of
+      morning, the means of earning her daily bread.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch had forgotten the crowd, to look only at her sister, whom she
+      tenderly loved&mdash;only the more tenderly, that she thought her
+      situation to be pitied. With her eyes fixed on the joyous and beautiful
+      girl, her pale and gentle countenance expressed the most touching and
+      painful interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All at once, as the brilliant glance of the Bacchanal Queen travelled
+      along the crowd, it lighted on the sad features of Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My sister!&rdquo; exclaimed Cephyse&mdash;such was the name of the Bacchanal
+      Queen&mdash;&ldquo;My sister!&rdquo;&mdash;and with one bound, light as a
+      ballet-dancer, she sprang from her movable throne (which fortunately just
+      happened to be stopping), and, rushing up to the hunchback, embraced her
+      affectionately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this had passed so rapidly, that the companions of the Bacchanal
+      Queen, still stupefied by the boldness of her perilous leap, knew not how
+      to account for it; whilst the masks who surrounded Mother Bunch drew back
+      in surprise, and the latter, absorbed in the delight of embracing her
+      sister, whose caresses she returned, did not even think of the singular
+      contrast between them, which was sure to soon excite the astonishment and
+      hilarity of the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cephyse was the first to think of this, and wishing to save her sister at
+      least one humiliation, she turned towards the carriage, and said: &ldquo;Rose
+      Pompon, throw me down my cloak; and, Ninny Moulin, open the door
+      directly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having received the cloak, the Bacchanal Queen hastily wrapped it round
+      her sister, before the latter could speak or move. Then, taking her by the
+      hand, she said to her: &ldquo;Come! come!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, in alarm. &ldquo;Do not think of it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must speak with you. I will get a private room, where we shall be
+      alone. So make haste, dear little sister! Do not resist before all these
+      people&mdash;but come!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The fear of becoming a public sight decided Mother Bunch, who, confused
+      moreover with the adventure, trembling and frightened, followed her sister
+      almost mechanically, and was dragged by her into the carriage, of which
+      Ninny Moulin had just opened the door. And so, with the cloak of the
+      Bacchanal Queen covering Mother Bunch&rsquo;s poor garments and deformed figure,
+      the crowd had nothing to laugh at, and only wondered what this meeting
+      could mean, while the coaches pursued their way to the eating house in the
+      Place du Chatelet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0055" id="link2HCH0055">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II. THE CONTRAST.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">S</span>ome minutes after the meeting of Mother Bunch with the Bacchanal Queen,
+      the two sisters were alone together in a small room in the tavern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me kiss you again,&rdquo; said Cephyse to the young sempstress; &ldquo;at least
+      now we are alone, you will not be afraid?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In the effort of the Bacchanal Queen to clasp Mother Bunch in her arms,
+      the cloak fell from the form of the latter. At sight of those miserable
+      garments, which she had hardly had time to observe on the Place du
+      Chatelet, in the midst of the crowd, Cephyse clasped her hands, and could
+      not repress an exclamation of painful surprise. Then, approaching her
+      sister, that she might contemplate her more closely, she took her thin,
+      icy palms between her own plump hands, and examined for some minutes, with
+      increasing grief, the suffering, pale, unhappy creature, ground down by
+      watching and privations, and half-clothed in a poor, patched cotton gown.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sister! to see you thus!&rdquo; Unable to articulate another word, the
+      Bacchanal Queen threw herself on the other&rsquo;s neck, and burst into tears.
+      Then, in the midst of her sobs, she added: &ldquo;Pardon! pardon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter, my dear Cephyse?&rdquo; said the young sewing-girl, deeply
+      moved, and gently disengaging herself from the embrace of her sister. &ldquo;Why
+      do you ask my pardon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; resumed Cephyse, raising her countenance, bathed in tears, and
+      purple with shame; &ldquo;is it not shameful of me to be dressed in all this
+      frippery, and throwing away so much money in follies, while you are thus
+      miserably clad, and in need of everything&mdash;perhaps dying of want, for
+      I have never seen your poor face look so pale and worn.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be at ease, dear sister! I am not ill. I was up rather late last night,
+      and that makes me a little pale&mdash;but pray do not cry&mdash;it grieves
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Bacchanal Queen had but just arrived, radiant in the midst of the
+      intoxicated crowd, and yet it was Mother Bunch who was now employed in
+      consoling her!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An incident occurred, which made the contrast still more striking. Joyous
+      cries were heard suddenly in the next apartment, and these words were
+      repeated with enthusiasm: &ldquo;Long live the Bacchanal Queen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch trembled, and her eyes filled with tears, as she saw her
+      sister with her face buried in her hands, as if overwhelmed with shame.
+      &ldquo;Cephyse,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I entreat you not to grieve so. You will make me
+      regret the delight of this meeting, which is indeed happiness to me! It is
+      so long since I saw you! But tell me&mdash;what ails you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You despise me perhaps&mdash;you are right,&rdquo; said the Bacchanal Queen,
+      drying her tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Despise you? for what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because I lead the life I do, instead of having the courage to support
+      misery along with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The grief of Cephyse was so heart-breaking, that Mother Bunch, always good
+      and indulgent, wishing to console her, and raise her a little in her own
+      estimation, said to her tenderly: &ldquo;In supporting it bravely for a whole
+      year, my good Cephyse, you have had more merit and courage than I should
+      have in bearing with it my whole life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sister! do not say that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In simple truth,&rdquo; returned Mother Bunch, &ldquo;to what temptations is a
+      creature like me exposed? Do I not naturally seek solitude, even as you
+      seek a noisy life of pleasure? What wants have I? A very little suffices.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you have not always that little?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;but, weak and sickly as I seem, I can endure some privations
+      better than you could. Thus hunger produces in me a sort of numbness,
+      which leaves me very feeble&mdash;but for you, robust and full of life,
+      hunger is fury, is madness. Alas! you must remember how many times I have
+      seen you suffering from those painful attacks, when work failed us in our
+      wretched garret, and we could not even earn our four francs a week&mdash;so
+      that we had nothing&mdash;absolutely nothing to eat&mdash;for our pride
+      prevented us from applying to the neighbors.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have preserved the right to that honest pride.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you as well! Did you not struggle as much as a human creature could?
+      But strength fails at last&mdash;I know you well, Cephyse&mdash;it was
+      hunger that conquered you; and the painful necessity of constant labor,
+      which was yet insufficient to supply our common wants.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you could endure those privations&mdash;you endure them still.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can you compare me with yourself? Look,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, taking her
+      sister by the hand, and leading her to a mirror placed above a couch,
+      &ldquo;look!&mdash;Dost think that God made you so beautiful, endowed you with
+      such quick and ardent blood, with so joyous, animated, grasping a nature
+      and with such taste and fondness for pleasure, that your youth might be
+      spent in a freezing garret, hid from the sun, nailed constantly to your
+      chair, clad almost in rags, and working without rest and without hope? No!
+      for He has given us other wants than those of eating and drinking. Even in
+      our humble condition, does not beauty require some little ornament? Does
+      not youth require some movement, pleasure, gayety? Do not all ages call
+      for relaxation and rest? Had you gained sufficient wages to satisfy
+      hunger, to have a day or so&rsquo;s amusement in the week, after working every
+      other day for twelve or fifteen hours, and to procure the neat and modest
+      dress which so charming a face might naturally claim&mdash;you would never
+      have asked for more, I am sure of it&mdash;you have told me as much a
+      hundred times. You have yielded, therefore, to an irresistible necessity,
+      because your wants are greater than mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; replied the Bacchanal Queen, with a pensive air; &ldquo;if I could
+      but have gained eighteenpence a day, my life would have been quite
+      different; for, in the beginning, sister, I felt cruelly humiliated to
+      live at a man&rsquo;s expense.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;it was inevitable, my dear Cephyse; I must pity, but
+      cannot blame you. You did not choose your destiny; but, like me, you have
+      submitted to it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor sister!&rdquo; said Cephyse, embracing the speaker tenderly; &ldquo;you can
+      encourage and console me in the midst of your own misfortunes, when I
+      ought to be pitying you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch; &ldquo;God is just and good. If He has denied
+      me many advantages, He has given me my joys, as you have yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Joys?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, and great ones&mdash;without which life would be too burdensome, and
+      I should not have the courage to go through with it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand you,&rdquo; said Cephyse, with emotion; &ldquo;you still know how to
+      devote yourself for others, and that lightens your own sorrows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do what I can, but, alas! it is very little; yet when I succeed,&rdquo; added
+      Mother Bunch, with a faint smile, &ldquo;I am as proud and happy as a poor
+      little ant, who, after a great deal of trouble, has brought a big straw to
+      the common nest. But do not let us talk any more of me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, but I must, even at the risk of making you angry,&rdquo; resumed the
+      Bacchanal Queen, timidly; &ldquo;I have something to propose to you which you
+      once before refused. Jacques Rennepont has still, I think, some money left&mdash;we
+      are spending it in follies&mdash;now and then giving a little to poor
+      people we may happen to meet&mdash;I beg of you, let me come to your
+      assistance&mdash;I see in your poor face, you cannot conceal it from me,
+      that you are wearing yourself out with toil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks, my dear Cephyse, I know your good heart; but I am not in want of
+      anything. The little I gain is sufficient for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You refuse me,&rdquo; said the Bacchanal Queen, sadly, &ldquo;because you know that
+      my claim to this money is not honorable&mdash;be it so&mdash;I respect
+      your scruples. But you will not refuse a service from Jacques; he has been
+      a workman, like ourselves, and comrades should help each other. Accept it
+      I beseech you, or I shall think you despise me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I shall think you despise me, if you insist any more upon it, my dear
+      Cephyse,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, in a tone at once so mild and firm that the
+      Bacchanal Queen saw that all persuasion would be in vain. She hung her
+      head sorrowfully, and a tear again trickled down her cheek.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My refusal grieves you,&rdquo; said the other, taking her hand; &ldquo;I am truly
+      sorry&mdash;but reflect&mdash;and you will understand me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; said the Bacchanal Queen, bitterly, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      silence; &ldquo;you cannot accept assistance from my lover&mdash;it was an
+      insult to propose it to you. There are positions in life so humiliating,
+      that they soil even the good one wishes to do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cephyse, I did not mean to hurt you&mdash;you know it well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! believe me,&rdquo; replied the Bacchanal Queen, &ldquo;gay and giddy as I am, I
+      have sometimes moments of reflection, even in the midst of my maddest joy.
+      Happily, such moments are rare.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what do you think of, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, that the life I lead is hardly the thing; then resolve to ask
+      Jacques for a small sum of money, just enough to subsist on for a year,
+      and form the plan of joining you, and gradually getting to work again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The idea is a good one; why not act upon it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because, when about to execute this project, I examined myself sincerely,
+      and my courage failed. I feel that I could never resume the habit of
+      labor, and renounce this mode of life, sometimes rich, as to day,
+      sometimes precarious,&mdash;but at least free and full of leisure, joyous
+      and without care, and at worst a thousand times preferable to living upon
+      four francs a week. Not that interest has guided me. Many times have I
+      refused to exchange a lover, who had little or nothing, for a rich man,
+      that I did not like. Nor have I ever asked anything for myself. Jacques
+      has spent perhaps ten thousand francs the last three or four months, yet
+      we only occupy two half-furnished rooms, because we always live out of
+      doors, like the birds: fortunately, when I first loved him, he had nothing
+      at all, and I had just sold some jewels that had been given me, for a
+      hundred francs, and put this sum in the lottery. As mad people and fools
+      are always lucky, I gained a prize of four thousand francs. Jacques was as
+      gay, and light-headed, and full of fun as myself, so we said: &lsquo;We love
+      each other very much, and, as long as this money lasts, we will keep up
+      the racket; when we have no more, one of two things will happen&mdash;either
+      we shall be tired of one another, and so part&mdash;or else we shall love
+      each other still, and then, to remain together, we shall try and get work
+      again; and, if we cannot do so, and yet will not part&mdash;a bushel of
+      charcoal will do our business!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, turning pale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied! we have not come to that. We had still something left, when
+      a kind of agent, who had paid court to me, but who was so ugly that I
+      could not bear him for all his riches, knowing that I was living with
+      Jacques asked me to&mdash;But why should I trouble you with all these
+      details? In one word, he lent Jacques money, on some sort of a doubtful
+      claim he had, as was thought, to inherit some property. It is with this
+      money that we are amusing ourselves&mdash;as long as its lasts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear Cephyse, instead of spending this money so foolishly, why
+      not put it out to interest, and marry Jacques, since you love him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! in the first place,&rdquo; replied the Bacchanal Queen, laughing, as her
+      gay and thoughtless character resumed its ascendancy, &ldquo;to put money out to
+      interest gives one no pleasure. All the amusement one has is to look at a
+      little bit of paper, which one gets in exchange for the nice little pieces
+      of gold, with which one can purchase a thousand pleasures. As for
+      marrying, I certainly like Jacques better than I ever liked any one; but
+      it seems to me, that, if we were married, all our happiness would end&mdash;for
+      while he is only my lover, he cannot reproach me with what has passed&mdash;but,
+      as my husband, he would be stare to upbraid me, sooner or later, and if my
+      conduct deserves blame, I prefer giving it to myself, because I shall do
+      it more tenderly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mad girl that you are! But this money will not last forever. What is to
+      be done next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Afterwards!&mdash;Oh! that&rsquo;s all in the moon. To-morrow seems to me as if
+      it would not come for a hundred years. If we were always saying: &lsquo;We must
+      die one day or the other&rsquo;&mdash;would life be worth having?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The conversation between Cephyse and her sister was here again interrupted
+      by a terrible uproar, above which sounded the sharp, shrill noise of Ninny
+      Moulin&rsquo;s rattle. To this tumult succeeded a chorus of barbarous cries, in
+      the midst of which were distinguishable these words, which shook the very
+      windows: &ldquo;The Queen! the Bacchanal Queen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch started at this sudden noise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is only my court, who are getting impatient,&rdquo; said Cephyse&mdash;and
+      this time she could laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heavens!&rdquo; cried the sewing-girl, in alarm; &ldquo;if they were to come here in
+      search of you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no&mdash;never fear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But listen! do you not hear those steps? they are coming along the
+      passage&mdash;they are approaching. Pray, sister, let me go out alone,
+      without being seen by all these people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      That moment the door was opened, and Cephyse, ran towards it. She saw in
+      the passage a deputation headed by Ninny Moulin, who was armed with his
+      formidable rattle, and followed by Rose-Pompon and Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Bacchanal Queen! or I poison myself with a glass of water;&rdquo; cried
+      Ninny Moulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Bacchanal Queen! or I publish my banns of marriage with Ninny
+      Moulin!&rdquo; cried little Rose-Pompon, with a determined air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Bacchanal Queen! or the court will rise in arms, and carry her off by
+      force!&rdquo; said another voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;let us carry her off!&rdquo; repeated a formidable chorus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jacques, enter alone!&rdquo; said the Bacchanal Queen, notwithstanding these
+      pressing summonses; then, addressing her court in a majestic tone, she
+      added: &ldquo;In ten minutes, I shall be at your service&mdash;and then for a&mdash;of
+      a time!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Long live the Bacchanal Queen,&rdquo; cried Dumoulin, shaking his rattle as he
+      retired, followed by the deputation, whilst Sleepinbuff entered the room
+      alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jacques,&rdquo; said Cephyse, &ldquo;this is my good sister.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enchanted to see you,&rdquo; said Jacques, cordially; &ldquo;the more so as you will
+      give me some news of my friend Agricola. Since I began to play the rich
+      man, we have not seen each other, but I like him as much as ever, and
+      think him a good and worthy fellow. You live in the same house. How is
+      he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, sir! he and his family have had many misfortunes. He is in prison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In prison!&rdquo; cried Cephyse.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20037m.jpg" alt="20037m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20037.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola in prison! what for?&rdquo; said Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For a trifling political offence. We had hoped to get him out on bail.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly; for five hundred francs it could be done,&rdquo; said Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, we have not been able; the person upon whom we relied&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Bacchanal Queen interrupted the speaker by saying to her lover: &ldquo;Do
+      you hear, Jacques? Agricola in prison, for want of five hundred francs!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure! I hear and understand all about it. No need of your winking.
+      Poor fellow! he was the support of his mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! yes, sir&mdash;and it is the more distressing, as his father has
+      but just returned from Russia, and his mother&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here,&rdquo; said Sleepinbuff, interrupting, and giving Mother Bunch a purse;
+      &ldquo;take this&mdash;all the expenses here have been paid beforehand&mdash;this
+      is what remains of my last bag. You will find here some twenty-five or
+      thirty Napoleons, and I cannot make a better use of them than to serve a
+      comrade in distress. Give them to Agricola&rsquo;s father; he will take the
+      necessary steps, and to-morrow Agricola will be at his forge, where I had
+      much rather he should be than myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jacques, give me a kiss!&rdquo; said the Bacchanal Queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, and afterwards, and again and again!&rdquo; said Jacques, joyously
+      embracing the queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch hesitated for a moment; but reflecting that, after all, this
+      sum of money, which was about to be spent in follies, would restore life
+      and happiness to the family of Agricola, and that hereafter these very
+      five hundred francs, when returned to Jacques, might be of the greatest
+      use to him, she resolved to accept this offer. She took the purse, and
+      with tearful eyes, said to him: &ldquo;I will not refuse your kindness M.
+      Jacques; you are so good and generous, Agricola&rsquo;s father will thus at
+      least have one consolation, in the midst of heavy sorrows. Thanks! many
+      thanks!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no need to thank me; money was made for others as well as
+      ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here, without, the noise recommenced more furiously than ever, and Ninny
+      Moulin&rsquo;s rattle sent forth the most doleful sounds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cephyse,&rdquo; said Sleepinbuff, &ldquo;they will break everything to pieces, if you
+      do not return to them, and I have nothing left to pay for the damage.
+      Excuse us,&rdquo; added he, laughing, &ldquo;but you see that royalty has its duties.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Cephyse deeply moved, extended her arms to Mother Bunch, who threw herself
+      into them, shedding sweet tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now,&rdquo; said she, to her sister, &ldquo;when shall I see you again?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Soon&mdash;though nothing grieves me more than to see you in want, out of
+      which I am not allowed to help you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will come, then, to see me? It is a promise?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I promise you in her name,&rdquo; said Jacques; &ldquo;we will pay a visit to you and
+      your neighbor Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Return to the company, Cephyse, and amuse yourself with a light heart,
+      for M. Jacques has made a whole family happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, and after Sleepinbuff had ascertained that she could go down
+      without being seen by his noisy and joyous companions, Mother Bunch
+      quietly withdrew, eager to carry one piece of good news at least to
+      Dagobert; but intending, first of all, to go to the Rue de Babylone, to
+      the garden-house formerly occupied by Adrienne de Cardoville. We shall
+      explain hereafter the cause of this determination.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the girl quitted the eating-house, three men plainly and comfortably
+      dressed, were watching before it, and talking in a low voice. Soon after,
+      they were joined by a fourth person, who rapidly descended the stairs of
+      the tavern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; said the three first, with anxiety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you sure of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are there two Sleepers-in-buff on earth?&rdquo; replied the other. &ldquo;I have just
+      seen him; he is togged out like one of the swell mob. They will be at
+      table for three hours at least.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then wait for me, you others. Keep as quiet as possible. I will go and
+      fetch the captain, and the game is bagged.&rdquo; So saying, one of the three
+      men walked off quickly, and disappeared in a street leading from the
+      square.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this same instant the Bacchanal Queen entered the banqueting-room,
+      accompanied by Jacques, and was received with the most frenzied
+      acclamations from all sides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now then,&rdquo; cried Cephyse, with a sort of feverish excitement, as if she
+      wished to stun herself; &ldquo;now then, friends&mdash;noise and tumult,
+      hurricane and tempest, thunder and earthquake&mdash;as much as you
+      please!&rdquo; Then, holding out her glass to Ninny Moulin, she added: &ldquo;Pour
+      out! pour out!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Long live the Queen!&rdquo; cried they all, with one voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0056" id="link2HCH0056">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III. THE CAROUSE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he Bacchanal Queen, having Sleepinbuff and Rose-Pompon opposite her, and
+      Ninny Moulin on her right hand, presided at the repast, called a
+      reveille-matin (wake-morning), generously offered by Jacques to his
+      companions in pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both young men and girls seemed to have forgotten the fatigues of a ball,
+      begun at eleven o&rsquo;clock in the evening, and finished at six in the
+      morning; and all these couples, joyous as they were amorous and
+      indefatigable, laughed, ate, and drank, with youthful and Pantagruelian
+      ardor, so that, during the first part of the feast, there was less chatter
+      than clatter of plates and glasses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Bacchanal Queen&rsquo;s countenance was less gay, but much more animated
+      than usual; her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes announced a feverish
+      excitement; she wished to drown reflection, cost what it might. Her
+      conversation with her sister often recurred to her, and she tried to
+      escape from such sad remembrances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jacques regarded Cephyse from time to time with passionate adoration; for,
+      thanks to the singular conformity of character, mind, and taste between
+      him and the Bacchanal Queen, their attachment had deeper and stronger
+      roots than generally belong to ephemeral connections founded upon
+      pleasure. Cephyse and Jacques were themselves not aware of all the power
+      of a passion which till now had been surrounded only by joys and
+      festivities, and not yet been tried by any untoward event.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Little Rose-Pompon, left a widow a few days before by a student, who, in
+      order to end the carnival in style, had gone into the country to raise
+      supplies from his family, under one of those fabulous pretences which
+      tradition carefully preserves in colleges of law and medicine&mdash;Rose
+      Pompon, we repeat, an example of rare fidelity, determined not to
+      compromise herself, had taken for a chaperon the inoffensive Ninny Moulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This latter, having doffed his helmet, exhibited a bald head, encircled by
+      a border of black, curling hair, pretty long at the back of the head. By a
+      remarkable Bacchic phenomenon, in proportion as intoxication gained upon
+      him, a sort of zone, as purple as his jovial face, crept by degrees over
+      his brow, till it obscured even the shining whiteness of his crown.
+      Rose-Pompon, who knew the meaning of this symptom, pointed it out to the
+      company, and exclaimed with a loud burst of laughter: &ldquo;Take care, Ninny
+      Moulin! the tide of the wine is coming in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When it rises above his head he will be drowned,&rdquo; added the Bacchanal
+      Queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Queen! don&rsquo;t disturb me; I am meditating, answered Dumoulin, who was
+      getting tipsy. He held in his hand, in the fashion of an antique goblet, a
+      punch-bowl filled with wine, for he despised the ordinary glasses, because
+      of their small size.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Meditating,&rdquo; echoed Rose-Pompon, &ldquo;Ninny Moulin is meditating. Be
+      attentive!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is meditating; he must be ill then!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is he meditating? an illegal dance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A forbidden Anacreontic attitude?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I am meditating,&rdquo; returned Dumoulin, gravely; &ldquo;I am meditating upon
+      wine, generally and in particular&mdash;wine, of which the immortal
+      Bossuet&rdquo;&mdash;Dumoulin had the very bad habit of quoting Bossuet when he
+      was drunk&mdash;&ldquo;of which the immortal Bossuet says (and he was a judge of
+      good liquor): &lsquo;In wine is courage, strength joy, and spiritual fervor&rsquo;&mdash;when
+      one has any brains,&rdquo; added Ninny Moulin, by way of parenthesis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my! how I adore your Bossuet!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for my particular meditation, it concerns the question, whether the
+      wine at the marriage of Cana was red or white. Sometimes I incline to one
+      side, sometimes to the other&mdash;and sometimes to both at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is going to the bottom of the question,&rdquo; said Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, above all, to the bottom of the bottles,&rdquo; added the Bacchanal Queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As your majesty is pleased to observe; and already, by dint of reflection
+      and research, I have made a great discovery&mdash;namely, that, if the
+      wine at the marriage of Cana was red&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It couldn&rsquo;t &lsquo;a&rsquo; been white,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, judiciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if I had arrived at the conviction that it was neither white nor
+      red?&rdquo; asked Dumoulin, with a magisterial air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That could only be when you had drunk till all was blue,&rdquo; observed
+      Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The partner of the Queen says well. One may be too athirst for science;
+      but never mind! From all my studies on this question, to which I have
+      devoted my life&mdash;I shall await the end of my respectable career with
+      the sense of having emptied tuns with a historical&mdash;theological&mdash;and
+      archeological tone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe the jovial grimace and tone with which
+      Dumoulin pronounced and accentuated these last words, which provoked a
+      general laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Archieolopically?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon. &ldquo;What sawnee is that? Has he a tail?
+      does he live in the water?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind,&rdquo; observed the Bacchanal Queen; &ldquo;these are words of wise men
+      and conjurers; they are like horsehair bustles&mdash;they serve for
+      filling out&mdash;that&rsquo;s all. I like better to drink; so fill the glasses,
+      Ninny Moulin; some champagne, Rose-Pompon; here&rsquo;s to the health of your
+      Philemon and his speedy return!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to the success of his plant upon his stupid and stingy family!&rdquo; added
+      Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The toast was received with unanimous applause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the permission of her majesty and her court,&rdquo; said Dumoulin, &ldquo;I
+      propose a toast to the success of a project which greatly interests me,
+      and has some resemblance to Philemon&rsquo;s jockeying. I fancy that the toast
+      will bring me luck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s have it, by all means!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then&mdash;success to my marriage!&rdquo; said Dumoulin, rising.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These words provoked an explosion of shouts, applause, and laughter. Ninny
+      Moulin shouted, applauded, laughed even louder than the rest, opening wide
+      his enormous mouth, and adding to the stunning noise the harsh springing
+      of his rattle, which he had taken up from under his chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the storm had somewhat subsided, the Bacchanal Queen rose and said:
+      &ldquo;I drink to the health of the future Madame Ninny Moulin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Queen! your courtesy touches me so sensibly that I must allow you to
+      read in the depths of my heart the name of my future spouse,&rdquo; exclaimed
+      Dumoulin. &ldquo;She is called Madame Honoree-Modeste-Messaline-Angele de la
+      Sainte-Colombe, widow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bravo! bravo!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is sixty years old, and has more thousands of francs-a-year than she
+      has hair in her gray moustache or wrinkles on her face; she is so superbly
+      fat that one of her gowns would serve as a tent for this honorable
+      company. I hope to present my future spouse to you on Shrove Tuesday, in
+      the costume of a shepherdess that has just devoured her flock. Some of
+      them wish to convert her&mdash;but I have undertaken to divert her, which
+      she will like better. You must help me to plunge her headlong into all
+      sorts of skylarking jollity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will plunge her into anything you please.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She shall dance like sixty!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, humming a popular tune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She will overawe the police.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We can say to them: &lsquo;Respect this lady; your mother will perhaps be as
+      old some day!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, the Bacchanal Queen rose; her countenance wore a singular
+      expression of bitter and sardonic delight. In one hand she held a glass
+      full to the brim. &ldquo;I hear the Cholera is approaching in his seven-league
+      boots,&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;I drink luck to the Cholera!&rdquo; And she emptied the
+      bumper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding the general gayety, these words made a gloomy impression;
+      a sort of electric shudder ran through the assemblage, and nearly every
+      countenance became suddenly serious.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Cephyse!&rdquo; said Jacques, in a tone of reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Luck to the Cholera,&rdquo; repeated the Queen, fearlessly. &ldquo;Let him spare
+      those who wish to live, and kill together those who dread to part!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Jacques and Cephyse exchanged a rapid glance, unnoticed by their joyous
+      companions, and for some time the Bacchanal Queen remained silent and
+      thoughtful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you put it that way, it is different,&rdquo; cried Rose-Pompon, boldly. &ldquo;To
+      the Cholera! may none but good fellows be left on earth!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of this variation, the impression was still painfully impressive.
+      Dumoulin, wishing to cut short this gloomy subject, exclaimed: &ldquo;Devil take
+      the dead, and long live the living! And, talking of chaps who both live
+      and live well, I ask you to drink a health most dear to our joyous queen,
+      the health of our Amphitryon. Unfortunately, I do not know his respectable
+      name, having only had the advantage of making his acquaintance this night;
+      he will excuse me, then, if I confine myself to proposing the health of
+      Sleepinbuff&mdash;a name by no means offensive to my modesty, as Adam
+      never slept in any other manner. I drink to Sleepinbuff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks, old son!&rdquo; said Jacques, gayly; &ldquo;were I to forget your name, I
+      should call you &lsquo;Have-a-sip?&rsquo; and I am sure that you would answer: &lsquo;I
+      will.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will directly!&rdquo; said Dumoulin, making the military salute with one
+      hand, and holding out the bowl with the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As we have drunk together,&rdquo; resumed Sleepinbuff, cordially, &ldquo;we ought to
+      know each other thoroughly. I am Jacques Rennepont?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rennepont!&rdquo; cried Dumoulin, who appeared struck by the name, in spite of
+      his half-drunkenness; &ldquo;you are Rennepont?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rennepont in the fullest sense of the word. Does that astonish you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is a very ancient family of that name&mdash;the Counts of
+      Rennepont.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The deuce there is!&rdquo; said the other, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Counts of Rennepont are also Dukes of Cardoville,&rdquo; added Dumoulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, come, old fellow! do I look as if I belonged to such a family?&mdash;I,
+      a workman out for a spree?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You a workman? why, we are getting into the Arabian Nights!&rdquo; cried
+      Dumoulin, more and more surprised. &ldquo;You give us a Belshazzar&rsquo;s banquet,
+      with accompaniment of carriages and four, and yet are a workman? Only tell
+      me your trade, and I will join you, leaving the Vine of the Divine to take
+      care of itself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, I say! don&rsquo;t think that I am a printer of flimsies, and a smasher!&rdquo;
+       replied Jacques, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, comrade! no such suspicion&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would be excusable, seeing the rigs I run. But I&rsquo;ll make you easy on
+      that point. I am spending an inheritance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eating and drinking an uncle, no doubt?&rdquo; said Dumoulin, benevolently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faith, I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! you don&rsquo;t know whom you are eating and drinking?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you see, in the first place, my father was a bone-grubber.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The devil he was!&rdquo; said Dumoulin, somewhat out of countenance, though in
+      general not over-scrupulous in the choice of his bottle-companions: but,
+      after the first surprise, he resumed, with the most charming amenity:
+      &ldquo;There are some rag-pickers very high by scent&mdash;I mean descent!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure! you may think to laugh at me,&rdquo; said Jacques, &ldquo;but you are
+      right in this respect, for my father was a man of very great merit. He
+      spoke Greek and Latin like a scholar, and often told me that he had not
+      his equal in mathematics; besides, he had travelled a good deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then,&rdquo; resumed Dumoulin, whom surprise had partly sobered, &ldquo;you may
+      belong to the family of the Counts of Rennepont, after all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In which case,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, laughing, &ldquo;your father was not a
+      gutter-snipe by trade, but only for the honor of the thing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20045m.jpg" alt="20045m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20045.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no&mdash;worse luck! it was to earn his living,&rdquo; replied Jacques;
+      &ldquo;but, in his youth, he had been well off. By what appeared, or rather by
+      what did not appear, he had applied to some rich relation, and the rich
+      relation had said to him: &lsquo;Much obliged! try the work&rsquo;us.&rsquo; Then he wished
+      to make use of his Greek, and Latin, and mathematics. Impossible to do
+      anything&mdash;Paris, it seems, being choke-full of learned men&mdash;so
+      my father had to look for his bread at the end of a hooked stick, and
+      there, too, he must have found it, for I ate of it during two years, when
+      I came to live with him after the death of an aunt, with whom I had been
+      staying in the country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your respectable father must have been a sort of philosopher,&rdquo; said
+      Dumoulin; &ldquo;but, unless he found an inheritance in a dustbin, I don&rsquo;t see
+      how you came into your property.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait for the end of the song. At twelve years of age I was an apprentice
+      at the factory of M. Tripeaud; two years afterwards, my father died of an
+      accident, leaving me the furniture of our garret&mdash;a mattress, a
+      chair, and a table&mdash;and, moreover, in an old Eau de Cologne box, some
+      papers (written, it seems, in English), and a bronze medal, worth about
+      ten sous, chain and all. He had never spoken to me of these papers, so,
+      not knowing if they were good for anything, I left them at the bottom of
+      an old trunk, instead of burning them&mdash;which was well for me, since
+      it is upon these papers that I have had money advanced.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a godsend!&rdquo; said Dumoulin. &ldquo;But somebody must have known that you
+      had them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; one of those people that are always looking out for old debts came
+      to Cephyse, who told me all about it; and, after he had read the papers,
+      he said that the affair was doubtful, but that he would lend me ten
+      thousand francs on it, if I liked. Ten thousand francs was a large sum, so
+      I snapped him up!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you must have supposed that these old papers were of great value.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faith, no! since my father, who ought to have known their value, had
+      never realized on them&mdash;and then, you see, ten thousand francs in
+      good, bright coin, falling as it were from the clouds, are not to be
+      sneezed at&mdash;so I took them&mdash;only the man made me do a bit of
+      stiff as guarantee, or something of that kind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did you sign it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course&mdash;what did I care about it? The man told me it was only a
+      matter of form. He spoke the truth, for the bill fell due a fortnight ago,
+      and I have heard nothing of it. I have still about a thousand francs in
+      his hands, for I have taken him for my banker. And that&rsquo;s the way, old
+      pal, that I&rsquo;m able to flourish and be jolly all day long, as pleased as
+      Punch to have left my old grinder of a master, M. Tripeaud.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he pronounced this name, the joyous countenance of Jacques became
+      suddenly overcast. Cephyse, no longer under the influence of the painful
+      impression she had felt for a moment, looked uneasily at Jacques, for she
+      knew the irritation which the name of M. Tripeaud produced within him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Tripeaud,&rdquo; resumed Sleepinbuff, &ldquo;is one that would make the good bad,
+      and the bad worse. They say that a good rider makes a good horse; they
+      ought to say that a good master makes a good workman. Zounds! when I think
+      of that fellow!&rdquo; cried Sleepinbuff, striking his hand violently on the
+      table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, Jacques&mdash;think of something else!&rdquo; said the Bacchanal Queen.
+      &ldquo;Make him laugh, Rose-Pompon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not in a humor to laugh,&rdquo; replied Jacques, abruptly, for he was
+      getting excited from the effects of the wine; &ldquo;it is more than I can bear
+      to think of that man. It exasperates me! it drives me mad! You should have
+      heard him saying: &lsquo;Beggarly workmen! rascally workmen! they grumble that
+      they have no food in their bellies; well, then, we&rsquo;ll give them bayonets
+      to stop their hunger.&lsquo;(11) And there&rsquo;s the children in his factory&mdash;you
+      should see them, poor little creatures!&mdash;working as long as the men&mdash;wasting
+      away, and dying by the dozen&mdash;what odds? as soon as they were dead
+      plenty of others came to take their places&mdash;not like horses, which
+      can only be replaced with money.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, it is clear, that you do not like your old master,&rdquo; said Dumoulin,
+      more and more surprised at his Amphitryon&rsquo;s gloomy and thoughtful air,
+      and, regretting that the conversation had taken this serious turn, he
+      whispered a few words in the ear of the Bacchanal Queen, who answered by a
+      sign of intelligence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like M. Tripeaud!&rdquo; exclaimed Jacques. &ldquo;I hate him&mdash;and shall
+      I tell you why? Because it is as much his fault as mine, that I have
+      become a good-for-nothing loafer. I don&rsquo;t say it to screen myself; but it
+      is the truth. When I was &lsquo;prenticed to him as a lad, I was all heart and
+      ardor, and so bent upon work, that I used to take my shirt off to my task,
+      which, by the way, was the reason that I was first called Sleepinbuff.
+      Well! I might have toiled myself to death; not one word of encouragement
+      did I receive. I came first to my work, and was the last to leave off;
+      what matter? it was not even noticed. One day, I was injured by the
+      machinery. I was taken to the hospital. When I came out, weak as I was, I
+      went straight to my work; I was not to be frightened; the others, who knew
+      their master well, would often say to me: &lsquo;What a muff you must be, little
+      one! What good will you get by working so hard?&rsquo;&mdash;still I went on.
+      But, one day, a worthy old man, called Father Arsene, who had worked in
+      the house many years, and was a model of good conduct, was suddenly turned
+      away, because he was getting too feeble. It was a death-blow to him; his
+      wife was infirm, and, at his age, he could not get another place. When the
+      foreman told him he was dismissed, he could not believe it, and he began
+      to cry for grief. At that moment, M. Tripeaud passes; Father Arsene begs
+      him with clasped hands to keep him at half-wages. &lsquo;What!&rsquo; says M.
+      Tripeaud, shrugging his shoulders; &lsquo;do you think that I will turn my
+      factory into a house of invalids? You are no longer able to work&mdash;so
+      be off!&rsquo; &lsquo;But I have worked forty years of my life; what is to become of
+      me?&rsquo; cried poor Father Arsene. &lsquo;That is not my business,&rsquo; answered M.
+      Tripeaud; and, addressing his clerk, he added: &lsquo;Pay what is due for the
+      week, and let him cut his stick.&rsquo; Father Arsene did cut his stick; that
+      evening, he and his old wife suffocated themselves with charcoal. Now, you
+      see, I was then a lad; but that story of Father Arsene taught me, that,
+      however hard you might work, it would only profit your master, who would
+      not even thank you for it, and leave you to die on the flags in your old
+      age. So all my fire was damped, and I said to myself: &lsquo;What&rsquo;s the use of
+      doing more than I just need? If I gain heaps of gold for M. Tripeaud,
+      shall I get an atom of it?&rsquo; Therefore, finding neither pride nor profit in
+      my work, I took a disgust for it&mdash;just did barely enough to earn my
+      wages&mdash;became an idler and a rake&mdash;and said to myself: &lsquo;When I
+      get too tired of labor, I can always follow the example of Father Arsene
+      and his wife.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst Jacques resigned himself to the current of these bitter thoughts,
+      the other guests, incited by the expressive pantomime of Dumoulin and the
+      Bacchanal Queen, had tacitly agreed together; and, on a signal from the
+      Queen, who leaped upon the table, and threw down the bottles and glasses
+      with her foot, all rose and shouted, with the accompaniment of Ninny
+      Moulin&rsquo;s rattle &ldquo;The storm blown Tulip! the quadrille of the Storm-blown
+      Tulip!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these joyous cries, which burst suddenly, like shell, Jacques started;
+      then gazing with astonishment at his guests, he drew his hand across his
+      brow, as if to chase away the painful ideas that oppressed him, and
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;You are right. Forward the first couple! Let us be merry!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In a moment, the table, lifted by vigorous arms, was removed to the
+      extremity of the banqueting-room; the spectators, mounted upon chairs,
+      benches, and window-ledges, began to sing in chorus the well-known air of
+      les Etudiants, so as to serve instead of orchestra, and accompany the
+      quadrille formed by Sleepinbuff, the Queen, Ninny Moulin, and Rose Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dumoulin, having entrusted his rattle to one of the guests, resumed his
+      extravagant Roman helmet and plume; he had taken off his great-coat at the
+      commencement of the feast, so that he now appeared in all the splendor of
+      his costume. His cuirass of bright scales ended in a tunic of feathers,
+      not unlike those worn by the savages, who form the oxen&rsquo;s escort on Mardi
+      Gras. Ninny Moulin had a huge paunch and thin legs, so that the latter
+      moved about at pleasure in the gaping mouths of his large top boots.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Little Rose-Pompon, with her pinched-up cocked-hat stuck on one side, her
+      hands in the pockets of her trousers, her bust a little inclined forward,
+      and undulating from right to left, advanced to meet Ninny-Moulin; the
+      latter danced, or rather leaped towards her, his left leg bent under him,
+      his right leg stretched forward, with the toe raised, and the heel gliding
+      on the floor; moreover, he struck his neck with his left hand, and by a
+      simultaneous movement, stretched forth his right, as if he would have
+      thrown dust in the eyes of his opposite partner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This first figure met with great success, and the applause was vociferous,
+      though it was only the innocent prelude to the step of the Storm-blown
+      Tulip&mdash;when suddenly the door opened, and one of the waiters, after
+      looking about for an instant, in search of Sleepinbuff, ran to him, and
+      whispered some words in his ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me!&rdquo; cried Jacques, laughing; &ldquo;here&rsquo;s a go!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The waiter added a few more words, when Sleepinbuff&rsquo;s face assumed an
+      expression of uneasiness, as he answered. &ldquo;Very well! I come directly,&rdquo;&mdash;and
+      he made a step towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the matter, Jacques?&rdquo; asked the Bacchanal Queen, in some surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be back immediately. Some one take my place. Go on with the dance,&rdquo;
+       said Sleepinbuff, as he hastily left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Something, that was not put down in the bill,&rdquo; said Dumoulin; &ldquo;he will
+      soon be back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it,&rdquo; said Cephyse. &ldquo;Now cavalier suel!&rdquo; she added, as she took
+      Jacques&rsquo;s place, and the dance continued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ninny Moulin had just taken hold of Rose Pompon with his right hand, and
+      of the Queen with his left, in order to advance between the two, in which
+      figure he showed off his buffoonery to the utmost extent, when the door
+      again opened, and the same waiter, who had called out Jacques, approached
+      Cephyse with an air of consternation, and whispered in her ear, as he had
+      before done to Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Bacchanal Queen grew pale, uttered a piercing scream, and rushed out
+      of the room without a word, leaving her guests in stupefaction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (11) These atrocious words were actually spoken during the Lyons Riots.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0057" id="link2HCH0057">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV. THE FAREWELL
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he Bacchanal Queen, following the waiter, arrived at the bottom of the
+      staircase. A coach was standing before the door of the house. In it she
+      saw Sleepinbuff, with one of the men who, two hours before, had been
+      waiting on the Place du Chatelet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the arrival of Cephyse, the man got down, and said to Jacques, as he
+      drew out his watch: &ldquo;I give you a quarter of an hour; it is all that I can
+      do for you, my good fellow; after that we must start. Do not try to
+      escape, for we&rsquo;ll be watching at the coach doors.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With one spring, Cephyse was in the coach. Too much overcome to speak
+      before, she now exclaimed, as she took her seat by Jacques, and remarked
+      the paleness of his countenance: &ldquo;What is it? What do they want with you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am arrested for debt,&rdquo; said Jacques, in a mournful voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You!&rdquo; exclaimed Cephyse, with a heart-rending sob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, for that bill, or guarantee, they made me sign. And yet the man said
+      it was only a form&mdash;the rascal!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you have money in his hands; let him take that on account.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have not a copper; he sends me word by the bailiff, that not having
+      paid the bill, I shall not have the last thousand francs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then let us go to him, and entreat him to leave you at liberty. It was he
+      who came to propose to lend you this money. I know it well, as he first
+      addressed himself to me. He will have pity on you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pity?&mdash;a money broker pity? No! no!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is there then no hope? none?&rdquo; cried Cephyse clasping her hands in
+      anguish. &ldquo;But there must be something done,&rdquo; she resumed. &ldquo;He promised
+      you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can see how he keeps his promises,&rdquo; answered Jacques, with
+      bitterness. &ldquo;I signed, without even knowing what I signed. The bill is
+      over-due; everything is in order, it would be vain to resist. They have
+      just explained all that to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But they cannot keep you long in prison. It is impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Five years, if I do not pay. As I&rsquo;ll never be able to do so, my fate is
+      certain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! what a misfortune! and not to be able to do anything!&rdquo; said Cephyse,
+      hiding her face in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, Cephyse,&rdquo; resumed Jacques, in a voice of mournful emotion;
+      &ldquo;since I am here, I have thought only of one thing&mdash;what is to become
+      of you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not mind you?&mdash;art mad? What will you do? The furniture of our two
+      rooms is not worth two hundred francs. We have squandered our money so
+      foolishly, that we have not even paid our rent. We owe three quarters, and
+      we must not therefore count upon the furniture. I leave you without a
+      coin. At least I shall be fed in prison&mdash;but how will you manage to
+      live?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the use of grieving beforehand?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask you how you will live to-morrow?&rdquo; cried Jacques.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will sell my costume, and some other clothes. I will send you half the
+      money, and keep the rest. That will last some days.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And afterwards?&mdash;afterwards?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Afterwards?&mdash;why, then&mdash;I don&rsquo;t know&mdash;how can I tell you!
+      Afterwards&mdash;I&rsquo;ll look about me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hear me, Cephyse,&rdquo; resumed Jacques, with bitter agony. &ldquo;It is now that I
+      first know how mach I love you. My heart is pressed as in a vise at the
+      thought of leaving you and I shudder to thinly what is to become of you.&rdquo;
+       Then&mdash;drawing his hand across his forehead, Jacques added: &ldquo;You see
+      we have been ruined by saying&mdash;&lsquo;To-morrow will never come!&rsquo;&mdash;for
+      to morrow has come. When I am no longer with you, and you have spent the
+      last penny of the money gained by the sale of your clothes&mdash;unfit for
+      work as you have become&mdash;what will you do next? Must I tell you what
+      you will do!&mdash;you will forget me and&mdash;&rdquo; Then, as if he recoiled
+      from his own thoughts, Jacques exclaimed, with a burst of rage and despair&mdash;&ldquo;Great
+      Heaven! if that were to happen, I should dash my brains out against the
+      stones!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Cephyse guessed the half-told meaning of Jacques, and throwing her arms
+      around his neck, she said to him: &ldquo;I take another lover?&mdash;never! I am
+      like you, for I now first know how much I love you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my poor Cephyse&mdash;how will you live?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I shall take courage. I will go back and dwell, with my sister, as
+      in old times; we will work together, and so earn our bread. I&rsquo;ll never go
+      out, except to visit you. In a few days your creditor will reflect, that,
+      as you can&rsquo;t pay him ten thousand francs, he may as well set you free. By
+      that time I shall have once more acquired the habit of working. You shall
+      see, you shall see!&mdash;and you also will again acquire this habit. We
+      shall live poor, but content. After all, we have had plenty of amusement
+      for six month, while so many others have never known pleasure all their
+      lives. And believe me, my dear Jacques, when I say to you&mdash;I shall
+      profit by this lesson. If you love me, do not feel the least uneasiness; I
+      tell you, that I would rather die a hundred times, than have another
+      lover.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kiss me,&rdquo; said Jacques, with eyes full of tears. &ldquo;I believe you&mdash;yes,
+      I believe you&mdash;and you give me back my courage, both for now and
+      hereafter. You are right; we must try and get to work again, or else
+      nothing remains but Father Arsene&rsquo;s bushel of charcoal; for, my girl,&rdquo;
+       added Jacques, in a low and trembling voice, &ldquo;I have been like a drunken
+      man these six months, and now I am getting sober, and see whither we are
+      going. Our means once exhausted, I might perhaps have become a robber, and
+      you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Jacques! don&rsquo;t talk so&mdash;it is frightful,&rdquo; interrupted Cephyse;
+      &ldquo;I swear to you that I will return to my sister&mdash;that I will work&mdash;that
+      I will have courage!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus saying, the Bacchanal Queen was very sincere; she fully intended to
+      keep her word, for her heart was not yet completely corrupted. Misery and
+      want had been with her, as with so many others, the cause and the excuse
+      of her worst errors. Until now, she had at least followed the instincts of
+      her heart, without regard to any base or venal motive. The cruel position
+      in which she beheld Jacques had so far exalted her love, that she believed
+      herself capable of resuming, along with Mother Bunch, that life of sterile
+      and incessant toil, full of painful sacrifices and privations, which once
+      had been impossible for her to bear, and which the habits of a life of
+      leisure and dissipation would now render still more difficult.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still, the assurances which she had just given Jacques calmed his grief
+      and anxiety a little; he had sense and feeling enough to perceive that the
+      fatal track which he had hitherto so blindly followed was leading both him
+      and Cephyse directly to infamy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of the bailiffs, having knocked at the coach-door, said to Jacques:
+      &ldquo;My lad, you have only five minutes left&mdash;so make haste.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, courage, my girl&mdash;courage!&rdquo; said Jacques.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will; you may rely upon me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you going upstairs again?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;oh no!&rdquo; said Cephyse. &ldquo;I have now a horror of this festivity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Everything is paid for, and the waiter will tell them not to expect us
+      back. They will be much astonished,&rdquo; continued Jacques, &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s all the
+      same now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20053m.jpg" alt="20053m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20053.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you could only go with me to our lodging,&rdquo; said Cephyse, &ldquo;this man
+      would perhaps permit it, so as not to enter Sainte-Pelagie in that dress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! he will not forbid you to accompany me; but, as he will be with us in
+      the coach, we shall not be able to talk freely in his presence. Therefore,
+      let me speak reason to you for the first time in my life. Remember what I
+      say, my dear Cephyse&mdash;and the counsel will apply to me as well as to
+      yourself,&rdquo; continued Jacques, in a grave and feeling tone&mdash;&ldquo;resume
+      from to-day the habit of labor. It may be painful, unprofitable&mdash;never
+      mind&mdash;do not hesitate, for too soon will the influence of this lesson
+      be forgotten. By-and-bye it will be too late, and then you will end like
+      so many unfortunate creatures&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand,&rdquo; said Cephyse, blushing; &ldquo;but I will rather die than lead
+      such a life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And there you will do well&mdash;for in that case,&rdquo; added Jacques, in a
+      deep and hollow voice, &ldquo;I will myself show you how to die.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I count upon you, Jacques,&rdquo; answered Cephyse, embracing her lover with
+      excited feeling; then she added, sorrowfully: &ldquo;It was a kind of
+      presentiment, when just now I felt so sad, without knowing why, in the
+      midst of all our gayety&mdash;and drank to the Cholera, so that we might
+      die together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! perhaps the Cholera will come,&rdquo; resumed Jacques, with a gloomy air;
+      &ldquo;that would save us the charcoal, which we may not even be able to buy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can only tell you one thing, Jacques, that to live and die together,
+      you will always find me ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, dry your eyes,&rdquo; said he, with profound emotion. &ldquo;Do not let us play
+      the children before these men.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Some minutes after, the coach took the direction to Jacques&rsquo;s lodging,
+      where he was to change his clothes, before proceeding to the debtors&rsquo;
+      prison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us repeat, with regard to the hunchback&rsquo;s sister&mdash;for there are
+      things which cannot be too often repeated&mdash;that one of the most fatal
+      consequences of the Inorganization of Labor is the Insufficiency of Wages.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The insufficiency of wages forces inevitably the greater number of young
+      girls, thus badly paid, to seek their means of subsistence in connections
+      which deprave them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sometimes they receive a small allowance from their lovers, which, joined
+      to the produce of their labor, enables them to live. Sometimes like the
+      sempstress&rsquo;s sister, they throw aside their work altogether, and take up
+      their abode with the man of their choice, should he be able to support the
+      expense. It is during this season of pleasure and idleness that the
+      incurable leprosy of sloth takes lasting possession of these unfortunate
+      creatures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This is the first phase of degradation that the guilty carelessness of
+      Society imposes on an immense number of workwomen, born with instincts of
+      modesty, and honesty, and uprightness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a certain time they are deserted by their seducers&mdash;perhaps
+      when they are mothers. Or, it may be, that foolish extravagance consigns
+      the imprudent lover to prison, and the young girl finds herself alone,
+      abandoned, without the means of subsistence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Those who have still preserved courage and energy go back to their work&mdash;but
+      the examples are very rare. The others, impelled by misery, and by habits
+      of indolence, fall into the lowest depths.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And yet we must pity, rather than blame them, for the first and virtual
+      cause of their fall has been the insufficient remuneration of labor and
+      sudden reduction of pay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another deplorable consequence of this inorganization is the disgust which
+      workmen feel for their employment, in addition to the insufficiency of
+      their wages. And this is quite conceivable, for nothing is done to render
+      their labor attractive, either by variety of occupations, or by honorary
+      rewards, or by proper care, or by remuneration proportionate to the
+      benefits which their toil provides, or by the hope of rest after long
+      years of industry. No&mdash;the country thinks not, cares not, either for
+      their wants or their rights.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And yet, to take only one example, machinists and workers in foundries,
+      exposed to boiler explosions, and the contact of formidable engines, run
+      every day greater dangers than soldiers in time of war, display rare
+      practical sagacity, and render to industry&mdash;and, consequently, to
+      their country&mdash;the most incontestable service, during a long and
+      honorable career, if they do not perish by the bursting of a boiler, or
+      have not their limbs crushed by the iron teeth of a machine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In this last case, does the workman receive a recompense equal to that
+      which awaits the soldier&rsquo;s praiseworthy, but sterile courage&mdash;a place
+      in an asylum for invalids? No.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What does the country care about it? And if the master should happen to be
+      ungrateful, the mutilated workman, incapable of further service, may die
+      of want in some corner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally, in our pompous festivals of commerce, do we ever assemble any of
+      the skillful workmen who alone have woven those admirable stuffs, forged
+      and damascened those shining weapons, chiselled those goblets of gold and
+      silver, carved the wood and ivory of that costly furniture, and set those
+      dazzling jewels with such exquisite art? No.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the obscurity of their garrets, in the midst of a miserable and
+      starving family, hardly able to subsist on their scanty wages, these
+      workmen have contributed, at least, one half to bestow those wonders upon
+      their country, which make its wealth, its glory, and its pride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A minister of commerce, who had the least intelligence of his high
+      functions and duties, would require of every factory that exhibits on
+      these occasions, the selection by vote of a certain number of candidates,
+      amongst whom the manufacturer would point out the one that appeared most
+      worthy to represent the working classes in these great industrial
+      solemnities.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Would it not be a noble and encouraging example to see the master propose
+      for public recompense and distinction the workman, deputed by his peers,
+      as amongst the most honest, laborious, and intelligent of his profession?
+      Then one most grievous injustice would disappear, and the virtues of the
+      workman would be stimulated by a generous and noble ambition&mdash;he
+      would have an interest in doing well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Doubtless, the manufacturer himself, because of the intelligence he
+      displays, the capital he risks, the establishment he founds, and the good
+      he sometimes does, has a legitimate right to the prizes bestowed upon him.
+      But why is the workman to be rigorously excluded from these rewards, which
+      have so powerful an influence upon the people? Are generals and officers
+      the only ones that receive rewards in the army? And when we have
+      remunerated the captains of this great and powerful army of industry, why
+      should we neglect the privates?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Why for them is there no sign of public gratitude? no kind or consoling
+      word from august lips? Why do we not see in France, a single workman
+      wearing a medal as a reward for his courageous industry, his long and
+      laborious career? The token and the little pension attached to it, would
+      be to him a double recompense, justly deserved. But, no! for humble labor
+      that sustains the State, there is only forgetfulness, injustice,
+      indifference, and disdain!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By this neglect of the public, often aggravated by individual selfishness
+      and ingratitude, our workmen are placed in a deplorable situation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Some of them, notwithstanding their incessant toil, lead a life of
+      privations, and die before their time cursing the social system that rides
+      over them. Others find a temporary oblivion of their ills in destructive
+      intoxication. Others again&mdash;in great number&mdash;having no interest,
+      no advantage, no moral or physical inducement to do more or better,
+      confine themselves strictly to just that amount of labor which will
+      suffice to earn their wages. Nothing attaches them to their work, because
+      nothing elevates, honors, glorifies it in their eyes. They have no defence
+      against the reductions of indolence; and if, by some chance, they find
+      means of living awhile in repose, they give way by degrees to habits of
+      laziness and debauchery, and sometimes the worst passions soil forever
+      natures originally willing, healthy and honest&mdash;and all for want of
+      that protecting and equitable superintendence which should have sustained,
+      encouraged, and recompensed their first worthy and laborious tendencies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We now follow Mother Bunch, who after seeking for work from the person
+      that usually employed her, went to the Rue de Babylone, to the lodge
+      lately occupied by Adrienne de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20057m.jpg" alt="20057m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20057.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0058" id="link2HCH0058">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V. FLORINE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hile the Bacchanal Queen and Sleepinbuff terminated so sadly the most
+      joyous portion of their existence, the sempstress arrived at the door of
+      the summer-house in the Rue de Babylone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before ringing she dried her tears; a new grief weighed upon her spirits.
+      On quitting the tavern, she had gone to the house of the person who
+      usually found her in work; but she was told that she could not have any
+      because it could be done a third more cheaply by women in prison. Mother
+      Bunch, rather than lose her last resource, offered to take it at the third
+      less; but the linen had been already sent out; and the girl could not hope
+      for employment for a fortnight to come, even if submitting to this
+      reduction of wages. One may conceive the anguish of the poor creature; the
+      prospect before her was to die of hunger, if she would not beg or steal.
+      As for her visit to the lodge in the Rue de Babylone, it will be explained
+      presently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She rang the bell timidly; a few minutes after, Florine opened the door to
+      her. The waiting-maid was no longer adorned after the charming taste of
+      Adrienne; on the contrary, she was dressed with an affectation of austere
+      simplicity. She wore a high-necked dress of a dark color, made full enough
+      to conceal the light elegance of her figure. Her bands of jet-black hair
+      were hardly visible beneath the flat border of a starched white cap, very
+      much resembling the head-dress of a nun. Yet, in spite of this
+      unornamental costume, Florine&rsquo;s pale countenance was still admirably
+      beautiful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have said that, placed by former misconduct at the mercy of Rodin and
+      M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, Florine had served them as a spy upon her mistress,
+      notwithstanding the marks of kindness and confidence she had received from
+      her. Yet Florine was not entirely corrupted; and she often suffered
+      painful, but vain, remorse at the thought of the infamous part she was
+      thus obliged to perform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the sight of Mother Bunch, whom she recognized&mdash;for she had told
+      her, the day before, of Agricola&rsquo;s arrest and Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s
+      madness&mdash;Florine recoiled a step, so much was she moved with pity at
+      the appearance of the young sempstress. In fact, the idea of being thrown
+      out of work, in the midst of so many other painful circumstances, had made
+      a terrible impression upon the young workwoman, the traces of recent tears
+      furrowed her cheeks&mdash;without her knowing it, her features expressed
+      the deepest despair&mdash;and she appeared so exhausted, so weak, so
+      overcome, that Florine offered her arm to support her, and said to her
+      kindly: &ldquo;Pray walk in and rest yourself; you are very pale, and seem to be
+      ill and fatigued.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Florine led her into a small room; with fireplace and carpet,
+      and made her sit down in a tapestried armchair by the side of a good fire.
+      Georgette and Hebe had been dismissed, and Florine was left alone in care
+      of the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When her guest was seated, Florine said to her with an air of interest:
+      &ldquo;Will you not take anything? A little orange flower-water and sugar,
+      warm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with emotion, so easily
+      was her gratitude excited by the least mark of kindness; she felt, too, a
+      pleasing surprise, that her poor garments had not been the cause of
+      repugnance or disdain on the part of Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;but I only require a little rest,
+      for I come from a great distance. If you will permit me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray rest yourself as long as you like, mademoiselle; I am alone in this
+      pavilion since the departure of my poor mistress,&rdquo;&mdash;here Florine
+      blushed and sighed;&mdash;&ldquo;so, pray make yourself quite at home. Draw near
+      the fire&mdash;you wilt be more comfortable&mdash;and, gracious! how wet
+      your feet are!&mdash;place them upon this stool.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The cordial reception given by Florine, her handsome face and agreeable
+      manners, which were not those of an ordinary waiting-maid, forcibly struck
+      Mother Bunch, who, notwithstanding her humble condition, was peculiarly
+      susceptible to the influence of everything graceful and delicate.
+      Yielding, therefore, to these attractions, the young sempstress, generally
+      so timid and sensitive, felt herself almost at her ease with Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How obliging you are, mademoiselle!&rdquo; said she in a grateful tone. &ldquo;I am
+      quite confused with your kindness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20061m.jpg" alt="20061m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20061.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish I could do you some greater service than offer you a place at the
+      fire, mademoiselle. Your appearance is so good and interesting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, mademoiselle!&rdquo; said the other, with simplicity, almost in spite of
+      herself; &ldquo;it does one so much good to sit by a warm fire!&rdquo; Then, fearing,
+      in her extreme delicacy, that she might be thought capable of abusing the
+      hospitality of her entertainer, by unreasonably prolonging her visit, she
+      added: &ldquo;the motive that has brought me here is this. Yesterday, you
+      informed me that a young workman, named Agricola Baudoin, had been
+      arrested in this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! yes, mademoiselle. At the moment, too, when my poor mistress was
+      about to render him assistance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am Agricola&rsquo;s adopted sister,&rdquo; resumed Mother Bunch, with a slight
+      blush; &ldquo;he wrote to me yesterday evening from prison. He begged me to tell
+      his father to come here as soon as possible, in order to inform Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville that he, Agricola, had important matters to communicate to her,
+      or to any person that she might send; but that he could not venture to
+      mention them in a letter, as he did not know if the correspondence of
+      prisoners might not be read by the governor of the prison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; said Florine, with surprise; &ldquo;to my mistress, M. Agricola has
+      something of importance to communicate?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mademoiselle; for, up to this time, Agricola is ignorant of the
+      great calamity that has befallen Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True; the attack was indeed so sudden,&rdquo; said Florine, casting down her
+      eyes, &ldquo;that no one could have foreseen it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It must have been so,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch; &ldquo;for, when Agricola saw
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville for the first time, he returned home, struck with her
+      grace, and delicacy, and goodness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As were all who approached my mistress,&rdquo; said Florine, sorrowfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning,&rdquo; resumed the sewing-girl, &ldquo;when, according to Agricola&rsquo;s
+      instructions, I wished to speak to his father on the subject, I found him
+      already gone out, for he also is a prey to great anxieties; but my adopted
+      brother&rsquo;s letter appeared to me so pressing, and to involve something of
+      such consequence to Mdlle. de Cardoville, who had shown herself so
+      generous towards him, that I came here immediately.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, as you already know, my mistress is no longer here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But is there no member of her family to whom, if I could not speak
+      myself, I might at least send word by you, that Agricola has something to
+      communicate of importance to this young lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange!&rdquo; said Florine, reflecting, and without replying. Then,
+      turning towards the sempstress, she added: &ldquo;You are quite ignorant of the
+      nature of these revelations?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Completely so, mademoiselle; but I know Agricola. He is all honor and
+      truth, and you may believe whatever he affirms. Besides, he would have no
+      interest&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good gracious!&rdquo; interrupted Florine, suddenly, as if struck with a sadden
+      light; &ldquo;I have just remembered something. When he was arrested in a
+      hiding-place where my mistress had concealed him, I happened to be close
+      at hand, and M. Agricola said to me, in a quick whisper: &lsquo;Tell your
+      generous mistress that her goodness to me will not go unrewarded, and that
+      my stay in that hiding-place may not be useless to her.&rsquo; That was all he
+      could say to me, for they hurried him off instantly. I confess that I saw
+      in those words only the expression of his gratitude, and his hope of
+      proving it one day to my mistress; but now that I connect them with the
+      letter he has written you&mdash;&rdquo; said Florine, reflecting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; remarked Mother Bunch, &ldquo;there is certainly some connection
+      between his hiding-place here and the important secrets which he wishes to
+      communicate to your mistress, or one of her family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The hiding-place had neither been inhabited nor visited for some time,&rdquo;
+       said Florine, with a thoughtful air; &ldquo;M. Agricola may have found therein
+      something of interest to my mistress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If his letter had not appeared to me so pressing,&rdquo; resumed the other, &ldquo;I
+      should not have come hither; but have left him to do so himself, on his
+      release from prison, which now, thanks to the generosity of one of his old
+      fellow-workmen, cannot be very distant. But, not knowing if bail would be
+      accepted to-day, I have wished faithfully to perform his instructions. The
+      generous kindness of your mistress made it my first duty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Like all persons whose better instincts are still roused from time to
+      time, Florine felt a sort of consolation in doing good whenever she could
+      with impunity&mdash;that is to say, without exposing herself to the
+      inexorable resentments of those on whom she depended. Thanks to Mother
+      Bunch, she might now have an opportunity of rendering a great service to
+      her mistress. She knew enough of the Princess de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s hatred of
+      her niece, to feel certain that Agricola&rsquo;s communication could not, from
+      its very importance, be made with safety to any but Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      herself. She therefore said very gravely: &ldquo;Listen to me, mademoiselle! I
+      will give you a piece of advice which will, I think, be useful to my poor
+      mistress&mdash;but which would be very fatal to me if you did not attend
+      to my recommendations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so, mademoiselle?&rdquo; said the hunchback, looking at Florine with
+      extreme surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For the sake of my mistress, M. Agricola must confide to no one, except
+      herself, the important things he has to communicate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, if he cannot see Mdlle. Adrienne, may he not address himself to some
+      of her family?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is from her family, above all, that he must conceal whatever he knows.
+      Mdlle. Adrienne may recover, and then M. Agricola can speak to her. But
+      should she never get well again, tell your adopted brother that it is
+      better for him to keep his secret than to place it (which would infallibly
+      happen) at the disposal of the enemies of my mistress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand you, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, sadly. &ldquo;The family of
+      your generous mistress do not love her, and perhaps persecute her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell you more on this subject now; and, as regards myself, let
+      me conjure you to obtain M. Agricola&rsquo;s promise that he will not mention to
+      any one in the world the step you have taken, or the advice I have given
+      you. The happiness&mdash;no, not the happiness,&rdquo; resumed Florine bitterly,
+      as if that were a lost hope, &ldquo;not the happiness&mdash;but the peace of my
+      life depends upon your discretion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! be satisfied!&rdquo; said the sewing-girl, both affected and amazed by the
+      sorrowful expression of Florine&rsquo;s countenance; &ldquo;I will not be ungrateful.
+      No one in the world but Agricola shall know that I have seen you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you&mdash;thank you, mademoiselle,&rdquo; cried Florine, with emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you thank me?&rdquo; said the other, astonished to see the large tears roll
+      down her cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! I am indebted to you for a moment of pure, unmixed happiness; for I
+      have perhaps rendered a service to my dear mistress, without risking the
+      increase of the troubles that already overwhelm me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are not happy, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That astonishes you; but, believe me, whatever may be, your fate, I would
+      gladly change with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, mademoiselle!&rdquo; said the sempstress: &ldquo;you appear to have too good a
+      heart, for me to let you entertain such a wish&mdash;particularly now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope sincerely, mademoiselle,&rdquo; proceeded Mother Bunch, with deep
+      sadness, &ldquo;that you may never know what it is to want work, when labor is
+      your only resource.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you reduced to that extremity?&rdquo; cried Florine, looking anxiously at
+      the young sempstress, who hung her head, and made no answer. She
+      reproached herself, in her excessive delicacy, with having made a
+      communication which resembled a complaint, though it had only been wrung
+      from her by the thought of her dreadful situation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If it is so,&rdquo; went on Florine, &ldquo;I pity you with all my heart; and yet I
+      know not, if my misfortunes are not still greater than yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, Florine exclaimed, suddenly: &ldquo;But let
+      me see! If you are really in that position, I think I can procure you some
+      work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it possible, mademoiselle?&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch. &ldquo;I should never have
+      dared to ask you such a service; but your generous offer commands my
+      confidence, and may save me from destruction. I will confess to you, that,
+      only this morning, I was thrown out of an employment which enabled me to
+      earn four francs a week.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Four francs a week!&rdquo; exclaimed Florine, hardly able to believe what she
+      heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was little, doubtless,&rdquo; replied the other; &ldquo;but enough for me.
+      Unfortunately, the person who employed me, has found out where it can be
+      done still cheaper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Four francs a week!&rdquo; repeated Florine, deeply touched by so much misery
+      and resignation. &ldquo;Well! I think I can introduce you to persons, who will
+      secure you wages of at least two francs a day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could earn two francs a day? Is it possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, there is no doubt of it; only, you will have to go out by the day,
+      unless you chose to take a pace as servant.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In my position,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with a mixture of timidity and pride,
+      &ldquo;one has no right, I know, to be overnice; yet I should prefer to go out
+      by the day, and still more to remain at home, if possible, even though I
+      were to gain less.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To go out is unfortunately an indispensable condition,&rdquo; said Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I must renounce this hope,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, timidly; &ldquo;not
+      that I refuse to go out to work&mdash;but those who do so, are expected to
+      be decently clad&mdash;and I confess without shame, because there is no
+      disgrace in honest poverty, that I have no better clothes than these.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If that be all,&rdquo; said Florine, hastily, &ldquo;they will find you the means of
+      dressing yourself properly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch looked at Florine with increasing surprise. These offers were
+      so much above what she could have hoped, and what indeed was generally
+      earned by needlewomen, that she could hardly credit them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But,&rdquo; resumed she, with hesitation, &ldquo;why should any one be so generous to
+      me, mademoiselle? How should I deserve such high wages?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine started. A natural impulse of the heart, a desire to be useful to
+      the sempstress, whose mildness and resignation greatly interested her, had
+      led her to make a hasty proposition; she knew at what price would have to
+      be purchased the advantages she proposed, and she now asked herself, if
+      the hunchback would ever accept them on such terms. But Florine had gone
+      too far to recede, and she durst not tell all. She resolved, therefore, to
+      leave the future to chance and as those, who have themselves fallen, are
+      little disposed to believe in the infallibility of others, Florine said to
+      herself, that perhaps in the desperate position in which she was, Mother
+      Bunch would not be so scrupulous after all. Therefore she said: &ldquo;I see,
+      mademoiselle, that you are astonished at offers so much above what you
+      usually gain; but I must tell you, that I am now speaking of a pious
+      institution, founded to procure work for deserving young women. This
+      establishment, which is called St. Mary&rsquo;s Society, undertakes to place
+      them out as servants, or by the day as needlewomen. Now this institution
+      is managed by such charitable persons, that they themselves undertake to
+      supply an outfit, when the young women, received under their protection
+      are not sufficiently well clothed to accept the places destined for them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This plausible explanation of Florine&rsquo;s magnificent offers appeared to
+      satisfy the hearer. &ldquo;I can now understand the high wages of which you
+      speak, mademoiselle,&rdquo; resumed she; &ldquo;only I have no claim to be patronized
+      by the charitable persons who direct this establishment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You suffer&mdash;you are laborious and honest&mdash;those are sufficient
+      claims; only, I must tell you, they will ask if you perform regularly your
+      religious duties.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No one loves and blesses God more fervently than I do, mademoiselle,&rdquo;
+       said the hunchback, with mild firmness; &ldquo;but certain duties are an affair
+      of conscience, and I would rather renounce this patronage, than be
+      compelled&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not the least in the world. Only, as I told you, there are very pious
+      persons at the head of this institution, and you must not be astonished at
+      their questions on such a subject. Make the trial, at all events; what do
+      you risk? If the propositions are suitable&mdash;accept them; if, on the
+      contrary, they should appear to touch your liberty of conscience, you can
+      always refuse&mdash;your position will not be the worse for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch had nothing to object to this reasoning which left her at
+      perfect freedom, and disarmed her of all suspicion. &ldquo;On these terms,
+      mademoiselle,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;I accept your offer, and thank you with all my
+      heart. But who will introduce me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will&mdash;to-morrow, if you please.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But they will perhaps desire to make some inquiries about me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The venerable Mother Sainte-Perpetue, Superior of St, Mary&rsquo;s Convent,
+      where the institution is established, will, I am sure, appreciate your
+      good qualities without inquiry; but if otherwise, she will tell you, and
+      you can easily satisfy her. It is then agreed&mdash;to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I call upon you here, mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; as I told you before, they must not know that you came here on the
+      part of M. Agricola, and a second visit might be discovered, and excite
+      suspicion. I will come and fetch you in a coach; where do you live?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At No. 3, Rue Brise-Miche; as you are pleased to give yourself so much
+      trouble, mademoiselle, you have only to ask the dyer, who acts as porter,
+      to call down Mother Bunch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch?&rdquo; said Florine, with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mademoiselle,&rdquo; answered the sempstress, with a sad smile; &ldquo;it is the
+      name every one gives me. And you see,&rdquo; added the hunchback, unable to
+      restrain a tear, &ldquo;it is because of my ridiculous infirmity, to which this
+      name alludes, that I dread going out to work among strangers, because
+      there are so many people who laugh at one, without knowing the pain they
+      occasion. But,&rdquo; continued she, drying her eyes, &ldquo;I have no choice, and
+      must make up my mind to it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine, deeply affected, took the speaker&rsquo;s hand, and said to her: &ldquo;Do
+      not fear. Misfortunes like yours must inspire compassion, not ridicule.
+      May I not inquire for you by your real name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is Magdalen Soliveau; but I repeat, mademoiselle, that you had better
+      ask for Mother Bunch, as I am hardly known by any other name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will, then, be in the Rue Brise-Miche to-morrow, at twelve o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, mademoiselle! How can I ever requite your goodness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t speak of it: I only hope my interference may be of use to you. But
+      of this you must judge for yourself. As for M. Agricola, do not answer his
+      letter; wait till he is out of prison, and then tell him to keep his
+      secret till he can see my poor mistress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where is the dear young lady now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell you. I do not know where they took her, when she was
+      attacked with this frenzy. You will expect me to-morrow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;to-morrow,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The convent whither Florine was to conduct the hunchback contained the
+      daughters of Marshal Simon, and was next door to the lunatic asylum of Dr.
+      Baleinier, in which Adrienne de Cardoville was confined.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0059" id="link2HCH0059">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI. MOTHER SAINTE-PERPETUE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">S</span>t. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, whither the daughters of Marshal Simon had been
+      conveyed, was a large old building, the vast garden of which was on the
+      Boulevard de l&rsquo;Hopital, one of the most retired places in Paris,
+      particularly at this period. The following scenes took place on the 12th
+      February, the eve of the fatal day, on which the members of the family of
+      Rennepont, the last descendants of the sister of the Wandering Jew, were
+      to meet together in the Rue St. Francois. St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent was a model
+      of perfect regularity. A superior council, composed of influential
+      ecclesiastics, with Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny for president, and of women of great
+      reputed piety, at the head of whom was the Princess de Saint Dizier,
+      frequently assembled in deliberation, to consult on the means of extending
+      and strengthening the secret and powerful influence of this establishment,
+      which had already made remarkable progress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Skillful combinations and deep foresight had presided at the foundation of
+      St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, which, in consequence of numerous donations, possessed
+      already real estate to a great extent, and was daily augmenting its
+      acquisitions. The religious community was only a pretext; but, thanks to
+      an extensive connection, kept up by means of the most decided members of
+      the ultramontane (i. e. high-church) party, a great number of rich orphans
+      were placed in the convent, there to receive a solid, austere, religious
+      education, very preferable, it was said, to the frivolous instruction
+      which might be had in the fashionable boarding schools, infected by the
+      corruption of the age. To widows also, and lone women who happened
+      moreover to be rich, the convent offered a sure asylum from the dangers
+      and temptations of the world; in this peaceful retreat, they enjoyed a
+      delightful calm, and secured their salvation, whilst surrounded by the
+      most tender and affectionate attentions. Nor was this all. Mother
+      Sainte-Perpetue, the superior of the convent, undertook in the name of the
+      institution to procure for the faithful, who wished to preserve the
+      interior of their houses from the depravity of the age, companions for
+      aged ladies, domestic servants, or needlewomen working by the day, all
+      selected persons whose morality could be warranted. Nothing would seem
+      more worthy of sympathy and encouragement than such an institution; but we
+      shall presently unveil the vast and dangerous network of intrigue
+      concealed under these charitable and holy appearances. The lady Superior,
+      Mother Sainte-Perpetue, was a tall woman of about forty years of age, clad
+      in a stuff dress of the Carmelite tan color, and wearing a long rosary at
+      her waist; a white cap tied under the chin, and a long black veil, closely
+      encircled her thin, sallow face. A number of deep wrinkles had impressed
+      their transverse furrows in her forehead of yellow ivory; her marked and
+      prominent nose was bent like the beak of a bird of prey; her black eye was
+      knowing and piercing; the expression of her countenance was at once
+      intelligent, cold and firm.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20069m.jpg" alt="20069m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20069.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      In the general management of the pecuniary affairs of the community,
+      Mother Sainte-Perpetue would have been a match for the most cunning
+      attorney. When women are possessed of what is called a talent for
+      business, and apply to it their keen penetration, their indefatigable
+      perseverance, their prudent dissimulation, and, above all, that quick and
+      exact insight, which is natural to them, the results are often prodigious.
+      To Mother Sainte-Perpetue, a woman of the coolest and strongest intellect,
+      the management of the vast transactions of the community was mere child&rsquo;s
+      play. No one knew better how to purchase a depreciated property, to
+      restore it to its former value, and then sell it with advantage; the price
+      of stock, the rate of exchange, the current value of the shares in the
+      different companies, were all familiar to her; she had yet never been
+      known to make bad speculation, when the question was to invest any of the
+      funds which were given by pious souls for the purposes of the convent. She
+      had established in the house the utmost order and discipline, and, above
+      all, an extreme economy. The constant aim of all her efforts was to
+      enrich, not herself, but the community she directed; for the spirit of
+      association, when become a collective egotism, gives to corporations the
+      faults and vices of an individual. Thus a congregation may dote upon power
+      and money, just as a miser loves them for their own sake. But it is
+      chiefly with regard to estates that congregations act like a single man.
+      They dream of landed property; it is their fixed idea, their fruitful
+      monomania. They pursue it with their most sincere, and warm, and tender
+      wishes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first estate is to a rising little community what the wedding
+      trousseau is to a young bride, his first horse to a youth, his first
+      success to a poet, to a gay girl her first fifty-guinea shawl; because,
+      after all, in this material age, an estate gives a certain rank to a
+      society on the Religious Exchange, and has so much the more effect upon
+      the simple-minded, that all these partnerships in the work of salvation,
+      which end by becoming immensely rich, begin with modest poverty as social
+      stock-in-trade, and charity towards their neighbors as security reserve
+      fund. We may therefore imagine what bitter and ardent rivalry must exist
+      between the different congregations with regard to the various estates
+      that each can lay claim to; with what ineffable satisfaction the richer
+      society crushes the poorer beneath its inventory of houses, and farms and
+      paper securities! Envy and hateful jealousy, rendered still more irritable
+      by the leisure of a cloistered life, are the necessary consequences of
+      such a comparison; and yet nothing is less Christian&mdash;in the adorable
+      acceptation of that divine word&mdash;nothing has less in common with the
+      true, essential, and religiously social spirit of the gospel, than this
+      insatiable ardor to acquire wealth by every possible means&mdash;this
+      dangerous avidity, which is far from being atoned for, in the eyes of
+      public opinion, by a few paltry alms, bestowed in the narrow spirit of
+      exclusion and intolerance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Sainte-Perpetue was seated before a large cylindrical-fronted desk
+      in the centre of an apartment simply but comfortably furnished. An
+      excellent fire burned within the marble chimney, and a soft carpet covered
+      the floor. The superior, to whom all letters addressed to the sisters or
+      the boarders were every day delivered, had just been opening she first,
+      according to her acknowledged right, and carefully unsealing the second,
+      without their knowing it, according to a right that she ascribed to
+      herself, of course, with a view to the salvation of those dear creatures;
+      and partly, perhaps, a little to make herself acquainted with their
+      correspondence, for she also had imposed on herself the duty of reading
+      all letters that were sent from the convent, before they were put into the
+      post. The traces of this pious and innocent inquisition were easily
+      effaced, for the good mother possessed a whole arsenal of steel tools,
+      some very sharp, to cut the pager imperceptibly round the seal&mdash;others,
+      pretty little rods, to be slightly heated and rolled round the edge of the
+      seal, when the letter had been read and replaced in its envelope, so that
+      the wax, spreading as it melted, might cover the first incision. Moreover,
+      from a praiseworthy feeling of justice and equality, there was in the
+      arsenal of the good mother a little fumigator of the most ingenious
+      construction, the damp and dissolving vapor of which was reserved for the
+      letters humbly and modestly secured with wafers, thus softened, they
+      yielded to the least efforts, without any tearing of the paper. According
+      to the importance of the revelations, which she thus gleaned from the
+      writers of the letters, the superior took notes more or less extensive.
+      She was interrupted in this investigation by two gentle taps at the bolted
+      door. Mother Sainte-Perpetue immediately let down the sliding cylinder of
+      her cabinet, so as to cover the secret arsenal, and went to open the door
+      with a grave and solemn air. A lay sister came to announce to her that the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier was waiting for her in the parlor, and that
+      Mdlle. Florine, accompanied by a young girl, deformed and badly dressed,
+      was waiting at the door of the little corridor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Introduce the princess first,&rdquo; said Mother Sainte Perpetue. And, with
+      charming forethought, she drew an armchair to the fire. Mme. de Saint
+      Dizier entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without pretensions to juvenile coquetry, still the princess was
+      tastefully and elegantly dressed. She wore a black velvet bonnet of the
+      most fashionable make, a large blue cashmere shawl, and a black satin
+      dress, trimmed with sable, to match the fur of her muff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To what good fortune am I again to-day indebted for the honor of your
+      visit, my dear daughter?&rdquo; said the superior, graciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A very important recommendation, my dear mother, though I am in a great
+      hurry. I am expected at the house of his Eminence, and have,
+      unfortunately, only a few minutes to spare. I have again to speak of the
+      two orphans who occupied our attention so long yesterday.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They continue to be kept separate, according to your wish; and this
+      separation has had such an effect upon them that I have been obliged to
+      send this morning for Dr. Baleinier, from his asylum. He found much fever
+      joined to great depression, and, singular enough, absolutely the same
+      symptoms in both cases. I have again questioned these unfortunate
+      creatures, and have been quite confounded and terrified to find them
+      perfect heathens.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was, you see, very urgent to place them in your care. But to the
+      subject of my visit, my dear mother: we have just learned the unexpected
+      return of the soldier who brought these girls to France, and was thought
+      to be absent for some days; but he is in Paris, and, notwithstanding his
+      age, a man of extraordinary boldness, enterprise and energy. Should he
+      discover that the girls are here (which, however, is fortunately almost
+      impossible), in his rage at seeing them removed from his impious
+      influence, he would be capable of anything. Therefore let me entreat you,
+      my dear mother, to redouble your precautions, that no one may effect an
+      entrance by night. This quarter of the town is so deserted!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, my dear daughter; we are sufficiently guarded. Our porter
+      and gardeners, all well armed, make a round every night on the side of the
+      Boulevard de l&rsquo;Hopital. The walls are high, and furnished with spikes at
+      the more accessible places. But I thank you, my dear daughter, for having
+      warned me. We will redouble our precautions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Particularly this night, my dear mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because if this infernal soldier has the audacity to attempt such a
+      thing, it will be this very night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How do you know, my dear daughter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We have information which makes us certain of it,&rdquo; replied the princess,
+      with a slight embarrassment, which did not escape the notice of the
+      Superior, though she was too crafty and reserved to appear to see it; only
+      she suspected that many things were concealed from her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This night, then,&rdquo; resumed Mother Sainte-Perpetue, &ldquo;we will be more than
+      ever on our guard. But as I have the pleasure of seeing you, my dear
+      daughter, I will take the opportunity to say a word or two on the subject
+      of that marriage we mentioned.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear mother,&rdquo; said the princess, hastily, &ldquo;for it is very
+      important. The young Baron de Brisville is a man full of ardent devotion
+      in these times of revolutionary impiety; he practises openly, and is able
+      to render us great services. He is listened to in the Chamber, and does
+      not want for a sort of aggressive and provoking eloquence; I know not any
+      one whose tone is more insolent with regard to his faith, and the plan is
+      a good one, for this cavalier and open manner of speaking of sacred things
+      raises and excites the curiosity of the indifferent. Circumstances are
+      happily such that he may show the most audacious violence towards our
+      enemies, without the least danger to himself, which, of course, redoubles
+      his ardor as a would-be martyr. In a word, he is altogether ours, and we,
+      in return, must bring about this marriage. You know, besides, my dear
+      mother, that he proposes to offer a donation of a hundred thousand francs
+      to St. Mary&rsquo;s the day he gains possession of the fortune of Mdlle.
+      Baudricourt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have never doubted the excellent intentions of M. de Brisville with
+      regard to an institution which merits the sympathy of all pious persons,&rdquo;
+       answered the superior, discreetly; &ldquo;but I did not expect to meet with so
+      many obstacles on the part of the young lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This girl, whom I always believed a most simple, submissive, timid,
+      almost idiotic person&mdash;instead of being delighted with this proposal
+      of marriage, asks time to consider!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is really pitiable!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She opposes to me an inert resistance. It is in vain for me to speak
+      severely, and tell her that, having no parents or friends, and being
+      absolutely confided to my care, she ought to see with my eyes, hear with
+      my ears, and when I affirm that this union is suitable in all respects,
+      give her adhesion to it without delay or reflection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt. It would be impossible to speak more sensibly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She answers that she wishes to see M. de Brisville, and know his
+      character before being engaged.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is absurd&mdash;since you undertake to answer for his morality, and
+      esteem this a proper marriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore, I remarked to Mdlle. Baudricourt, this morning, that till now
+      I had only employed gentle persuasion, but that, if she forced me to it, I
+      should be obliged, in her own interest, to act with rigor, to conquer so
+      much obstinacy that I should have to separate her from her companions, and
+      to confine her closely in a cell, until she made up her mind, after all,
+      to consult her own happiness, and&mdash;marry an honorable man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And these menaces, my dear mother?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will, I hope, have a good effect. She kept up a correspondence with an
+      old school-friend in the country. I have put a stop to this, for it
+      appeared to me dangerous. She is now under my sole influence, and I hope
+      we shall attain our ends; but you see, my dear daughter, it is never
+      without crosses and difficulties that we succeed in doing good!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I feel certain that M. de Brisville will even go beyond his first
+      promise, and I will pledge myself for him, that, should he marry Mdlle.
+      Baudricourt&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know, my dear daughter,&rdquo; said the superior, interrupting the
+      princess, &ldquo;that if I were myself concerned, I would refuse everything; but
+      to give to this institution is to give to Heaven, and I cannot prevent M.
+      de Brisville from augmenting the amount of his good works. Then, you see,
+      we are exposed to a sad disappointment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that, my dear mother?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Sacred Heart Convent disputes an estate with us that would have
+      suited us exactly. Really, some people are quite insatiable! I gave the
+      lady superior my opinion upon it pretty freely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She told me as much,&rdquo; answered Madame de Saint-Dizier, &ldquo;and laid the
+      blame on the steward.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! so you see her, my dear daughter?&rdquo; exclaimed the superior, with an
+      air of great surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I met her at the bishop&rsquo;s,&rdquo; answered Madame de Saint-Dizier, with a
+      slight degree of hesitation, that Mother Sainte-Perpetue did not appear to
+      notice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I really do not know,&rdquo; resumed the latter, &ldquo;why our establishment should
+      excite so violently the jealousy of the Sacred Heart. There is not an evil
+      report that they have not spread with regard to St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent.
+      Certain persons are always offended by the success of their neighbors!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my dear mother,&rdquo; said the princess, in a conciliating tone, &ldquo;we
+      must hope that the donation of M. de Brisville will enable you to outbid
+      the Sacred Heart. This marriage will have a double advantage, you see, my
+      dear mother; it will place a large fortune at the disposal of a man who is
+      devoted to us, and who will employ it as we wish; and it will also greatly
+      increase the importance of his position as our defender, by the addition
+      to his income of 100,000 francs a year. We shall have at length an organ
+      worthy of our cause, and shall no longer be obliged to look for defenders
+      amongst such people as that Dumoulin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is great power and much learning in the writings of the man you
+      name. It is the style of a Saint Bernard, in wrath at the impiety of the
+      age.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my dear mother! if you only knew what a strange Saint Bernard this
+      Dumoulin is! But I will not offend your ears; all I can tell you is, that
+      such defenders would compromise the most sacred cause. Adieu, my dear
+      mother! pray redouble your precautions to-night&mdash;the return of this
+      soldier is alarming.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be quite satisfied, my dear daughter! Oh! I forgot. Mdlle. Florine begged
+      me to ask you a favor. It is to let her enter your service. You know the
+      fidelity she displayed in watching your unfortunate niece; I think that,
+      by rewarding her in this way, you will attach her to you completely, and I
+      shall feel grateful on her account.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you interest yourself the least in the world in Florine, my dear
+      mother, the thing is done. I will take her into my service. And now it
+      strikes me, she may be more useful to me than I thought.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand thanks, my dear daughter, for such obliging attention to my
+      request. I hope we shall soon meet again. The day after to-morrow, at two
+      o&rsquo;clock, we have a long conference with his Eminence and the Bishop; do
+      not forget!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my dear mother; I shall take care to be exact. Only, pray, redouble
+      your precautions to-night for fear of a great scandal!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After respectfully kissing the hand of the superior, the princess went out
+      by the great door, which led to an apartment opening on the principal
+      staircase. Some minutes after, Florine entered the room by another way.
+      The superior was seated and Florine approached her with timid humility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did you meet the Princess de Saint-Dizier?&rdquo; asked Mother Sainte Perpetue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, mother; I was waiting in the passage, where the windows look out on
+      the garden.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The princess takes you into her service from to-day,&rdquo; said the superior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine made a movement of sorrowful surprise, and exclaimed: &ldquo;Me, mother!
+      but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I asked her in your name, and you have only to accept,&rdquo; answered the
+      other imperiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, mother, I had entreated you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, that you accept the offer,&rdquo; said the superior, in so firm and
+      positive a tone that Florine cast down her eyes, and replied in a low
+      voice: &ldquo;I accept.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is in M. Rodin&rsquo;s name that I give you this order.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought so, mother,&rdquo; replied Florine, sadly; &ldquo;on what conditions am I
+      to serve the princess?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the same conditions as those on which you served her niece.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine shuddered and said: &ldquo;I am, then, to make frequent secret reports
+      with regard to the princess?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will observe, you will remember, and you will give an account.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will above all direct your attention to the visits that the princess
+      may receive from the lady superior of the Sacred Heart. You must try and
+      listen&mdash;for we have to preserve the princess from evil influences.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will obey, my mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will also try and discover why two young orphans have been brought
+      hither, and recommended to be severely treated, by Madame Grivois, the
+      confidential waiting-woman of the princess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which must not prevent you from remembering anything else that may be
+      worthy of remark. To-morrow I will give you particular instructions upon
+      another subject.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is well, mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you conduct yourself in a satisfactory manner, and execute faithfully
+      the instructions of which I speak, you will soon leave the princess to
+      enter the service of a young bride; it will be an excellent and lasting
+      situation always on the same conditions. It is, therefore, perfectly
+      understood that you have asked me to recommend you to Madame de Saint
+      Dizier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mother; I shall remember.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is this deformed young girl that accompanies you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A poor creature without any resources, very intelligent, and with an
+      education above her class; she works at her needle, but is at present
+      without employment, and reduced to the last extremity. I have made
+      inquiries about her this morning; she has an excellent character.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is ugly and deformed, you say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She has an interesting countenance, but she is deformed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The superior appeared pleased at this information, and added, after a
+      moment&rsquo;s reflection: &ldquo;She appears intelligent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very intelligent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is absolutely without resources?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, without any.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is she pious?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She does not practice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter,&rdquo; said the superior to herself; &ldquo;if she be intelligent, that
+      will suffice.&rdquo; Then she resumed aloud. &ldquo;Do you know if she is a good
+      workwoman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe so, mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The superior rose, took a register from a shelf, appeared to be looking
+      into it attentively for some time, and then said, as she replaced it:
+      &ldquo;Fetch in this young girl, and go and wait for me in the press-room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Deformed&mdash;intelligent&mdash;clever at her needle,&rdquo; said the
+      superior, reflecting; &ldquo;she will excite no suspicion. We must see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In about a minute, Florine returned with Mother Bunch, whom she introduced
+      to the superior, and then discreetly withdrew. The young sempstress was
+      agitated, trembling, and much troubled, for she could, as it were, hardly
+      believe a discovery which she had chanced to make during Florine&rsquo;s
+      absence. It was not without a vague sense of terror that the hunchback
+      remained alone with the lady superior.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20077m.jpg" alt="20077m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20077.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0060" id="link2HCH0060">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII. THE TEMPTATION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>his was the cause of Mother Bunch&rsquo;s emotion. Florine, when she went to
+      see the superior, had left the young sempstress in a passage supplied with
+      benches, and forming a sort of ante-chamber on the first story. Being
+      alone, the girl had mechanically approached a window which looked upon the
+      convent garden, shut in by a half demolished wall, and terminating at one
+      end in an open paling. This wall was connected with a chapel that was
+      still building, and bordered on the garden of a neighboring house. The
+      sewing-girl, at one of the windows on the ground floor of this house&mdash;a
+      grated window, still more remarkable by the sort of tent-like awning above
+      it&mdash;beheld a young female, with her eyes fixed upon the convent,
+      making signs with her hand, at once encouraging and affectionate. From the
+      window where she stood, Mother Bunch could not see to whom these signs
+      were addressed; but she admired the rare beauty of the telegrapher, the
+      brilliancy of her complexion, the shining blackness of her large eyes, the
+      sweet and benevolent smile which lingered on her lips. There was, no
+      doubt, some answer to her graceful and expressive pantomime, for, by a
+      movement full of elegance, the girl laid her left hand on her bosom, and
+      waved her right, which seemed to indicate that her heart flew towards the
+      place on which she kept her eyes. One faint sunbeam, piercing the clouds,
+      came at this moment to play with the tresses of the pale countenance,
+      which, now held close to the bars of the window, was suddenly, as it were,
+      illuminated by the dazzling reflection of her splendid golden hair. At
+      sight of that charming face, set in its admirable frame of red curls,
+      Mother Bunch started involuntarily; the thought of Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      crossed her mind, and she felt persuaded (nor was she, indeed, mistaken),
+      that the protectress of Agricola was before her. On thus beholding, in
+      that gloomy asylum, this young lady, so marvellously beautiful, and
+      remembering the delicate kindness with which a few days before she had
+      received Agricola in her luxurious little palace of dazzling splendor, the
+      work-girl felt her heart sink within her. She believed Adrienne insane;
+      and yet, as she looked attentively at her, it seemed as if intelligence
+      and grace animated that adorable countenance. Suddenly, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville laid her fingers upon her lips, blew a couple of kisses in the
+      direction towards which she had been looking, and all at once disappeared.
+      Reflecting upon the important revelations which Agricola had to make to
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, Mother Bunch regretted bitterly that she had no
+      means of approaching her; for she felt sure that, if the young lady were
+      mad, the present was a lucid interval. She was yet absorbed in these
+      uneasy reflections, when she saw Florine return, accompanied by one of the
+      nuns. Mother Bunch was obliged, therefore, to keep silence with regard to
+      the discovery she had made, and soon after she found herself in the
+      superior&rsquo;s presence. This latter, after a rapid and searching examination
+      of the countenance of the young workwoman, judged her appearance so timid,
+      gentle and honest, that she thought she might repose full confidence in
+      the information given by Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear daughter,&rdquo; said Mother Sainte-Perpetue, in an affectionate voice,
+      &ldquo;Florine has told me in what a cruel situation you are placed. Is it true
+      that you are entirely without work?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! yes, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Call me mother, my dear daughter; that name is dearer to me, and it is
+      the rule of our house. I need not ask you what are your principles?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have always lived honestly by my labor, mother,&rdquo; answered the girl,
+      with a simplicity at once dignified and modest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you, my dear daughter, and I have good reasons for so doing. We
+      must thank the Lord, who has delivered you from temptation; but tell me&mdash;are
+      you clever at your trade?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do my best, mother, and have always satisfied my employers. If you
+      please to try me, you will be able to judge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your affirmation is sufficient, my dear daughter. You prefer, I think, to
+      go out by the day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mdlle. Florine told me, mother, that I could not have work at home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, no&mdash;not for the present, my child. If hereafter an opportunity
+      should offer, I will think of it. Just now I have this to propose to you.
+      A very respectable old lady has asked me to recommend to her a
+      needle-woman by the day; introduced by me, you will certainly suit her.
+      The institution will undertake to clothe you becomingly, and this advance
+      we shall retain by degrees out of your wages, for you will look to us for
+      payment. We propose to give you two francs a day; does that appear to you
+      sufficient?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, mother! it is much more than I could have expected.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will, moreover, only be occupied from nine o&rsquo;clock in the morning
+      till six in the evening; you will thus have still some off hours, of which
+      you might make use. You see, the situation is not a hard one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! quite the contrary, mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must tell you, first of all, with whom the institution intends to place
+      you. It is a widow lady, named Mme. de Bremant, a person of the most
+      steadfast piety. In her house, I hope, you will meet with none but
+      excellent examples. If it should be otherwise, you can come and inform
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so, mother?&rdquo; said the sewing-girl, with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, my dear daughter,&rdquo; said Mother Sainte-Perpetue, in a tone
+      ever more and more affectionate; &ldquo;the institution of St. Mary has a double
+      end in view. You will perfectly understand that, if it is our duty to give
+      to masters and mistresses every possible security as to the morality of
+      the persons that we place in their families, we are likewise bound to give
+      to the persons that we so place out every possible security as to the
+      morality of their employers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing can be more just and of a wiser foresight, mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Naturally, my dear daughter; for even as a servant of bad morals may
+      cause the utmost trouble in a respectable family, so the bad conduct of a
+      master or mistress may have the most baneful influence on the persons who
+      serve them, or who come to work in their houses. Now, it is to offer a
+      mutual guarantee to good masters and honest servants, that we have founded
+      this institution.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, with simplicity; &ldquo;such designs merit the
+      thanks and blessings of every one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And blessings do not fail us, my dear daughter, because we perform our
+      promises. Thus, an interesting workwoman&mdash;such as you, for example&mdash;is
+      placed with persons that we suppose irreproachable. Should she, however,
+      perceive, on the part of her employers, or on that of the persons who
+      frequent the house, any irregularity of morals, any tendency to what would
+      offend her modesty, or shock her religious principles, she should
+      immediately give us a detailed account of the circumstances that have
+      caused her alarm. Nothing can be more proper&mdash;don&rsquo;t you think so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mother,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, timidly, for she began to find this
+      provision somewhat singular.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then,&rdquo; resumed the superior, &ldquo;if the case appears a serious one, we
+      exhort our befriended one to observe what passes more attentively, so as
+      to convince herself whether she had really reason to be alarmed. She makes
+      a new report to us, and should it confirm our first fears, faithful to our
+      pious guardianship, we withdraw her instantly from the house. Moreover, as
+      the majority of our young people, notwithstanding their innocence and
+      virtue, have not always sufficient experience to distinguish what may be
+      injurious to their soul&rsquo;s health, we think it greatly to their interest
+      that they should confide to us once a week, as a child would to her
+      mother, either in person or by letter, whatever has chanced to occur in
+      the house in which we have placed them. Then we can judge for them,
+      whether to withdraw them or not. We have already about a hundred persons,
+      companions to ladies, young women in shops, servants, and needlewomen by
+      the day, whom we have placed in a great number of families, and, for the
+      interest of all, we have every reason to congratulate ourselves on this
+      mode of proceeding. You understand me, do you not, my dear daughter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes-yes, mother,&rdquo; said the sempstress, more and more embarrassed. She had
+      too much uprightness and sagacity not to perceive that this plan of
+      mutually insuring the morality of masters and servants resembled a vast
+      spy system, brought home to the domestic hearth, and carried on by the
+      members of the institution almost without their knowledge, for it would
+      have been difficult to disguise more skillfully the employment for which
+      they were trained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I have entered into these long details my dear daughter,&rdquo; resumed
+      Mother Sainte-Perpetue, taking the hearer&rsquo;s silence for consent, &ldquo;it is
+      that you may not suppose yourself obliged to remain in the house in
+      question, if, against our expectation, you should not find there holy and
+      pious examples. I believe Mme. de Bremont&rsquo;s house to be a pure and godly
+      place; only I have heard (though I will not believe it) that Mme. de
+      Bremont&rsquo;s daughter, Mme. de Noisy, who has lately come to reside with her,
+      is not so exemplary in her conduct as could be desired, that she does not
+      fulfil regularly her religious duties, and that, during the absence of her
+      husband, who is now in America, she receives visits, unfortunately too
+      frequent, from one M. Hardy, a rich manufacturer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the name of Agricola&rsquo;s master, Mother Bunch could not suppress a
+      movement of surprise, and also blushed slightly. The superior naturally
+      mistook this surprise and confusion for a proof of the modest
+      susceptibility of the young sempstress, and added: &ldquo;I have told you all
+      this, my dear daughter, that you might be on your guard. I have even
+      mentioned reports that I believe to be completely erroneous, for the
+      daughter of Mme. de Bremont has always had such good examples before her
+      that she cannot have so forgotten them. But, being in the house from
+      morning to night, you will be able, better than any one, to discover if
+      these reports have any foundation in truth. Should it unfortunately so
+      turn out, my dear daughter, you would come and confide to me all the
+      circumstances that have led you to such a conclusion; and, should I then
+      agree in your opinion, I would withdraw you instantly from the house&mdash;for
+      the piety of the mother would not compensate sufficiently for the
+      deplorable example of the daughter&rsquo;s conduct. For, as soon as you form
+      part of the institution, I am responsible for your salvation, and, in case
+      your delicacy should oblige you to leave Mme. de Bremont&rsquo;s, as you might
+      be some time without employment, the institution will allow you, if
+      satisfied with your zeal and conduct, one franc a day till we could find
+      you another place. You see, my dear daughter, that you have everything to
+      gain with us. It is therefore agreed that the day after to-morrow you go
+      to Mme. de Bremont&rsquo;s.&rdquo; Mother Bunch found herself in a very hard position.
+      Sometimes she thought that her first suspicions were confirmed, and,
+      notwithstanding her timidity, her pride felt hurt at the supposition,
+      that, because they knew her poor, they should believe her capable of
+      selling herself as a spy for the sake of high wages. Sometimes, on the
+      contrary, her natural delicacy revolted at the idea that a woman of the
+      age and condition of the superior could descend to make a proposition so
+      disgraceful both to the accepter and the proposer, and she reproached
+      herself with her first doubts and asked herself if the superior had not
+      wished to try her, before employing her, to see if her probity would
+      enable her to resist a comparatively brilliant offer. Mother Bunch was
+      naturally so inclined to think well of every one, that she made up her
+      mind to this last conclusion, saying to herself, that if, after all, she
+      were deceived, it would be the least offensive mode of refusing these
+      unworthy offers. With a movement, exempt from all haughtiness, but
+      expressive of natural dignity, the young workman raised her head, which
+      she had hitherto held humbly cast down, looked the superior full in the
+      face, that the latter might read in her countenance the sincerity of her
+      words, and said to her in a slightly agitated voice, forgetting this time
+      to call her &ldquo;mother&rdquo;: &ldquo;Ah, madame! I cannot blame you for exposing me to
+      such a trial. You see that I am very poor, and I have yet done nothing to
+      command your confidence. But, believe me, poor as I am, I would never
+      stoop to so despicable an action as that which you have thought fit to
+      propose to me, no doubt to assure yourself, by my refusal, that I am
+      worthy of your kindness. No, no, madame&mdash;I could never bring myself
+      to be a spy at any price.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20085m.jpg" alt="20085m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20085.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      She pronounced these last words with so much animation that her cheeks
+      became slightly flushed. The superior had too much tact and experience not
+      to perceive the sincerity of the words. Thinking herself lucky that the
+      young girl should put this construction upon the affair, she smiled upon
+      her affectionately, and stretched out her arms to her, saying: &ldquo;It is
+      well, my dear daughter. Come and embrace me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother&mdash;I am really confused&mdash;with so much kindness&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;you deserve it&mdash;your words are so full of truth and
+      honesty. Only be persuaded that I have not put you to any trial, because
+      there is no resemblance between the act of a spy and the marks of filial
+      confidence that we require of our members for the sake of watching over
+      their morals. But certain persons&mdash;I see you are of the number, my
+      dear daughter&mdash;have such fixed principles, and so mature a judgment,
+      that they can do without our advice and guardianship, and can appreciate
+      themselves whatever might be dangerous to their salvation. I will
+      therefore leave the entire responsibility to yourself, and only ask you
+      for such communications as you may think proper to make.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame! how good you are!&rdquo; said poor Mother Bunch, for she was not
+      aware of the thousand devices of the monastic spirit, and thought herself
+      already sure of gaining just wages honorably.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not goodness&mdash;but justice!&rdquo; answered Mother Sainte-Perpetue,
+      whose tone was becoming more and more affectionate. &ldquo;Too much tenderness
+      cannot be shown to pious young women like you, whom poverty has only
+      purified because they have always faithfully observed the divine laws.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One last question, my child! how many times a month do you approach the
+      Lord&rsquo;s table?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; replied the hunchback, &ldquo;I have not taken the sacrament since my
+      first communion, eight years ago. I am hardly able, by working every day,
+      and all day long, to earn my bread. I have no time&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gracious heaven!&rdquo; cried the superior, interrupting, and clasping her
+      hands with all the signs of painful astonishment. &ldquo;Is it possible? you do
+      not practise?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, madame! I tell you that I have no time,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch,
+      looking disconcertedly at Mother Saint-Perpetue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am grieved, my dear daughter,&rdquo; said the latter sorrowfully, after a
+      moment&rsquo;s silence, &ldquo;but I told you that, as we place our friends in none
+      but pious houses, so we are asked to recommend none but pious persons, who
+      practise their religious duties. It is one of the indispensable conditions
+      of our institution. It will, therefore, to my great regret, be impossible
+      for me to employ you as I had hoped. If, hereafter, you should renounce
+      your present indifference to those duties, we will then see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, her heart swollen with tears, for she was
+      thus forced to abandon a cheering hope, &ldquo;I beg pardon for having detained
+      you so long&mdash;for nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is I, my dear daughter, who regret not to be able to attach you to the
+      institution; but I am not altogether hopeless, that a person, already so
+      worthy of interest, will one day deserve by her piety the lasting support
+      of religious people. Adieu, my dear daughter! go in peace, and may God be
+      merciful to you, until the day that you return with your whole heart to
+      Him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the superior rose, and conducted her visitor to the door, with
+      all the forms of the most maternal kindness. At the moment she crossed the
+      threshold, she said to her: &ldquo;Follow the passage, go down a few steps, and
+      knock at the second door on the right hand. It is the press-room, and
+      there you will find Florine. She will show you the way out. Adieu, my dear
+      daughter!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As soon as Mother Bunch had left the presence of the superior, her tears,
+      until now restrained, gushed forth abundantly. Not wishing to appear
+      before Florine and the nuns in this state, she stopped a moment at one of
+      the windows to dry her eyes. As she looked mechanically towards the
+      windows of the next house, where she fancied she had seen Adrienne de
+      Cardoville, she beheld the latter come from a door in the building, and
+      advance rapidly towards the open paling that separated the two gardens. At
+      the same instant, and to her great astonishment, Mother Bunch saw one of
+      the two sisters whose disappearance had caused the despair of Dagobert,
+      with pale and dejected countenance, approach the fence that separated her
+      from Mdlle. de Cardoville, trembling with fear and anxiety, as though she
+      dreaded to be discovered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0061" id="link2HCH0061">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII. MOTHER BUNCH AND MDLLE. DE CARDOVILLE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>gitated, attentive, uneasy, leaning from one of the convent-windows, the
+      work-girl followed with her eyes the movements of Mdlle. de Cardoville and
+      Rose Simon, whom she so little expected to find together in such a place.
+      The orphan, approaching close to the fence, which separated the
+      nunnery-garden from that of Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s asylum, spoke a few words to
+      Adrienne, whose features at once expressed astonishment, indignation, and
+      pity. At this juncture, a nun came running, and looking right and left, as
+      though anxiously seeking for some one; then, perceiving Rose, who timidly
+      pressed close to the paling, she seized her by the arm, and seemed to
+      scold her severely, and notwithstanding some energetic words addressed to
+      her by Mdlle. de Cardoville, she hastily carried off the orphan, who with
+      weeping eyes, turned several times to look back at Adrienne; whilst the
+      latter, after showing the interest she took in her by expressive gestures,
+      turned away suddenly, as if to conceal her tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The passage in which the witness stood, during this touching scene, was
+      situated on the first story. The thought immediately occurred to the
+      sempstress, to go down to the ground-floor, and try to get into the
+      garden, so that she might have an opportunity of speaking to the fair girl
+      with the golden hair, and ascertaining if it were really Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, to whom; if she found her in a lucid interval, she might say
+      that Agricola had things of the greatest importance to communicate, but
+      that he did not know how to inform her of them. The day was advancing, the
+      sun was on its decline, and fearing that Florine would be tired of waiting
+      for her, Mother Bunch made haste to act; with a light step, listening
+      anxiously as she went, she reached the end of the passage, where three or
+      four stairs led down to the landing-place of the press room, and then
+      formed a spiral descent to the ground-floor. Hearing voices in the
+      pressroom, the sempstress hastened down the stairs, and found herself in a
+      long passage, in the centre of which was a glass door, opening on that
+      part of the garden reserved for the superior. A path, bordered by a high
+      box-hedge, sheltered her from the gaze of curious eyes, and she crept
+      along it, till she reached the open paling; which, at this spot, separated
+      the convent-garden from that of Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s asylum. She saw Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville a few steps from her, seated, and with her arm resting upon a
+      rustic bench. The firmness of Adrienne&rsquo;s character had for a moment been
+      shaken by fatigue, astonishment, fright, despair, on the terrible night
+      when she had been taken to the asylum by Dr. Baleinier; and the latter,
+      taking a diabolical advantage of her weakness and despondency, had
+      succeeded for a moment in making her doubt of her own sanity. But the
+      calm, which necessarily follows the most painful and violent emotions,
+      combined with the reflection and reasoning of a clear and subtle
+      intellect, soon convinced Adrienne of the groundlessness of the fears
+      inspired by the crafty doctor. She no longer believed that it could even
+      be a mistake on the part of the man of science. She saw clearly in the
+      conduct of this man, in which detestable hypocrisy was united with rare
+      audacity, and both served by a skill no less remarkable, that M. Baleinier
+      was, in fact, the blind instrument of the Princess de Saint-Dizier. From
+      that moment, she remained silent and calm, but full of dignity; not a
+      complaint, not a reproach was allowed to pass her lips. She waited. Yet,
+      though they left her at liberty to walk about (carefully depriving her of
+      all means of communicating with any one beyond the walls), Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      situation was harsh and painful, particularly for her, who so loved to be
+      surrounded by pleasant and harmonious objects. She felt, however, that
+      this situation could not last long. She did not thoroughly understand the
+      penetration and action of the laws; but her good sense taught her, that a
+      confinement of a few days under the plea of some appearances of insanity,
+      more or less plausible in themselves, might be attempted, and even
+      executed with impunity; but that it could not be prolonged beyond certain
+      limits, because, after all, a young lady of her rank in society could not
+      disappear suddenly from the world, without inquiries being made on the
+      subject&mdash;and the pretence of a sudden attack of madness would lead to
+      a serious investigation. Whether true or false, this conviction had
+      restored Adrienne to her accustomed elasticity and energy of character.
+      And yet she sometimes in vain asked herself the cause of this attempt on
+      her liberty. She knew too well the Princess de Saint-Dizier, to believe
+      her capable of acting in this way, without a certain end in view, and
+      merely for the purpose of inflicting a momentary pang. In this, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville was not deceived: Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the princess were both
+      persuaded, that Adrienne, better informed than she wished to acknowledge,
+      knew how important it was for her to find herself in the house in the Rue
+      Saint-Francois on the 13th of February, and was determined to maintain her
+      rights. In shutting up Adrienne as mad, it was intended to strike a fatal
+      blow at her future prospects; but this last precaution was useless, for
+      Adrienne, though upon the true scent of the family-secret they lead wished
+      to conceal from her, had not yet entirely penetrated its meaning, for want
+      of certain documents, which had been lost or hidden.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whatever had been the motives for the odious conduct of Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville&rsquo;s enemies, she was not the less disgusted at it. No one could
+      be more free from hatred or revenge, than was this generous young girl,
+      but when she thought of all the sufferings which the Princess de Saint
+      Dizier, Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and Dr. Baleinier had occasioned her, she
+      promised herself, not reprisals, but a striking reparation. If it were
+      refused her, she was resolved to combat&mdash;without truce or rest&mdash;this
+      combination of craft, hypocrisy, and cruelty, not from resentment for what
+      she had endured, but to preserve from the same torments other innocent
+      victims, who might not, like her, be able to struggle and defend
+      themselves. Adrienne, still under the painful impression which had been
+      caused by her interview with Rose Simon, was leaning against one of the
+      sides of the rustic bench on which she was seated, and held her left hand
+      over her eyes. She had laid down her bonnet beside her, and the inclined
+      position of her head brought the long golden curls over her fair, shining
+      cheeks. In this recumbent attitude, so full of careless grace, the
+      charming proportions of her figure were seen to advantage beneath a
+      watered green dress, while a broad collar, fastened with a rose-colored
+      satin bow, and fine lace cuffs, prevented too strong a contrast between
+      the hue of her dress and the dazzling whiteness of the swan-like neck and
+      Raphaelesque hands, imperceptibly veined with tiny azure lines. Over the
+      high and well-formed instep, were crossed the delicate strings of a
+      little, black satin shoe&mdash;for Dr. Baleinier had allowed her to dress
+      herself with her usual taste, and elegance of costume was not with
+      Adrienne a mark of coquetry, but of duty towards herself, because she had
+      been made so beautiful. At sight of this young lady, whose dress and
+      appearance she admired in all simplicity, without any envious or bitter
+      comparison with her own poor clothes and deformity of person, Mother Bunch
+      said immediately to herself, with the good sense and sagacity peculiar to
+      her, that it was strange a mad woman should dress so sanely and
+      gracefully. It was therefore with a mixture of surprise and emotion that
+      she approached the fence which separated her from Adrienne&mdash;reflecting,
+      however, that the unfortunate girl might still be insane, and that this
+      might turn out to be merely a lucid interval. And now, with a timid voice,
+      but loud enough to be heard, Mother Bunch, in order to assure herself of
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s identity, said, whilst her heart beat fast: &ldquo;Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who calls me?&rdquo; said Adrienne. On hastily raising her head, and perceiving
+      the hunchback, she could not suppress a slight cry of surprise, almost
+      fright. For indeed this poor creature, pale, deformed, miserably clad,
+      thus appearing suddenly before her, must have inspired Mdlle, de
+      Cardoville, so passionately fond of grace and beauty, with a feeling of
+      repugnance, if not of terror&mdash;and these two sentiments were both
+      visible in her expressive countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The other did not perceive the impression she had made. Motionless, with
+      her eyes fixed, and her hands clasped in a sort of adoring admiration, she
+      gazed on the dazzling beauty of Adrienne, whom she had only half seen
+      through the grated window. All that Agricola had told her of the charms of
+      his protectress, appeared to her a thousand times below the reality; and
+      never, even in her secret poetic visions, had she dreamed of such rare
+      perfection. Thus, by a singular contrast, a feeling of mutual surprise
+      came over these two girls&mdash;extreme types of deformity and beauty,
+      wealth and wretchedness. After rendering, as it were, this involuntary
+      homage to Adrienne, Mother Bunch advanced another step towards the fence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you want?&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, rising with a sentiment of
+      repugnance, which could not escape the work-girl&rsquo;s notice; accordingly,
+      she held down her head timidly, and said in a soft voice: &ldquo;I beg your
+      pardon, madame, to appear so suddenly before you. But moments are
+      precious, I come from Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she pronounced these words, the sempstress raised her eyes anxiously,
+      fearing that Mdlle. de Cardoville might have forgotten the name of the
+      workman. But, to her great surprise and joy, the fears of Adrienne seemed
+      to diminish at the name of Agricola, and approaching the fence, she looked
+      at the speaker with benevolent curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You come from M. Agricola Baudoin?&rdquo; said she. &ldquo;Who are you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His adopted sister, madame&mdash;a poor needlewoman, who lives in the
+      same house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne appeared to collect her thoughts, and said, smiling kindly, after
+      a moment&rsquo;s silence: &ldquo;It was you then, who persuaded M. Agricola to apply
+      to me to procure him bail?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame, do you remember&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never forget anything that is generous and noble. M. Agricola was much
+      affected when he spoke of your devotion. I remember it well; it would be
+      strange if I did not. But how came you here, in this convent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They told me that I should perhaps be able to get some occupation here,
+      as I am out of work. Unfortunately, I have been refused by the lady
+      superior.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how did you recognize me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By your great beauty, madame, of which Agricola had told me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or rather by this,&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling as she lifted, with the tips
+      of her rosy fingers, one end of a long, silky ringlet of golden hair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must pardon Agricola, madame,&rdquo; said the sewing girl, with one of
+      those half smiles, which rarely settled on her lips: &ldquo;he is a poet, and
+      omitted no single perfection in the respectful and admiring description
+      which he gave of his protectress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what induced you to come and speak to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The hope of being useful to you, madame. You received Agricola with so
+      much goodness, that I have ventured to go shares in his gratitude.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may well venture to do so, my dear girl,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      ineffable grace; &ldquo;until now, unfortunately, I have only been able to serve
+      your adopted brother by intention.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As they exchanged these words, Adrienne and Mother Bunch looked at each
+      other with increasing surprise. The latter was, first of all, astonished
+      that a person who passed for mad should express herself as Adrienne did;
+      next, she was amazed at the ease and freedom with which she herself
+      answered the questions of Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;not knowing that the
+      latter was endowed with the precious privilege of lofty and benevolent
+      natures, to draw out from those who approached her whatever sympathized
+      with herself. On her side, Mdlle. de Cardoville was deeply moved and
+      astonished to hear this young, low-born girl, dressed almost like a
+      beggar, express herself in terms selected with so much propriety. The more
+      she looked at her, the more the feeling of repugnance she at first
+      experienced wore off, and was at length converted into quite the opposite
+      sentiment. With that rapid and minute power of observation natural to
+      women, she remarked beneath the black crape of Mother Bunch&rsquo;s cap, the
+      smoothness and brilliancy of the fair, chestnut hair. She remarked, too,
+      the whiteness of the long, thin hand, though it displayed itself at the
+      end of a patched and tattered sleeve&mdash;an infallible proof that care,
+      and cleanliness, and self-respect were at least struggling against
+      symptoms of fearful distress. Adrienne discovered, also, in the pale and
+      melancholy features, in the expression of the blue eyes, at once
+      intelligent, mild and timid, a soft and modest dignity, which made one
+      forget the deformed figure. Adrienne loved physical beauty, and admired it
+      passionately, but she had too superior a mind, too noble a soul, too
+      sensitive a heart, not to know how to appreciate moral beauty, even when
+      it beamed from a humble and suffering countenance. Only, this kind of
+      appreciation was new to Mdlle. de Cardoville; until now, her large fortune
+      and elegant habits had kept her at a distance from persons of Mother
+      Bunch&rsquo;s class. After a short silence, during which the fair patrician and
+      the poor work-girl had closely examined each other, Adrienne said to the
+      other: &ldquo;It is easy, I think, to explain the cause of our mutual
+      astonishment. You have, no doubt, discovered that I speak pretty
+      reasonably for a mad woman&mdash;if they have told you I am one. And I,&rdquo;
+       added Mdlle. de Cardoville, in a tone of respectful commiseration, &ldquo;find
+      that the delicacy of your language and manners so singularly contrast with
+      the position in which you appear to be, that my surprise must be even
+      greater than yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20093m.jpg" alt="20093m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20093.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, madame!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, with a welling forth of such deep and
+      sincere joy that the tears started to her eyes; &ldquo;is it true?&mdash;they
+      have deceived me&mdash;you are not mad! Just now, when I beheld you so
+      kind and beautiful, when I heard the sweet tone of your voice, I could not
+      believe that such a misfortune had happened to you. But, alas! how is it
+      then, madame, that you are in this place?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor child!&rdquo; said Adrienne, touched by the affectionate interest of this
+      excellent creature; &ldquo;and how is it that you, with such a heart and head,
+      should be in such distress? But be satisfied! I shall not always be here&mdash;and
+      that will suffice to tell you, that we shall both resume the place which
+      becomes us. Believe me, I shall never forget how, in spite of the painful
+      ideas which must needs occupy your mind, on seeing yourself deprived of
+      work&mdash;your only resource&mdash;you have still thought of coming to
+      me, and of trying to serve me. You may, indeed, be eminently useful to me,
+      and I am delighted at it, for then I shall owe you much&mdash;and you
+      shall see how I will take advantage of my gratitude!&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      a sweet smile. &ldquo;But,&rdquo; resumed she, &ldquo;before talking of myself, let us think
+      of others. Is your adopted brother still in prison?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By this time, madame, I hope he has obtained his freedom; thanks to the
+      generosity of one of his comrades. His father went yesterday to offer bail
+      for him, and they promised that he should be released to-day. But, from
+      his prison, he wrote to me, that he had something of importance to reveal
+      to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame. Should Agricola be released immediately by what means can he
+      communicate with you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has secrets to tell me!&rdquo; resumed Mdlle. de Cardoville, with an air of
+      thoughtful surprise. &ldquo;I seek in vain to imagine what they can be; but so
+      long as I am confined in this house, and secluded from every one, M.
+      Agricola must not think of addressing himself directly or indirectly to
+      me. He must wait till I am at liberty; but that is not all, he must
+      deliver from that convent two poor children, who are much more to be
+      pitied than I am. The daughters of Marshal Simon are detained there
+      against their will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know their name, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When M. Agricola informed me of their arrival in Paris, he told me they
+      were fifteen years old, and that they resembled each other exactly&mdash;so
+      that, the day before yesterday, when I took my accustomed walk, and
+      observed two poor little weeping faces come close to the windows of their
+      separate cells, one on the ground floor, the other on the first story, a
+      secret presentiment told me that I saw in them the orphans of whom M.
+      Agricola had spoken, and in whom I already took a lively interest, as
+      being my relations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are your relations, madame, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, certainly. So, not being able to do more, I tried to express by
+      signs how much I felt for them. Their tears, and the sadness of their
+      charming faces, sufficiently told me that they were prisoners in the
+      convent, as I am myself in this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I understand, madame&mdash;the victim of the animosity of your
+      family?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whatever may be my fate, I am much less to be pitied than these two
+      children, whose despair is really alarming. Their separation is what
+      chiefly oppresses them. By some words that one of them just now said to
+      me, I see that they are, like me, the victims of an odious machination.
+      But thanks to you, it will be possible to save them: Since I have been in
+      this house I have had no communication with any one; they have not allowed
+      me pen or paper, so it is impossible to write. Now listen to me
+      attentively, and we shall be able to defeat an odious persecution.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, speak! speak, madame!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The soldier, who brought these orphans to France, the father of M.
+      Agricola, is still in town?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame. Oh! if you only knew his fury, his despair, when, on his
+      return home, he no longer found the children that a dying mother had
+      confided to him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He must take care not to act with the least violence. It would ruin all.
+      Take this ring,&rdquo; said Adrienne, drawing it from her finger, &ldquo;and give it
+      to him. He must go instantly&mdash;are you sure that you can remember a
+      name and address?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! yes, madame. Be satisfied on that point. Agricola only mentioned your
+      name once, and I have not forgotten it. There is a memory of the heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I perceive it, my dear girl. Remember, then, the name of the Count de
+      Montbron.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Count de Montbron&mdash;I shall not forget.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is one of my good old friends, and lives on the Place Vendome, No. 7.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Place Vendome, No. 7&mdash;I shall remember.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Agricola&rsquo;s father must go to him this evening, and, if he is not at
+      home, wait for his coming in. He must ask to speak to him, as if from me,
+      and send him this ring as a proof of what he says. Once with him, he must
+      tell him all&mdash;the abduction of the girls, the name of the convent
+      where they are confined, and my own detention as a lunatic in the asylum
+      of Dr. Baleinier. Truth has an accent of its own, which M. de Montbron
+      will recognize. He is a man of much experience and judgment, and possessed
+      of great influence. He will immediately take the necessary steps, and
+      to-morrow, or the day after, these poor orphans and myself will be
+      restored to liberty&mdash;all thanks to you! But moments are precious; we
+      might be discovered; make haste, dear child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the moment of drawing back, Adrienne said to Mother Bunch, with so
+      sweet a smile and affectionate a tone, that it was impossible not to
+      believe her sincere: &ldquo;M. Agricola told me that I had a heart like yours. I
+      now understand how honorable, how flattering those words were for me.
+      Pray, give me your hand!&rdquo; added Mdlle. de Cardoville, whose eyes were
+      filling with tears; and, passing her beautiful hand through an opening in
+      the fence, she offered it to the other. The words and the gesture of the
+      fair patrician were full of so much real cordiality, that the sempstress,
+      with no false shame, placed tremblingly her own poor thin hand in
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s, while the latter, with a feeling of pious respect, lifted it
+      spontaneously to her lips, and said: &ldquo;Since I cannot embrace you as my
+      sister, let me at least kiss this hand, ennobled by labor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the garden of Dr. Baleinier; Adrienne
+      withdrew abruptly, and disappeared behind some trees, saying: &ldquo;Courage,
+      memory, and hope!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      All this had passed so rapidly that the young workwoman had no time to
+      speak or move; tears, sweet tears, flowed abundantly down her pale cheeks.
+      For a young lady, like Adrienne de Cardoville, to treat her as a sister,
+      to kiss her hand, to tell her that she was proud to resemble her in heart&mdash;her,
+      a poor creature, vegetating in the lowest abyss of misery&mdash;was to
+      show a spirit of fraternal equality, divine, as the gospel words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are words and impressions which make a noble soul forget years of
+      suffering, and which, as by a sudden flash, reveal to it something of its
+      own worth and grandeur. Thus it was with the hunchback. Thanks to this
+      generous speech, she was for a moment conscious of her own value. And
+      though this feeling was rapid as it was ineffable, she clasped her hands
+      and raised her eyes to heaven with an expression of fervent gratitude;
+      for, if the poor sempstress did not practise, to use the jargon of
+      ultramontane cant, no one was more richly endowed with that deep religious
+      sentiment, which is to mere dogmas what the immensity of the starry heaven
+      is to the vaulted roof of a church.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Five minutes after quitting Mdlle. de Cardoville, Mother Bunch, having
+      left the garden without being perceived, reascended to the first story,
+      and knocked gently at the door of the press-room. A sister came to open
+      the door to her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is not Mdlle. Florine, with whom I came, still here, sister?&rdquo; asked the
+      needlewoman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She could not wait for you any longer. No doubt, you have come from our
+      mother the superior?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, sister,&rdquo; answered the sempstress, casting down her eyes; &ldquo;would
+      you have the goodness to show me the way out?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come with me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sewing-girl followed the nun, trembling at every step lest she should
+      meet the superior, who would naturally have inquired the cause of her long
+      stay in the convent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length the inner gate closed upon Mother Bunch. Passing rapidly across
+      the vast court-yard and approaching the porter&rsquo;s lodge, to ask him to let
+      her out, she heard these words pronounced in a gruff voice: &ldquo;It seems, old
+      Jerome, that we are to be doubly on our guard to-night. Well, I shall put
+      two extra balls in my gun. The superior says we are to make two rounds
+      instead of one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I want no gun, Nicholas,&rdquo; said the other voice; &ldquo;I have my sharp scythe,
+      a true gardener&rsquo;s weapon&mdash;and none the worse for that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Feeling an involuntary uneasiness at these words, which she had heard by
+      mere chance, Mother Bunch approached the porter&rsquo;s lodge, and asked him to
+      open the outer gate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where do you come from?&rdquo; challenged the porter, leaning half way out of
+      his lodge, with a double barrelled gun, which he was occupied in loading,
+      in his hand, and at the same time examining the sempstress with a
+      suspicious air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I come from speaking to the superior,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch timidly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that true?&rdquo; said Nicholas roughly. &ldquo;You look like a sanctified
+      scarecrow. Never mind. Make haste and cut!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The gate opened, and Mother Bunch went out. Hardly had she gone a few
+      steps in the sweet, when, to her great surprise, she saw the dog Spoil
+      sport run up to her, and his master, Dagobert, a little way behind him,
+      arriving also with precipitation. She was hastening to meet the soldier,
+      when a full, sonorous voice exclaimed from a little distance: &ldquo;Oh my good
+      sister!&rdquo; which caused the girl to turn round. From the opposite side to
+      that whence Dagobert was coming, she saw Agricola hurrying towards the
+      spot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0062" id="link2HCH0062">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX. THE ENCOUNTERS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>t the sight of Dagobert and Agricola, Mother Bunch remained motionless
+      with surprise, a few steps from the convent-gate. The soldier had not yet
+      perceived the sempstress. He advanced rapidly, following the dog, who
+      though lean, half-starved, rough-coated, and dirty, seemed to frisk with
+      pleasure, as he turned his intelligent face towards his master, to whom he
+      had gone back, after caressing Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; I understand you, old fellow!&rdquo; said the soldier, with emotion.
+      &ldquo;You are more faithful than I was; you did not leave the dear children for
+      a minute. Yes, you followed them, and watched day and night, without food,
+      at the door of the house to which they were taken&mdash;and, at length,
+      weary of waiting to see them come forth, ran home to fetch me. Yes; whilst
+      I was giving way to despair, like a furious madman, you were doing what I
+      ought to have done&mdash;discovering their retreat. What does it all
+      prove? Why, that beasts are better than men&mdash;which is well known.
+      Well, at length I shall see them again. When I think that tomorrow is the
+      13th, and that without you, my did Spoil-sport, all would be lost&mdash;it
+      makes me shudder. But I say, shall we soon be there? What a deserted
+      quarter! and night coming on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert had held this discourse to Spoil-sport, as he walked along
+      following the good dog, who kept on at a rapid pace. Suddenly, seeing the
+      faithful animal start aside with a bound, he raised his eyes, and
+      perceived the dog frisking about the hunchback and Agricola, who had just
+      met at a little distance from the convent-gate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch?&rdquo; exclaimed both father and son, as they approached the
+      young workwoman, and looked at her with extreme surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is good hope, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said she with inexpressible joy. &ldquo;Rose
+      and Blanche are found!&rdquo; Then, turning towards the smith, she added, &ldquo;There
+      is good hope, Agricola: Mdlle. de Cardoville is not mad. I have just seen
+      her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is not mad? what happiness!&rdquo; exclaimed the smith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The children!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, trembling with emotion, as he took the
+      work-girl&rsquo;s hands in his own. &ldquo;You have seen them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; just now&mdash;very sad&mdash;very unhappy&mdash;but I was not able
+      to speak to them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; said Dagobert, stopping as if suffocated by the news, and pressing
+      his hands on his bosom; &ldquo;I never thought that my old heart could beat so!&mdash;And
+      yet, thanks to my dog, I almost expected what has taken place. Anyhow, I
+      am quite dizzy with joy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, father, it&rsquo;s a good day,&rdquo; said Agricola, looking gratefully at the
+      girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kiss me, my dear child!&rdquo; added the soldier, as he pressed Mother Bunch
+      affectionately in his arms; then, full of impatience, he added: &ldquo;Come, let
+      us go and fetch the children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, my good sister!&rdquo; said Agricola, deeply moved; &ldquo;you will restore
+      peace, perhaps life, to my father&mdash;and Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;but
+      how do you know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mere chance. And how did you come here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spoil-sport stops and barks,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, who had already made
+      several steps in advance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed the dog, who was as impatient as his master to see the orphans, and
+      far better informed as to the place of their retreat, had posted himself
+      at the convent gate, and was beginning to bark, to attract the attention
+      of Dagobert. Understanding his dog, the latter said to the hunchback, as
+      he pointed in that direction with his finger: &ldquo;The children are there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, M. Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was sure of it. Good dog!&mdash;Oh, yes! beasts are better than men&mdash;except
+      you, my dear girl, who are better than either man or beast. But my poor
+      children! I shall see them, I shall have them once more!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Dagobert, in spite of his age, began to run very fast towards
+      Spoil-sport. &ldquo;Agricola,&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, &ldquo;prevent thy father from
+      knocking at that door. He would ruin all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In two strides, the smith had reached his father, just as the latter was
+      raising his hand to the knocker. &ldquo;Stop, father!&rdquo; cried the smith, as he
+      seized Dagobert by the arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What the devil is it now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch says that to knock would ruin all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She will explain it to you.&rdquo; Although not so nimble as Agricola, Mother
+      Bunch soon came up, and said to the soldier: &ldquo;M. Dagobert, do not let us
+      remain before this gate. They might open it, and see us; and that would
+      excite suspicion. Let us rather go away&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20101m.jpg" alt="20101m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20101.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suspicion!&rdquo; cried the veteran, much surprised, but without moving from
+      the gate; &ldquo;what suspicion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I conjure you, do not remain there!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with so much
+      earnestness, that Agricola joined her, and said to his father: &ldquo;Since
+      sister rashes it, father, she has some reason for it. The Boulevard de
+      l&rsquo;Hopital is a few steps from here; nobody passes that way; we can talk
+      there without being interrupted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Devil take me if I understand a word of all this!&rdquo; cried Dagobert,
+      without moving from his post. &ldquo;The children are here, and I will fetch
+      them away with me. It is an affair of ten minutes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not think that, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch. &ldquo;It is much more
+      difficult than you imagine. But come! come!&mdash;I can hear them talk in
+      the court-yard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In fact, the sound of voices was now distinctly audible. &ldquo;Come father!&rdquo;
+       said Agricola, forcing away the soldier, almost in spite of himself.
+      Spoil-sport, who appeared much astonished at these hesitations, barked two
+      or three times without quitting his post, as if to protest against this
+      humiliating retreat; but, being called by Dagobert, he hastened to rejoin
+      the main body.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now about five o&rsquo;clock in the evening. A high wind swept thick
+      masses of grayish, rainy cloud rapidly across the sky. The Boulevard de
+      l&rsquo;Hopital, which bordered on this portion of the convent-garden, was, as
+      we before said, almost deserted. Dagobert, Agricola, and the serving girl
+      could hold a private conference in this solitary place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier did not disguise the extreme impatience that these delays
+      occasioned in him. Hardly had they turned the corner of the street, when
+      he said to Mother Bunch: &ldquo;Come, my child, explain yourself. I am upon hot
+      coals.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The house in which the daughters of Marshal Simon are confined is a
+      convent, M. Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A convent!&rdquo; cried the soldier: &ldquo;I might have suspected it.&rdquo; Then he
+      added: &ldquo;Well, what then? I will fetch them from a convent as soon as from
+      any other place. Once is not always.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, M. Dagobert, they are confined against their will and against yours.
+      They will not give them up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They will not give them up? Zounds! we will see about that.&rdquo; And he made
+      a step towards the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said Agricola, holding him back, &ldquo;one moment&rsquo;s patience; let us
+      hear all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will hear nothing. What! the children are there&mdash;two steps from me&mdash;I
+      know it&mdash;and I shall not have them, either by fair means or foul? Oh!
+      that would indeed be curious. Let me go.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, I beseech you, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, taking his
+      hand: &ldquo;there is another way to deliver these poor children. And that
+      without violence&mdash;for violence, as Mdlle. de Cardoville told me,
+      would ruin all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If there is any other way&mdash;quick&mdash;let me know it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is a ring of Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who is this Mdlle. de Cardoville?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;it is the generous young lady, who offered to be
+      my bail, and to whom I have very important matters to communicate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good, good,&rdquo; replied Dagobert; &ldquo;we will talk of that presently. Well, my
+      dear girl&mdash;this ring?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must take it directly, M. Dagobert, to the Count de Montbron, No. 7,
+      Place Vendome. He appears to be a person of influence, and is a friend of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s. This ring will prove that you come on her behalf,
+      and you will tell him, that she is confined as a lunatic in the asylum
+      next door to this convent, in which the daughters of Marshal Simon are
+      detained against their will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well&mdash;what next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then the Count de Montbron will take the proper steps with persons in
+      authority, to restore both Mdlle. de Cardoville and the daughters of
+      Marshal Simon to liberty&mdash;and perhaps, to-morrow, or the day after&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow or the day after!&rdquo; cried Dagobert; &ldquo;perhaps?&mdash;It is
+      to-day, on the instant, that I must have them. The day after to-morrow
+      would be of much use! Thanks, my good girl, but keep your ring: I will
+      manage my own business. Wait for me here, my boy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What are you going to do, father?&rdquo; cried Agricola, still holding back the
+      soldier. &ldquo;It is a convent, remember.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are only a raw recruit; I have my theory of convents at my fingers&rsquo;
+      end. In Spain, I have put it in practice a hundred times. Here is what
+      will happen. I knock; a portress opens the door to me; she asks me what I
+      want, but I make no answer; she tries to stop me, but I pass on; once in
+      the convent, I walk over it from top to bottom, calling my children with
+      all my might.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, M. Dagobert, the nuns?&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, still trying to detain
+      the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The nuns run after me, screaming like so many magpies. I know them. At
+      Seville I fetched out an Andalusian girl, whom they were trying to keep by
+      force. Well, I walk about the convent calling for Rose and Blanche. They
+      hear me, and answer. If they are shut in, I take the first piece of
+      furniture that comes to hand, and break open the door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, M. Dagobert&mdash;the nuns&mdash;the nuns?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The nuns, with all their squalling, will not prevent my breaking open the
+      door, seizing my children in my arms, and carrying them off. Should the
+      outer door be shut, there will be a second smash&mdash;that&rsquo;s all. So,&rdquo;
+       added Dagobert, disengaging himself from the grasp, &ldquo;wait for me here. In
+      ten minutes I shall be back again. Go and get a hackney-coach ready, my
+      boy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      More calm than Dagobert, and, above all, better informed as to the
+      provisions of the Penal Code, Agricola was alarmed at the consequences
+      that might attend the veteran&rsquo;s strange mode of proceeding. So, throwing
+      himself before him, he exclaimed: &ldquo;One word more, I entreat you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Zounds! make haste!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you attempt to enter the convent by force, you will ruin all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, &ldquo;there are men in the
+      convent. As I came out just now, I saw the porter loading his gun, and
+      heard the gardener talking of his sharp scythe, and the rounds he was to
+      make at night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Much I care for a porter&rsquo;s gun and a gardener&rsquo;s scythe!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, father; but listen to me a moment, I conjure you. Suppose you
+      knock, and the door is opened&mdash;the porter will ask you what you
+      want.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell him that I wish to speak to the superior, and so walk into the
+      convent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, &ldquo;when once you have crossed the
+      court-yard, you reach a second door, with a wicket. A nun comes to it, to
+      see who rings, and does not open the door till she knows the object of the
+      visit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell her that I wish to see the lady superior.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, father, as you are not known in the convent, they will go and
+      inform the superior.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She will come down.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She will ask you what you want, M. Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I want?&mdash;the devil! my children!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One minute&rsquo;s patience, father. You cannot doubt, from the precautions
+      they have taken, that they wish to detain these young ladies against their
+      will, and against yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubt! I am sure of it. To come to that point, they began by turning the
+      head of my poor wife.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, father, the superior will reply to you that she does not know what
+      you mean, and that the young ladies are not in the convent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I will reply to her, that they are in the convent witness&mdash;Mother
+      Bunch and Spoil-sport.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The superior will answer, that she does not know you; that she has no
+      explanations to give you; and will close the wicket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I break it open&mdash;since one must come to that in the end&mdash;so
+      leave me alone, I tell you! &lsquo;sblood! leave me alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, on this noise and violence, the porter will run and fetch the guard,
+      and they will begin by arresting you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what will become of your poor children, then, M. Dagobert?&rdquo; said
+      Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola&rsquo;s father had too much good sense not to feel the truth of these
+      observations of the girl and his son; but he knew also, that, cost what it
+      might, the orphans must be delivered before the morrow. The alternative
+      was terrible&mdash;so terrible, that, pressing his two hands to his
+      burning forehead, Dagobert sunk back upon a stone bench, as if struck down
+      by the inexorable fatality of the dilemma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola and the workwoman, deeply moved by this mute despair, exchanged a
+      sad look. The smith, seating himself beside the soldier, said to him: &ldquo;Do
+      not be down-hearted, father. Remember what&rsquo;s been told you. By going with
+      this ring of Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s to the influential gentleman she
+      named, the young ladies may be free by to-morrow, or, at worst, by the day
+      after.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blood and thunder! you want to drive me mad!&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert,
+      starting up from the bench, and looking at Mother Bunch and his son with
+      so savage an expression that Agricola and the sempstress drew back, with
+      an air of surprise and uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, my children!&rdquo; said Dagobert, recovering himself after a long
+      silence. &ldquo;I am wrong to get in a passion, for we do not understand one
+      another. What you say is true; and yet I am right to speak as I do. Listen
+      to me. You are an honest man, Agricola; you an honest girl; what I tell
+      you is meant for you alone. I have brought these children from the depths
+      of Siberia&mdash;do you know why? That they may be to-morrow morning in
+      the Rue Saint-Francois. If they are not there, I have failed to execute
+      the last wish of their dying mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No. 3, Rue Saint Francois?&rdquo; cried Agricola, interrupting his father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; how do you know the number?&rdquo; said Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is not the date inscribed on a bronze medal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Dagobert, more end more surprised; &ldquo;who told you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One instant, father!&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola; &ldquo;let me reflect. I think I
+      guess it. Did you not tell me, my good sister, that Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      was not mad?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not mad. They detain her in this asylum to prevent her communicating with
+      any one. She believes herself, like the daughters of Marshal Simon, the
+      victim of an odious machination.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt of it,&rdquo; cried the smith. &ldquo;I understand all now, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville has the same interest as the orphans to appear to-morrow at the
+      Rue Saint-Francois. But she does not perhaps know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word more, my good girl. Did Mdlle. de Cardoville tell you that she
+      had a powerful motive to obtain her freedom by to-morrow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; for when she gave me this ring for the Count de Montbron, she said to
+      me: &lsquo;By this means both I and Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters will be at liberty
+      either to-morrow or the day after&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But explain yourself, then,&rdquo; said Dagobert to his son, with impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just now,&rdquo; replied the smith, &ldquo;when you came to seek me in prison, I told
+      you, father, that I had a sacred duty to perform, and that I would rejoin
+      you at home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; and I went, on my side, to take some measures, of which I will speak
+      to you presently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ran instantly to the house in the Rue de Babylone, not knowing that
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville was mad, or passed for mad. A servant, who opened the
+      door to me, informed me that the young lady had been seized with a sudden
+      attack of madness. You may conceive, father, what a blow that was to me! I
+      asked where she was: they answered, that they did not know. I asked if I
+      could speak to any of the family; as my jacket did not inspire any great
+      confidence, they replied that none of her family were at present there. I
+      was in despair, but an idea occurred to me. I said to myself: &lsquo;If she is
+      mad, her family physician must know where they have taken her; if she is
+      in a state to hear me, he will take me to her; if not, I will speak to her
+      doctor, as I would to her relations. A doctor is often a friend.&rsquo; I asked
+      the servant, therefore, to give me the doctor&rsquo;s address. I obtained it
+      without difficulty&mdash;Dr. Baleinier, No. 12, Rue Taranne. I ran
+      thither, but he had gone out; they told me that I should find him about
+      five o&rsquo;clock at his asylum, which is next door to the convent. That is how
+      we have met.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the medal&mdash;the medal?&rdquo; said Dagobert, impatiently; &ldquo;where did
+      you see it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is with regard to this and other things that I wished to make
+      important communications to Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what are these communications?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact is, father, I had gone to her the day of your departure, to beg
+      her to get me bail. I was followed; and when she learned this from her
+      waiting-woman, she concealed me in a hiding-place. It was a sort of little
+      vaulted room, in which no light was admitted, except through a tunnel,
+      made like a chimney; yet in a few minutes, I could see pretty clearly.
+      Having nothing better to do, I looked all about me and saw that the walls
+      were covered with wainscoting. The entrance to this room was composed of a
+      sliding panel, moving by means of weights and wheels admirably contrived.
+      As these concern my trade, I was interested in them, so I examined the
+      springs, spite of my emotion, with curiosity, and understood the nature of
+      their play; but there was one brass knob, of which I could not discover
+      the use. It was in vain to pull and move it from right to left, none of
+      the springs were touched. I said to myself: &lsquo;This knob, no doubt, belongs
+      to another piece of mechanism&rsquo;&mdash;and the idea occurred to me, instead
+      of drawing it towards me, to push it with force. Directly after, I heard a
+      grating sound, and perceived, just above the entrance to the hiding-place,
+      one of the panels, about two feet square, fly open like the door of a
+      secretary. As I had, no doubt, pushed the spring rather too hard, a bronze
+      medal and chain fell out with a shock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you saw the address&mdash;Rue Saint-Francois?&rdquo; cried Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; and with this medal, a sealed letter fell to the ground. On
+      picking it up, I saw that it was addressed, in large letters: &lsquo;For Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville. To be opened by her the moment it is delivered.&rsquo; Under
+      these words, I saw the initials &lsquo;R.&rsquo; and &lsquo;C.,&rsquo; accompanied by a flourish,
+      and this date: &lsquo;Paris, November the 13th, 1830.&rsquo; On the other side of the
+      envelope I perceived two seals, with the letters &lsquo;R.&rsquo; and &lsquo;C.,&rsquo; surmounted
+      by a coronet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the seals were unbroken?&rdquo; asked Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perfectly whole.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, then, Mdlle. de Cardoville was ignorant of the existence of
+      these papers,&rdquo; said the sempstress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was my first idea, since she was recommended to open the letter
+      immediately, and, notwithstanding this recommendation, which bore date two
+      years back, the seals remained untouched.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is evident,&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;What did you do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I replaced the whole where it was before, promising myself to inform
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville of it. But, a few minutes after, they entered my
+      hiding-place, which had been discovered, and I did not see her again. I
+      was only able to whisper a few words of doubtful meaning to one of her
+      waiting-women, on the subject of what I had found, hoping thereby to
+      arouse the attention of her mistress; and, as soon as I was able to write
+      to you, my good sister, I begged you to go and call upon Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But this medal,&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;is exactly like that possessed by the
+      daughter of Marshal Simon. How can you account for that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing so plain, father. Mdlle. de Cardoville is their relation. I
+      remember now, that she told me so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A relation of Rose and Blanche?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; added Mother Bunch; &ldquo;she told that also to me just now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, looking anxiously at his son, &ldquo;do you now
+      understand why I must have my children this very day? Do you now
+      understand, as their poor mother told me on her death-bed, that one day&rsquo;s
+      delay might ruin all? Do you now see that I cannot be satisfied with a
+      perhaps to-morrow, when I have come all the way from Siberia, only, that
+      those children might be to-morrow in the Rue Saint-Francois? Do you at
+      last perceive that I must have them this night, even if I have to set fire
+      to the convent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father, if you employ violence&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Zounds! do you know what the commissary of police answered me this
+      morning, when I went to renew my charge against your mother&rsquo;s confessor?
+      He said to me that there was no proof, and that they could do nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But now there is proof, father, for at least we know where the young
+      girls are. With that certainty we shall be strong. The law is more
+      powerful than all the superiors of convents in the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the Count de Montbron, to whom Mdlle. de Cardoville begs you to
+      apply,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, &ldquo;is a man of influence. Tell him the reasons
+      that make it so important for these young ladies, as well as Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, to be at liberty this evening and he will certainly hasten the
+      course of justice, and to-night your children will be restored to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister is in the right, father. Go to the Count. Meanwhile, I will run to
+      the commissary, and tell him that we now know where the young girls are
+      confined. Do you go home, and wait for us, my good girl. We will meet at
+      our own house!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert had remained plunged in thought; suddenly, he said to Agricola:
+      &ldquo;Be it so. I will follow your counsel. But suppose the commissary says to
+      you: &lsquo;We cannot act before to-morrow&rsquo;&mdash;suppose the Count de Montbron
+      says to me the same thing&mdash;do not think I shall stand with my arms
+      folded until the morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is enough,&rdquo; resumed the soldier in an abrupt voice: &ldquo;I have made up my
+      mind. Run to the commissary, my boy; wait for us at home, my good girl; I
+      will go to the Count. Give me the ring. Now for the address!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20109m.jpg" alt="20109m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20109.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Count de Montbron, No. 7, Place Vendome,&rdquo; said she; &ldquo;you come on
+      behalf of Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have a good memory,&rdquo; answered the soldier. &ldquo;We will meet as soon as
+      possible in the Rue Brise-Miche.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; have good courage. You will see that the law protects and
+      defends honest people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better,&rdquo; said the soldier; &ldquo;because, otherwise, honest people
+      would be obliged to protect and defend themselves. Farewell, my children!
+      we will meet soon in the Rue Brise-Miche.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When Dagobert, Agricola, and Mother Bunch separated, it was already dark
+      night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0063" id="link2HCH0063">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X. THE MEETING.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t is eight o&rsquo;clock in the evening, the rain dashes against the windows of
+      Frances Baudoin&rsquo;s apartment in the Rue Brise-Miche, while violent squalls
+      of wind shake the badly dosed doors and casements. The disorder and
+      confusion of this humble abode, usually kept with so much care and
+      neatness, bore testimony to the serious nature of the sad events which had
+      thus disturbed existences hitherto peaceful in their obscurity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The paved floor was soiled with mud, and a thick layer of dust covered the
+      furniture, once so bright and clean. Since Frances was taken away by the
+      commissary, the bed had not been made; at night Dagobert had thrown
+      himself upon it for a few hours in his clothes, when, worn out with
+      fatigue, and crushed by despair, he had returned from new and vain
+      attempts to discover Rose and Blanche&rsquo;s prison-house. Upon the drawers
+      stood a bottle, a glass, and some fragments of dry bread, proving the
+      frugality of the soldier, whose means of subsistence were reduced to the
+      money lent by the pawnbroker upon the things pledged by Mother Bunch,
+      after the arrest of Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By the faint glimmer of a candle, placed upon the little stove, now cold
+      as marble, for the stock of wood had long been exhausted, one might have
+      seen the hunchback sleeping upon a chair, her head resting on her bosom,
+      her hands concealed beneath her cotton apron, and her feet resting on the
+      lowest rung of the chair; from time to time, she shivered in her damp,
+      chill garments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After that long day of fatigue and diverse emotions, the poor creature had
+      eaten nothing. Had she even thought of it, she would have been at a loss
+      for bread. Waiting for the return of Dagobert and Agricola, she had sunk
+      into an agitated sleep&mdash;very different, alas! from calm and
+      refreshing slumber. From time to time, she half opened her eyes uneasily,
+      and looked around her. Then, again, overcome by irresistible heaviness,
+      her head fell upon her bosom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some minutes of silence, only interrupted by the noise of the wind,
+      a slow and heavy step was heard on the landing-place. The door opened, and
+      Dagobert entered, followed by Spoil-sport.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Waking with a start, Mother Bunch raised her head hastily, sprang from her
+      chair, and, advancing rapidly to meet Agricola&rsquo;s father, said to him:
+      &ldquo;Well, M. Dagobert! have you good news? Have you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She could not continue, she was so struck with the gloomy expression of
+      the soldier&rsquo;s features. Absorbed in his reflections, he did not at first
+      appear to perceive the speaker, but threw himself despondingly on a chair,
+      rested his elbows upon the table, and hid his face in his hands. After a
+      long meditation, he rose, and said in a low voice: &ldquo;It must&mdash;yes, it
+      must be done!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Taking a few steps up and down the room, Dagobert looked around him, as if
+      in search of something. At length, after about a minute&rsquo;s examination, he
+      perceived near the stove, a bar of iron, perhaps two feet long, serving to
+      lift the covers, when too hot for the fingers. Taking this in his hand, he
+      looked at it closely, poised it to judge of its weight, and then laid it
+      down upon the drawers with an air of satisfaction. Surprised at the long
+      silence of Dagobert, the needlewoman followed his movements with timid and
+      uneasy curiosity. But soon her surprise gave way to fright, when she saw
+      the soldier take down his knapsack, place it upon a chair, open it, and
+      draw from it a pair of pocket-pistols, the locks of which he tried with
+      the utmost caution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seized with terror, the sempstress could not forbear exclaiming: &ldquo;Good
+      gracious, M. Dagobert! what are you going to do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier looked at her as if he only now perceived her for the first
+      time, and said to her in a cordial, but abrupt voice: &ldquo;Good-evening, my
+      good girl! What is the time?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eight o&rsquo;clock has just struck at Saint-Mery&rsquo;s, M. Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eight o&rsquo;clock,&rdquo; said the soldier, speaking to himself; &ldquo;only eight!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Placing the pistols by the side of the iron bar, he appeared again to
+      reflect, while he cast his eyes around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert,&rdquo; ventured the girl, &ldquo;you have not, then, good news?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      That single word was uttered by the soldier in so sharp a tone, that, not
+      daring to question him further, Mother Bunch sat down in silence. Spoil
+      sport came to lean his head on the knees of the girl, and followed the
+      movements of Dagobert with as much curiosity as herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After remaining for some moments pensive and silent, the soldier
+      approached the bed, took a sheet from it, appeared to measure its length,
+      and then said, turning towards Mother Bunch: &ldquo;The scissors!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, M. Dagobert&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my good girl! the scissors!&rdquo; replied Dagobert, in a kind tone, but
+      one that commanded obedience. The sempstress took the scissors from
+      Frances&rsquo; work-basket, and presented them to the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, hold the other end of the sheet, my girl, and draw it out tight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few minutes, Dagobert had cut the sheet into four strips, which he
+      twisted in the fashion of cords, fastening them here and there with bits
+      of tape, so as to preserve the twist, and tying them strongly together, so
+      as to make a rope of about twenty feet long. This, however, did not
+      suffice him, for he said to himself: &ldquo;Now I must have a hook.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Again he looked around him, and Mother Bunch, more and more frightened,
+      for she now no longer doubted Dagobert&rsquo;s designs, said to him timidly: &ldquo;M.
+      Dagobert, Agricola has not yet come in. It may be some good news that
+      makes him so late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the soldier, bitterly, as he continued to cast round his eyes
+      in search of something he wanted; &ldquo;good news like mine! But I must have a
+      strong iron hook.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Still looking about, he found one of the coarse, gray sacks, that Frances
+      was accustomed to make. He took it, opened it, and said to the work girl:
+      &ldquo;Put me the iron bar and the cord into this bag, my girl. It will be
+      easier to carry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heavens!&rdquo; cried she, obeying his directions; &ldquo;you will not go without
+      seeing Agricola, M. Dagobert? He may perhaps have some good news to tell
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied! I shall wait for my boy. I need not start before ten
+      o&rsquo;clock&mdash;so I have time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, M. Dagobert! have you last all hope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the contrary. I have good hope&mdash;but in myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Dagobert twisted the upper end of the sack, for the purpose of
+      closing it, and placed it on the drawers, by the side of his pistols.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At all events, you will wait for Agricola, M. Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, if he arrives before ten o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas; you have then quite made up your mind?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite. And yet, if I were weak enough to believe in bad omens&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sometimes, M. Dagobert, omens do not deceive one,&rdquo; said the girl, hoping
+      to induce the soldier to abandon his dangerous resolution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert; &ldquo;old women say so&mdash;and, although I am not an
+      old woman, what I saw just now weighed heavily on my heart. After all, I
+      may have taken a feeling of anger for a presentiment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you seen?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell it you, my good girl; it may help to pass the time, which
+      appears long enough.&rdquo; Then, interrupting himself, he exclaimed: &ldquo;Was it
+      the half hour that just struck?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, M. Dagobert; it is half-past eight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Still an hour and a half,&rdquo; said Dagobert, in a hollow voice. &ldquo;This,&rdquo; he
+      added, &ldquo;is what I saw. As I came along the street, my notice was attracted
+      by a large red placard, at the head of which was a black panther devouring
+      a white horse. That sight gave me a turn, for you must know, my good girl,
+      that a black panther destroyed a poor old white horse that I had,
+      Spoil-sport&rsquo;s companion, whose name was Jovial.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the sound of this name, once so familiar, Spoil-sport, who was
+      crouching at the workwoman&rsquo;s feet, raised his head hastily, and looked at
+      Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see that beasts have memory&mdash;he recollects,&rdquo; said the soldier,
+      sighing himself at the remembrance. Then, addressing his dog he added:
+      &ldquo;Dost remember Jovial?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On hearing this name a second time pronounced by his master, in a voice of
+      emotion, Spoil-sport gave a low whine, as if to indicate that he had not
+      forgotten his old travelling companion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was, indeed, a melancholy incident, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch,
+      &ldquo;to find upon this placard a panther devouring a horse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is nothing to what&rsquo;s to come; you shall hear the rest. I drew near
+      the bill, and read in it, that one Morok, just arrived from Germany, is
+      about to exhibit in a theatre different wild beasts that he tamed, among
+      others a splendid lion, a tiger, and a black Java panther named Death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What an awful name!&rdquo; said the hearer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will think it more awful, my child, when I tell you, that this is the
+      very panther which strangled my horse at Leipsic, four months ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good Heaven! you are right, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said the girl, &ldquo;it is awful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait a little,&rdquo; said Dagobert, whose countenance was growing more and
+      more gloomy, &ldquo;that is not all. It was by means of this very Morok, the
+      owner of the panther, that I and my poor children were imprisoned in
+      Leipsic.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this wicked man is in Paris, and wishes you evil?&rdquo; said Mother Bunch.
+      &ldquo;Oh! you are right, M. Dagobert; you must take care of yourself; it is a
+      bad omen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For him, if I catch him,&rdquo; said Dagobert, in a hollow tone. &ldquo;We have old
+      accounts to settle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert,&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, listening; &ldquo;some one is running up the
+      stairs. It is Agricola&rsquo;s footsteps. I am sure he has good news.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That will just do,&rdquo; said the soldier, hastily, without answering.
+      &ldquo;Agricola is a smith. He will be able to find me the iron hook.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A few moments after, Agricola entered the room; but, alas! the sempstress
+      perceived at the first glance, in the dejected countenance of the workman,
+      the ruin of her cherished hopes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well!&rdquo; said Dagobert to his son, in a tone which clearly announced the
+      little faith he attached to the steps taken by Agricola; &ldquo;well, what
+      news?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, it is enough to drive one mad&mdash;to make one dash one&rsquo;s brains
+      out against the wall!&rdquo; cried the smith in a rage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert turned towards Mother Bunch, and said: &ldquo;You see, my poor child&mdash;I
+      was sure of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, father,&rdquo; cried Agricola; &ldquo;have you seen the Court de Montbron?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Count de Montbron set out for Lorraine three days ago. That is my
+      good news,&rdquo; continued the soldier, with bitter irony; &ldquo;let us have yours&mdash;I
+      long to know all. I need to know, if, on appealing to the laws, which, as
+      you told me, protect and defend honest people, it ever happens that the
+      rogues get the best of it. I want to know this, and then I want an iron
+      hook&mdash;so I count upon you for both.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First, tell me what you have done. We have time. It is not much more than
+      half-past eight. On leaving me, where did you go first?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the commissary, who had already received your depositions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What did he say to you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After having very kindly listened to all I had to state, he answered,
+      that these young girls were placed in a respectable house, a convent&mdash;so
+      that there did not appear any urgent necessity for their immediate removal&mdash;and
+      besides, he could not take upon himself to violate the sanctity of a
+      religious dwelling upon your simple testimony; to-morrow, he will make his
+      report to the proper authorities, and steps will be taken accordingly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;plenty of put offs,&rdquo; said the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;But, sir,&rsquo; answered I to him,&rdquo; resumed Agricola, &ldquo;&lsquo;it is now, this very
+      night, that you ought to act, for if these young girls should not be
+      present to-morrow morning in the Rue Saint Francois, their interests may
+      suffer incalculable damage. &lsquo;I am very sorry for it,&rsquo; replied he, &lsquo;but I
+      cannot, upon your simple declaration, or that of your father, who&mdash;like
+      yourself&mdash;is no relation or connection of these young persons, act in
+      direct opposition to forms, which could not be set aside, even on the
+      demand of a family. The law has its delays and its formalities, to which
+      we are obliged to submit.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly!&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;We must submit to them, at the risk of
+      becoming cowardly, ungrateful traitors!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Didst speak also of Mdlle. de Cardoville to him?&rdquo; asked the work-girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;but he: answered me on this subject in much the same manner:
+      &lsquo;It was very serious; there was no proof in support of my deposition. A
+      third party had told me that Mdlle. de Cardoville affirms she was not mad;
+      but all mad people pretend to be sane. He could not, therefore, upon my
+      sole testimony, take upon himself to enter the house of a respectable
+      physician. But he would report upon it, and the law would have its course&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I wished to act just now for myself,&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;did I not
+      forsee all this? And yet I was weak enough to listen to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father, what you wished to attempt was impossible, and you agreed
+      that it would expose you to far too dangerous consequences.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&rdquo; resumed the soldier, without answering his son, &ldquo;they told you in
+      plain terms, that we must not think of obtaining legally the release of
+      Rose and Blanche this evening or even to-morrow morning?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father. In the eyes of the law, there is no special urgency. The
+      question may not be decided for two or three days.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is all I wished to know,&rdquo; said Dagobert, rising and walking up and
+      down the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet,&rdquo; resumed his son, &ldquo;I did not consider myself beaten. In despair,
+      but believing that justice could not remain deaf to such equitable claims,
+      I ran to the Palais de Justice, hoping to find there a judge, a magistrate
+      who would receive my complaint, and act upon it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; said the soldier, stopping him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was told that the courts shut every day at five o&rsquo;clock, and do not
+      open again til ten in the morning. Thinking of your despair, and of the
+      position of poor Mdlle. de Cardoville, I determined to make one more
+      attempt. I entered a guard-house of troops of the line, commanded by a
+      lieutenant. I told him all. He saw that I was so much moved, and I spoke
+      with such warmth and conviction, that he became interested.&mdash;&lsquo;Lieutenant,&rsquo;
+      said I to him, &lsquo;grant me one favor; let a petty officer and two soldiers
+      go to the convent to obtain a legal entrance. Let them ask to see the
+      daughters of Marshal Simon, and learn whether it is their choice to
+      remain, or return to my father, who brought them from Russia. You will
+      then see if they are not detained against their will&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what answer did he give you, Agricola?&rdquo; asked Mother Bunch, while
+      Dagobert shrugged his shoulders, and continued to walk up and down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;My good fellow,&rsquo; said he, &lsquo;what you ask me is impossible. I understand
+      your motives, but I cannot take upon myself so serious a measure. I should
+      be broke were I to enter a convent by force.&mdash;&lsquo;Then, sir, what am I
+      to do? It is enough to turn one&rsquo;s head.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Faith, I don&rsquo;t know,&rsquo; said
+      the lieutenant; &lsquo;it will be safest, I think, to wait.&rsquo;&mdash;Then,
+      believing I had done all that was possible, father, I resolved to come
+      back, in the hope that you might have been more fortunate than I&mdash;but,
+      alas! I was deceived!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the smith sank upon a chair, for he was worn out with anxiety
+      and fatigue. There was a moment of profound silence after these words of
+      Agricola, which destroyed the last hopes of the three, mute and crushed
+      beneath the strokes of inexorable fatality.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A new incident came to deepen the sad and painful character of this scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0064" id="link2HCH0064">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI. DISCOVERIES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he door which Agricola had not thought of fastening opened, as it were,
+      timidly, and Frances Baudoin, Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, pale, sinking, hardly able
+      to support herself, appeared on the threshold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier, Agricola, and Mother Bunch, were plunged in such deep
+      dejection, that neither of them at first perceived the entrance. Frances
+      advanced two steps into the room, fell upon her knees, clasped her hands
+      together, and said in a weak and humble voice; &ldquo;My poor husband&mdash;pardon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, Agricola and the work-girl&mdash;whose backs were towards
+      the door&mdash;turned round suddenly, and Dagobert hastily raised his
+      head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My mother!&rdquo; cried Agricola, running to Frances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My wife!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, as he also rose, and advanced to meet the
+      unfortunate woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On your knees, dear mother!&rdquo; said Agricola, stooping down to embrace her
+      affectionately. &ldquo;Get up, I entreat you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my child,&rdquo; said Frances, in her mild, firm accents, &ldquo;I will not rise,
+      till your father has forgiven me. I have wronged him much&mdash;now I know
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive you, my poor wife?&rdquo; said the soldier, as he drew near with
+      emotion. &ldquo;Have I ever accused you, except in my first transport of
+      despair? No, no; it was the bad priests that I accused, and there I was
+      right. Well! I have you again,&rdquo; added he, assisting his son to raise
+      Frances; &ldquo;one grief the less. They have then restored you to liberty?
+      Yesterday, I could not even learn in what prison they had put you. I have
+      so many cares that I could not think of you only. But come, dear wife: sit
+      down!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How feeble you are, dear mother!&mdash;how cold&mdash;how pale!&rdquo; said
+      Agricola with anguish, his eyes filling with tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did you not let us know?&rdquo; added he. &ldquo;We would have gone to fetch you.
+      But how you tremble! Your hands are frozen!&rdquo; continued the smith, as he
+      knelt down before Frances. Then, turning towards Mother Bunch: &ldquo;Pray, make
+      a little fire directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought of it, as soon as your father came in, Agricola, but there is
+      no wood nor charcoal left.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then pray borrow some of Father Loriot, my dear sister. He is too good a
+      fellow to refuse. My poor mother trembles so&mdash;she might fall ill.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had he said the words, than Mother Bunch went out. The smith rose
+      from the ground, took the blanket from the bed, and carefully wrapped it
+      about the knees and feet of his mother. Then, again kneeling down, he said
+      to her: &ldquo;Your hands, dear mother!&rdquo; and, taking those feeble palms in his
+      own, he tried to warm them with his breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing could be more touching than this picture: the robust young man,
+      with his energetic and resolute countenance, expressing by his looks the
+      greatest tenderness, and paying the most delicate attentions to his poor,
+      pale, trembling old mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, kind-hearted as his son, went to fetch a pillow, and brought it
+      to his wife, saying: &ldquo;Lean forward a little, and I will put this pillow
+      behind you; you will be more comfortable and warmer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How you both spoil me!&rdquo; said Frances, trying to smile. &ldquo;And you to be so
+      kind, after all the ill I have done!&rdquo; added she to Dagobert, as,
+      disengaging one of her hands from those of her son, she took the soldier&rsquo;s
+      hand and pressed it to her tearful eyes. &ldquo;In prison,&rdquo; said she in a low
+      voice, &ldquo;I had time to repent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola&rsquo;s heart was near breaking at the thought that his pious and good
+      mother, with her angelic purity, should for a moment have been confined in
+      prison with so many miserable creatures. He would have made some attempt
+      to console her on the subject of the painful past, but he feared to give a
+      new shock to Dagobert, and was silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is Gabriel, dear mother?&rdquo; inquired he. &ldquo;How is he? As you have seen
+      him, tell us all about him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have seen Gabriel,&rdquo; said Frances, drying her tears; &ldquo;he is confined at
+      home. His superiors have rigorously forbidden his going out. Luckily, they
+      did not prevent his receiving me, for his words and counsels have opened
+      my eyes to many things. It is from him that I learned how guilty I had
+      been to you, my poor husband.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo; asked Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you know that if I caused you so much grief, it was not from
+      wickedness. When I saw you in such despair, I suffered almost as much
+      myself; but I durst not tell you so, for fear of breaking my oath. I had
+      resolved to keep it, believing that I did well, believing that it was my
+      duty. And yet something told me that it could not be my duty to cause you
+      so much pain. &lsquo;Alas, my God! enlighten me!&rsquo; I exclaimed in my prison, as I
+      knelt down and prayed, in spite of the mockeries of the other women. &lsquo;Why
+      should a just and pious work, commanded by my confessor, the most
+      respectable of men, overwhelm me and mine with so much misery? &lsquo;Have mercy
+      on me, my God, and teach me if I have done wrong without knowing it!&rsquo; As I
+      prayed with fervor, God heard me, and inspired me with the idea of
+      applying to Gabriel. &lsquo;I thank Thee, Father! I will obey!&rsquo; said I within
+      myself. &lsquo;Gabriel is like my own child; but he is also a priest, a martyr&mdash;almost
+      a saint. If any one in the world imitates the charity of our blessed
+      Saviour, it is surely he. When I leave this prison, I will go and consult
+      him and he will clear up my doubts.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, dear mother,&rdquo; cried Agricola; &ldquo;it was a thought from
+      heaven. Gabriel is an angel of purity, courage, nobleness&mdash;the type
+      of the true and good priest!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, poor wife!&rdquo; said Dagobert, with bitterness; &ldquo;if you had never had any
+      confessor but Gabriel!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought of it before he went on his journey,&rdquo; said Frances, with
+      simplicity. &ldquo;I should have liked to confess to the dear boy&mdash;but I
+      fancied Abbe Dubois would be offended, and that Gabriel would be too
+      indulgent with regard to my sins.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your sins, poor dear mother?&rdquo; said Agricola. &ldquo;As if you ever committed
+      any!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what did Gabriel tell you?&rdquo; asked the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my dear! had I but had such an interview with him sooner! What I
+      told him of Abbe Dubois roused his suspicions, and he questioned me, dear
+      child, as to many things of which he had never spoken to me before. Then I
+      opened to him my whole heart, and he did the same to me, and we both made
+      sad discoveries with regard to persons whom we had always thought very
+      respectable, and who yet had deceived each of us, unknown to the other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, they used to tell him, under the seal of secrecy, things that were
+      supposed to come from me; and they used to tell me, under the same seal of
+      secrecy, things that were supposed to come from him. Thus, he confessed to
+      me, that he did not feel at first any vocation for the priesthood; but
+      they told him that I should not believe myself safe in this world or in
+      the next, if he did not take orders, because I felt persuaded that I could
+      best serve the Lord by giving Him so good a servant; and that yet I had
+      never dared to ask Gabriel himself to give me this proof of his
+      attachment, though I had taken him from the street, a deserted orphan, and
+      brought him up as my own son, at the cost of labor and privations. Then,
+      how could it be otherwise? The poor dear child, thinking he could please
+      me, sacrificed himself. He entered the seminary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Horrible,&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;&lsquo;tis an infamous snare, and, for the priests
+      who were guilty of it, a sacrilegious lie!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;During all that time,&rdquo; resumed Frances, &ldquo;they were holding very different
+      language to me. I was told that Gabriel felt his vocation, but that he
+      durst not avow it to me, for fear of my being jealous on account of
+      Agricola, who, being brought up as a workman, would not enjoy the same
+      advantages as those which the priesthood would secure to Gabriel. So when
+      he asked my permission to enter the seminary dear child! he entered it
+      with regret, but he thought he was making me so happy!&mdash;instead of
+      discouraging this idea, I did all in my power to persuade him to follow
+      it, assuring him that he could not do better, and that it would occasion
+      me great joy. You understand, I exaggerated, for fear he should think me
+      jealous on account of Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What an odious machination!&rdquo; said Agricola, in amazement. &ldquo;They were
+      speculating in this unworthy manner upon your mutual devotion. Thus
+      Gabriel saw the expression of your dearest wish in the almost forced
+      encouragement given to his resolution.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little by little, however, as Gabriel has the best heart in the world,
+      the vocation really came to him. That was natural enough&mdash;he was born
+      to console those who suffer, and devote himself for the unfortunate. He
+      would never have spoken to me of the past, had it not been for this
+      morning&rsquo;s interview. But then I beheld him, who is usually so mild and
+      gentle, become indignant, exasperated, against M. Rodin and another person
+      whom he accuses. He had serious complaints against them already, but these
+      discoveries, he says, will make up the measure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words of Frances, Dagobert pressed his hand to his forehead, as
+      if to recall something to his memory. For some minutes he had listened
+      with surprise, and almost terror, to the account of these secret plots,
+      conducted with such deep and crafty dissimulation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances continued: &ldquo;When at last I acknowledged to Gabriel, that by the
+      advice of Abbe Dubois, my confessor, I had delivered to a stranger the
+      children confined to my husband&mdash;General Simon&rsquo;s daughters&mdash;the
+      dear boy blamed me, though with great regret, not for having wished to
+      instruct the poor orphans in the truths of our holy religion, but for
+      having acted without the consent of my husband, who alone was answerable
+      before God and man for the charge entrusted to him. Gabriel severely
+      censured Abbe Dubois&rsquo; conduct, who had given me, he said, bad and
+      perfidious counsels; and then, with the sweetness of an angel, the dear
+      boy consoled me, and exhorted me to come and tell you all. My poor
+      husband! he would fain have accompanied me, for I had scarcely courage to
+      come hither, so strongly did I feel the wrong I had done you; but,
+      unfortunately, Gabriel is confined at the seminary by the strict order of
+      his superiors; he could not come with me, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here Dagobert, who seemed much agitated, abruptly interrupted his wife.
+      &ldquo;One word, Frances,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;for, in truth, in the midst of so many
+      cares, and black, diabolical plots, one loses one&rsquo;s memory, and the head
+      begins to wander. Didst not tell me, the day the children disappeared,
+      that Gabriel, when taken in by you, had round his neck a bronze medal, and
+      in his pocket a book filled with papers in a foreign language?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this medal and these papers were afterwards delivered to your
+      confessor?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And Gabriel never spoke of them since?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola, hearing this from his mother, looked at her with surprise, and
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;Then Gabriel has the same interest as the daughters of General
+      Simon, or Mdlle. de Cardoville, to be in the Rue Saint-Francois
+      to-morrow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;And now do you remember what he said to us,
+      just after my arrival&mdash;that, in a few days, he would need our support
+      in a serious matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And he is kept a prisoner at his seminary! And he tells your mother that
+      he has to complain of his superiors! and he asked us for our support with
+      so sad and grave an air, that I said to him&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He would speak so, if about to engage in a deadly duel,&rdquo; interrupted
+      Agricola. &ldquo;True, father! and yet you, who are a good judge of valor,
+      acknowledged that Gabriel&rsquo;s courage was equal to yours. For him so to fear
+      his superiors, the danger must be great indeed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now that I have heard your mother, I understand it all,&rdquo; said Dagobert.
+      &ldquo;Gabriel is like Rose and Blanche, like Mdlle. de Cardoville, like your
+      mother, like all of us, perhaps&mdash;the victim of a secret conspiracy of
+      wicked priests. Now that I know their dark machinations, their infernal
+      perseverance, I see,&rdquo; added the soldier, in a whisper, &ldquo;that it requires
+      strength to struggle against them. I had not the least idea of their
+      power.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, father; for those who are hypocritical and wicked do as
+      much harm as those who are good and charitable, like Gabriel, do good.
+      There is no more implacable enemy than a bad priest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20125m.jpg" alt="20125m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20125.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it, and that&rsquo;s what frightens me; for my poor children are in
+      their hands. But is all lost? Shall I bring myself to give them up without
+      an effort? Oh, no, no! I will not show any weakness&mdash;and yet, since
+      your mother told us of these diabolical plots, I do not know how it is but
+      I seem less strong, less resolute. What is passing around me appears so
+      terrible. The spiriting away of these children is no longer an isolated
+      fact&mdash;it is one of the ramifications of a vast conspiracy, which
+      surrounds and threatens us all. It seems to me as if I and those I love
+      walked together in darkness, in the midst of serpents, in the midst of
+      snares that we can neither see nor struggle against. Well! I&rsquo;ll speak out!
+      I have never feared death&mdash;I am not a coward and yet I confess&mdash;yes,
+      I confess it&mdash;these black robes frighten me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert pronounced these words in so sincere a tone, that his son
+      started, for he shared the same impression. And it was quite natural.
+      Frank, energetic, resolute characters, accustomed to act and fight in the
+      light of day, never feel but one fear&mdash;and that is, to be ensnared
+      and struck in the dark by enemies that escape their grasp. Thus, Dagobert
+      had encountered death twenty times; and yet, on hearing his wife&rsquo;s simple
+      revelation of this dark tissue of lies, and treachery, and crime, the
+      soldier felt a vague sense of fear; and, though nothing was changed in the
+      conditions of his nocturnal enterprise against the convent, it now
+      appeared to him in a darker and more dangerous light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The silence, which had reigned for some moments, was interrupted by Mother
+      Bunch&rsquo;s return. The latter, knowing that the interview between Dagobert,
+      his wife, and Agricola, ought not have any importunate witness, knocked
+      lightly at the door, and remained in the passage with Father Loriot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can we come in, Mme. Frances?&rdquo; asked the sempstress. &ldquo;Here is Father
+      Loriot, bringing some wood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; come in, my good girl,&rdquo; said Agricola, whilst his father wiped
+      the cold sweat from his forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The door opened, and the worthy dyer appeared, with his hands and arms of
+      an amaranthine color; on one side, he carried a basket of wood, and on the
+      other some live coal in a shovel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-evening to the company!&rdquo; said Daddy Loriot. &ldquo;Thank you for having
+      thought of me, Mme. Frances. You know that my shop and everything in it
+      are at your service. Neighbors should help one another; that&rsquo;s my motto!
+      You were kind enough, I should think, to my late wife!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, placing the wood in a corner, and giving the shovel to Agricola, the
+      worthy dyer, guessing from the sorrowful appearance of the different
+      actors in this scene, that it would be impolite to prolong his visit,
+      added: &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want anything else, Mme. Frances?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, thank you, Father Loriot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, good-evening to the company!&rdquo; said the dyer; and, addressing Mother
+      Bunch, he added: &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t forget the letter for M. Dagobert. I durstn&rsquo;t
+      touch it for fear of leaving the marks of my four fingers and thumb in
+      amaranthine! But, good evening to the company!&rdquo; and Father Loriot went
+      out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert, here is a letter,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch. She set herself to
+      light the fire in the stove, while Agricola drew his mother&rsquo;s arm-chair to
+      the hearth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See what it is, my boy,&rdquo; said Dagobert to his son; &ldquo;my head is so heavy
+      that I cannot see clear.&rdquo; Agricola took the letter, which contained only a
+      few lines, and read it before he looked at the signature.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     &ldquo;At Sea, December 25th, 1831.
+
+     &ldquo;I avail myself of a few minutes&rsquo; communication with a ship bound
+     direct for Europe, to write to you, my old comrade, a few hasty
+     lines, which will reach you probably by way of Havre, before the
+     arrival of my last letters from India. You must by this time be at
+     Paris, with my wife and child&mdash;tell them&mdash;I am unable to say more
+     &mdash;the boat is departing. Only one word; I shall soon be in France.
+     Do not forget the 13th February; the future of my wife and child
+     depends upon it.
+
+     &ldquo;Adieu, my friend! Believe in my eternal gratitude.
+
+     &ldquo;SIMON.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola&mdash;quick! look to your father!&rdquo; cried the hunchback.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the first words of this letter, which present circumstances made so
+      cruelly applicable, Dagobert had become deadly pale. Emotion, fatigue,
+      exhaustion, joined to this last blow, made him stagger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His son hastened to him, and supported him in his arms. But soon the
+      momentary weakness passed away, and Dagobert, drawing his hand across his
+      brow, raised his tall figure to its full height. Then, whilst his eye
+      sparkled, his rough countenance took an expression of determined
+      resolution, and he exclaimed, in wild excitement: &ldquo;No, no! I will not be a
+      traitor; I will not be a coward. The black robes shall not frighten me;
+      and, this night, Rose and Blanche Simon shall be free!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0065" id="link2HCH0065">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII. THE PENAL CODE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">S</span>tartled for a moment by the dark and secret machinations of the black
+      robes, as he called them, against the persons he most loved, Dagobert
+      might have hesitated an instant to attempt the deliverance of Rose and
+      Blanche; but his indecision ceased directly on the reading of Marshal
+      Simon&rsquo;s letter, which came so timely to remind him of his sacred duties.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the soldier&rsquo;s passing dejection had succeeded a resolution full of calm
+      and collected energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola, what o&rsquo;clock is it?&rdquo; asked he of his son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just struck nine, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must make me, directly, an iron hook&mdash;strong enough to support
+      my weight, and wide enough to hold on the coping of a wall. This stove
+      will be forge and anvil; you will find a hammer in the house; and, for
+      iron,&rdquo; said the soldier, hesitating, and looking around him, &ldquo;as for iron&mdash;here
+      is some!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the soldier took from the hearth a strong pair of tongs, and
+      presented them to his son, adding: &ldquo;Come, my boy! blow up the fire, blow
+      it to a white heat, and forge me this iron!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words, Frances and Agricola looked at each other with surprise;
+      the smith remained mute and confounded, not knowing the resolution of his
+      father, and the preparations he had already commenced with the
+      needlewoman&rsquo;s aid.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you hear me, Agricola,&rdquo; repeated Dagobert, still holding the pair
+      of tongs in his hand; &ldquo;you must make me a hook directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A hook, father?&mdash;for what purpose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To tie to the end of a cord that I have here. There must be a loop at one
+      end large enough to fix it securely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But this cord&mdash;this hook&mdash;for what purpose are they?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To scale the walls of the convent, if I cannot get in by the door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What convent?&rdquo; asked Frances of her son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How, father?&rdquo; cried the latter, rising abruptly. &ldquo;You still think of
+      that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why! what else should I think of?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father, it is impossible; you will never attempt such an
+      enterprise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it, my child?&rdquo; asked Frances, with anxiety. &ldquo;Where is father
+      going?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is going to break into the convent where Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters are
+      confined, and carry them off.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Great God! my poor husband&mdash;a sacrilege!&rdquo; cried Frances, faithful to
+      her pious traditions, and, clasping her hands together, she endeavored to
+      rise and approach Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier, forseeing that he would have to contend with observations and
+      prayers of all sorts, and resolved not to yield, determined to cut short
+      all useless supplications, which would only make him lose precious time.
+      He said, therefore, with a grave, severe, and almost solemn air, which
+      showed the inflexibility of his determination: &ldquo;Listen to me, wife&mdash;and
+      you also, my son&mdash;when, at my age, a man makes up his mind to do
+      anything, he knows the reason why. And when a man has once made up his
+      mind, neither wife nor child can alter it. I have resolved to do my duty;
+      so spare yourselves useless words. It may be your duty to talk to me as
+      you have done; but it is over now, and we will say no more about it. This
+      evening I must be master in my own house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Timid and alarmed, Frances did not dare to utter a word, but she turned a
+      supplicating glance towards her son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said the latter, &ldquo;one word more&mdash;only one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us hear,&rdquo; replied Dagobert, impatiently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not combat your resolution; but I will prove to you that you do
+      not know to what you expose yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it all,&rdquo; replied the soldier, in an abrupt tone. &ldquo;The undertaking
+      is a serious one; but it shall not be said that I neglected any means to
+      accomplish what I promised to do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But father, you do not know to what danger you expose yourself,&rdquo; said the
+      smith, much alarmed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Talk of danger! talk of the porter&rsquo;s gun and the gardener&rsquo;s scythe!&rdquo; said
+      Dagobert, shrugging his shoulders contemptuously. &ldquo;Talk of them, and have
+      done with it for, after all, suppose I were to leave my carcass in the
+      convent, would not you remain to your mother? For twenty years, you were
+      accustomed to do without me. It will be all the less trying to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I, alas! am the cause of these misfortunes!&rdquo; cried the poor mother.
+      &ldquo;Ah! Gabriel had good reason to blame me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mme. Frances, be comforted,&rdquo; whispered the sempstress, who had drawn near
+      to Dagobert&rsquo;s wife. &ldquo;Agricola will not suffer his father to expose himself
+      thus.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s hesitation, the smith resumed, in an agitated voice: &ldquo;I
+      know you too well, father, to think of stopping you by the fear of death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what danger, then, do you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of a danger from which even you will shrink, brave as you are,&rdquo; said the
+      young man, in a voice of emotion, that forcibly struck his father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola,&rdquo; said the soldier, roughly and severely, &ldquo;that remark is
+      cowardly, you are insulting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cowardly!&rdquo; resumed the soldier, angrily; &ldquo;because it is cowardice to wish
+      to frighten a man from his duty&mdash;insulting! because you think me
+      capable of being so frightened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, M. Dagobert!&rdquo; exclaimed the sewing-girl, &ldquo;you do not understand
+      Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand him too well,&rdquo; answered the soldier harshly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Painfully affected by the severity of his father, but firm in his
+      resolution, which sprang from love and respect, Agricola resumed, whilst
+      his heart beat violently. &ldquo;Forgive me, if I disobey you, father; but, were
+      you to hate me for it, I must tell you to what you expose yourself by
+      scaling at night the walls of a convent&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My son! do you dare?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, his countenance inflamed with
+      rage-&ldquo;Agricola!&rdquo; exclaimed Frances, in tears. &ldquo;My husband!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert, listen to Agricola!&rdquo; exclaimed Mother Bunch. &ldquo;It is only in
+      your interest that he speaks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not one word more!&rdquo; replied the soldier, stamping his foot with anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, father,&rdquo; exclaimed the smith, growing fearfully pale as he
+      spoke, &ldquo;that you risk being sent to the galleys!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unhappy boy!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, seizing his son by the arm; &ldquo;could you not
+      keep that from me&mdash;rather than expose me to become a traitor and a
+      coward?&rdquo; And the soldier shuddered, as he repeated: &ldquo;The galleys!&rdquo;&mdash;and,
+      bending down his head, remained mute, pensive, withered, as it were, by
+      those blasting words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to enter an inhabited place by night, in such a manner, is what the
+      law calls burglary, and punishes with the galleys,&rdquo; cried Agricola, at
+      once grieved and rejoicing at his father&rsquo;s depression of mind&mdash;&ldquo;yes,
+      father, the galleys, if you are taken in the act; and there are ten
+      chances to one that you would be so. Mother Bunch has told you, the
+      convent is guarded. This morning, had you attempted to carry off the two
+      young ladies in broad daylight, you would have been arrested; but, at
+      least, the attempt would have been an open one, with a character of honest
+      audacity about it, that hereafter might have procured your acquittal. But
+      to enter by night, and by scaling the walls&mdash;I tell you, the galleys
+      would be the consequence. Now, father, decide. Whatever you do, I will do
+      also&mdash;for you shall not go alone. Say but the word, and I will forge
+      the hook for you&mdash;I have here hammer and pincers&mdash;and in an hour
+      we will set out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A profound silence followed these words&mdash;a silence that was only
+      interrupted by the stifled sobs of Frances, who muttered to herself in
+      despair: &ldquo;Alas! this is the consequence of listening to Abbe Dubois!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was in vain that Mother Bunch tried to console Frances. She was herself
+      alarmed, for the soldier was capable of braving even infamy, and Agricola
+      had determined to share the perils of his father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of his energetic and resolute character, Dagobert remained for
+      some time in a kind of stupor. According to his military habits, he had
+      looked at this nocturnal enterprise only as a ruse de guerre, authorized
+      by his good cause, and by the inexorable fatality of his position; but the
+      words of his son brought him back to the fearful reality, and left him the
+      choice of a terrible alternative&mdash;either to betray the confidence of
+      Marshal Simon, and set at naught the last wishes of the mother of the
+      orphan&mdash;or else to expose himself, and above all his son, to lasting
+      disgrace&mdash;without even the certainty of delivering the orphans after
+      all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Drying her eyes, bathed in tears, Frances exclaimed, as if by a sudden
+      inspiration: &ldquo;Dear me! I have just thought of it. There is perhaps a way
+      of getting these dear children from the convent without violence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so, mother?&rdquo; said Agricola, hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is Abbe Dubois, who had them conveyed thither; but Gabriel supposes,
+      that he probably acted by the advice of M. Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if that were so, mother, it would be in vain to apply to M. Rodin. We
+      should get nothing from him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not from him&mdash;but perhaps from that powerful abbe, who is Gabriel&rsquo;s
+      superior, and has always patronized him since his first entrance at the
+      seminary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What abbe, mother?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True mother; before being a priest, he was a soldier he may be more
+      accessible than others&mdash;and yet&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;D&rsquo;Aigrigny!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, with an expression of hate and horror.
+      &ldquo;There is then mixed up with these treasons, a man who was a soldier
+      before being a priest, and whose name is D&rsquo;Aigrigny?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; the Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny&mdash;before the Restoration, in the
+      service of Russia&mdash;but, in 1815, the Bourbons gave him a regiment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is he!&rdquo; said Dagobert, in a hollow voice. &ldquo;Always the same! like an
+      evil spirit&mdash;to the mother, father, children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny!&rdquo; replied Dagobert. &ldquo;Do you know what is this man?
+      Before he was a priest, he was the murderer of Rose and Blanche&rsquo;s mother,
+      because she despised his love. Before he was a priest, he fought against
+      his country, and twice met General Simon face to face in war. Yes; while
+      the general was prisoner at Leipsic, covered with wounds at Waterloo, the
+      turncoat marquis triumphed with the Russians and English!&mdash;Under the
+      Bourbons, this same renegade, loaded with honors, found himself once more
+      face to face with the persecuted soldier of the empire. Between them, this
+      time, there was a mortal duel&mdash;the marquis was wounded&mdash;General
+      Simon was proscribed, condemned, driven into exile. The renegade, you say,
+      has become a priest. Well! I am now certain, that it is he who has carried
+      off Rose and Blanche, in order to wreak on them his hatred of their father
+      and mother. It is the infamous D&rsquo;Aigrigny, who holds them in his power. It
+      is no longer the fortune of these children that I have to defend; it is
+      their life&mdash;do you hear what I say?&mdash;their very life?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, father! do you think this man capable&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A traitor to his country, who finishes by becoming a mock priest, is
+      capable of anything. I tell you, that, perhaps at this moment he may be
+      killing those children by a slow-fire!&rdquo; exclaimed the soldier, in a voice
+      of agony. &ldquo;To separate them from one another was to begin to kill them.
+      Yes!&rdquo; added Dagobert, with an exasperation impossible to describe; &ldquo;the
+      daughters of Marshal Simon are in the power of the Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny and
+      his band, and I hesitate to attempt their rescue, for fear of the galleys!
+      The galleys!&rdquo; added he, with a convulsive burst of laughter; &ldquo;what do I
+      care for the galleys? Can they send a corpse there? If this last attempt
+      fail, shall I not have the right to blow my brains out?&mdash;Put the iron
+      in the fire, my boy&mdash;quick! time presses&mdash;and strike while the
+      iron&rsquo;s hot!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But your son goes with you!&rdquo; exclaimed Frances, with a cry of maternal
+      despair. Then rising, she threw herself at the feet of Dagobert, and said:
+      &ldquo;If you are arrested, he will be arrested also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To escape the galleys, he will do as I do. I have two pistols.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20133m.jpg" alt="20133m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20133.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And without you&mdash;without him,&rdquo; cried the unhappy mother, extending
+      her hands in supplication, &ldquo;what will become of me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right&mdash;I was too selfish,&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;I will go alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall not go alone, father,&rdquo; replied Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But your mother?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch sees what is passing; she will go to Mr. Hardy, my master,
+      and tell him all. He is the most generous of men, and my mother will have
+      food and shelter for the rest of her days.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I am the cause of all!&rdquo; cried Frances, wringing her hands in despair.
+      &ldquo;Punish me, oh, heaven! for it is my fault. I gave up those children. I
+      shall be punished by the death of my child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola, you shall not go with me&mdash;I forbid it!&rdquo; said Dagobert,
+      clasping his son closely to his breast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! when I have pointed out the danger, am I to be the first to shrink
+      from it? you cannot think thus lowly of me, father! Have I not also some
+      one to deliver? The good, the generous Mdlle. de Cardoville, who tried to
+      save me from a prison, is a captive in her turn. I will follow you,
+      father. It is my right, my duty, my determination.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Agricola put into the heated stove the tongs that were intended
+      to form the hook. &ldquo;Alas! may heaven have pity upon us!&rdquo; cried his poor
+      mother, sobbing as she still knelt, whilst the soldier seemed a prey to
+      the most violent internal struggle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not cry so, dear mother; you will break my heart,&rdquo; said Agricola, as
+      he raised her with the sempstress&rsquo;s help. &ldquo;Be comforted! I have
+      exaggerated the danger of my father. By acting prudently, we two may
+      succeed in our enterprise; without much risk&mdash;eh, father?&rdquo; added he,
+      with a significant glance at Dagobert. &ldquo;Once more, be comforted, dear
+      mother. I will answer for everything. We will deliver Marshal Simon&rsquo;s
+      daughters, and Mdlle. de Cardoville too. Sister, give me the hammer and
+      pincers, there in the press.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sempstress, drying her tears, did as desired, while Agricola, by the
+      help of bellows, revived the fire in which the tongs were heating.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here are your tools, Agricola,&rdquo; said the hunchback, in a deeply-agitated
+      voice, as she presented them with trembling hands to the smith, who, with
+      the aid of the pincers, soon drew from the fire the white-hot tongs, and,
+      with vigorous blows of the hammer, formed them into a hook, taking the
+      stove for his anvil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert had remained silent and pensive. Suddenly he said to Frances,
+      taking her by the hand: &ldquo;You know what metal your son is. To prevent his
+      following me would now be impossible. But do not be afraid, dear wife; we
+      shall succeed&mdash;at least, I hope so. And if we should not succeed&mdash;if
+      Agricola and me should be arrested&mdash;well! we are not cowards; we
+      shall not commit suicide; but father and son will go arm in arm to prison,
+      with heads high and proud, look like two brave men who have done their
+      duty. The day of trial must come, and we will explain all, honestly,
+      openly&mdash;we will say, that, driven to the last extremity, finding no
+      support, no protection in the law, we were forced to have recourse to
+      violence. So hammer away, my boy!&rdquo; added Dagobert, addressing his son,
+      pounding the hot iron; &ldquo;forge, forge, without fear. Honest judges will
+      absolve honest men.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father, you are right, be at ease dear mother! The judges will see
+      the difference between rascals who scale walls in order to rob, and an old
+      soldier and his son who, at peril of their liberty, their life, their
+      honor, have sought only to deliver unhappy victims.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if this language should not be heard,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, &ldquo;so much the
+      worse for them! It will not be your son, or husband, who will be
+      dishonored in the eyes of honest people. If they send us to the galleys,
+      and we have courage to survive&mdash;the young and the old convict will
+      wear their chains proudly&mdash;and the renegade marquis, the traitor
+      priest, will bear more shame than we. So, forge without fear, my boy!
+      There are things which the galleys themselves cannot disgrace&mdash;our
+      good conscience and our honor! But now,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;two words with my good
+      Mother Bunch. It grows late, and time presses. On entering the garden, did
+      you remark if the windows of the convent were far from the ground?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, not very far, M. Dagobert&mdash;particularly on that side which is
+      opposite to the madhouse, where Mdlle. de Cardoville is confined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How did you manage to speak to that young lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She was on the other side of an open paling, which separates the two
+      gardens.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent!&rdquo; said Agricola, as he continued to hammer the iron: &ldquo;we can
+      easily pass from one garden to the other. The madhouse may perhaps be the
+      readier way out. Unfortunately, you do not know, Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s
+      chamber.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I do,&rdquo; returned the work-girl, recollecting herself. &ldquo;She is lodged
+      in one of the wings, and there is a shade over her window, painted like
+      canvas, with blue and white stripes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good! I shall not forget that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And can you form no guess as to where are the rooms of my poor children?&rdquo;
+       said Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s reflection, Mother Bunch answered, &ldquo;They are opposite to
+      the chamber occupied by Mdlle. de Cardoville, for she makes signs to them
+      from her window: and I now remember she told me, that their two rooms are
+      on different stories, one on the ground-floor, and the other up one pair
+      of stairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are these windows grated?&rdquo; asked the smith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind, my good girl: with these indications we shall do very well,&rdquo;
+       said Dagobert. &ldquo;For the rest, I have my plans.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some water, my little sister,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;that I may cool my iron.&rdquo;
+       Then addressing his father: &ldquo;Will this hook do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my boy; as soon as it is cold we will fasten the cord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For some time, Frances Baudoin had remained upon her knees, praying with
+      fervor. She implored Heaven to have pity on Agricola and Dagobert, who, in
+      their ignorance, were about to commit a great crime; and she entreated
+      that the celestial vengeance might fall upon her only, as she alone had
+      been the cause of the fatal resolution of her son and husband.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert and Agricola finished their preparations in silence. They were
+      both very pale, and solemnly grave. They felt all the danger of so
+      desperate an enterprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The clock at Saint-Mery&rsquo;s struck ten. The sound of the bell was faint, and
+      almost drowned by the lashing of the wind and rain, which had not ceased
+      for a moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ten o&rsquo;clock!&rdquo; said Dagobert, with a start. &ldquo;There is not a minute to
+      lose. Take the sack, Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he went to fetch the sack, Agricola approached Mother Bunch, who was
+      hardly able to sustain herself, and said to her in a rapid whisper: &ldquo;If we
+      are not here to-morrow, take care of my mother. Go to M. Hardy, who will
+      perhaps have returned from his journey. Courage, my sister! embrace me. I
+      leave poor mother to you.&rdquo; The smith, deeply affected, pressed the almost
+      fainting girl in his arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, old Spoil-sport,&rdquo; said Dagobert: &ldquo;you shall be our scout.&rdquo;
+       Approaching his wife, who, just risen from the ground, was clasping her
+      son&rsquo;s head to her bosom, and covering it with tears and kisses, he said to
+      her, with a semblance of calmness and serenity: &ldquo;Come, my dear wife, be
+      reasonable! Make us a good fire. In two or three hours we will bring home
+      the two poor children, and a fine young lady. Kiss me! that will bring me
+      luck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances threw herself on her husband&rsquo;s neck, without uttering a word. This
+      mute despair, mingled with convulsive sobs, was heart-rending. Dagobert
+      was obliged to tear himself from his wife&rsquo;s arms, and striving to conceal
+      his emotion, he said to his son, in an agitated voice: &ldquo;Let us go&mdash;she
+      unmans me. Take care of her, my good Mother Bunch. Agricola&mdash;come!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier slipped the pistols into the pocket of his great coat, and
+      rushed towards the door, followed by Spoil-sport.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My son, let me embrace you once more&mdash;alas! it is perhaps for the
+      last time!&rdquo; cried the unfortunate mother, incapable of rising, but
+      stretching out her arms to Agricola. &ldquo;Forgive me! it is all my fault.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The smith turned back, mingled his tears with those of his mother&mdash;for
+      he also wept&mdash;and murmured, in a stifled voice: &ldquo;Adieu, dear mother!
+      Be comforted. We shall soon meet again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, escaping from the embrace, he joined his father upon the stairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frances Baudoin heaved a long sigh, and fell almost lifeless into the
+      needlewoman&rsquo;s arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert and Agricola left the Rue Brise-Miche in the height of the storm,
+      and hastened with great strides towards the Boulevard de l&rsquo;Hopital,
+      followed by the dog.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0066" id="link2HCH0066">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII. BURGLARY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">H</span>alf-past eleven had just struck, when Dagobert and his son arrived on the
+      Boulevard de l&rsquo;Hopital.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The wind blew violently, and the rain fell down in torrents, but
+      notwithstanding the thickness of the watery clouds, it was tolerably
+      light, thanks to the late rising of the moon. The tall, dark trees, and
+      the white walls of the convent garden, were distinguishable in the midst
+      of the pale glimmer. Afar off, a street lamp, acted on by the wind, with
+      its red lights hardly visible through the mist and rain, swung backwards
+      and forwards over the dirty causeway of the solitary boulevard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At rare intervals, they heard, at a very great distance, the rattle and
+      rumble of a coach, returning home late; then all was again silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Since their departure from the Rue Brise-Miche, Dagobert and his son had
+      hardly exchanged a word. The design of these two brave men was noble and
+      generous, and yet, resolute but pensive, they glided through the darkness
+      like bandits, at the hour of nocturnal crimes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola carried on his shoulders the sack containing the cord, the hook,
+      and the iron bar; Dagobert leaned upon the arm of his son, and Spoil sport
+      followed his master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The bench, where we sat down, must be close by,&rdquo; said Dagobert, stopping.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Agricola, looking around; &ldquo;here it is, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is oily half-past eleven&mdash;we must wait for midnight,&rdquo; resumed
+      Dagobert. &ldquo;Let us be seated for an instant, to rest ourselves, and decide
+      upon our plan.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, the soldier took his son&rsquo;s hands between his
+      own, and thus continued: &ldquo;Agricola, my child&mdash;it is yet time. Let me
+      go alone, I entreat you. I shall know very well how to get through the
+      business; but the nearer the moment comes, the more I fear to drag you
+      into this dangerous enterprise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the nearer the moment comes, father, the more I feel I may be of some
+      use; but, be it good or bad, I will share the fortune of your adventure.
+      Our object is praiseworthy; it is a debt of honor that you have to pay,
+      and I will take one half of it. Do not fancy that I will now draw back.
+      And so, dear father, let us think of our plan of action.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you will come?&rdquo; said Dagobert, stifling a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must do everything,&rdquo; proceeded Agricola, &ldquo;to secure success. You have
+      already noticed the little garden-door, near the angle of the wall&mdash;that
+      is excellent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall get by that way into the garden, and look immediately for the
+      open paling.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; for on one side of this paling is the wing inhabited by Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, and on the other that part of the convent in which the
+      general&rsquo;s daughters are confined.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, Spoil-sport, who was crouching at Dagobert&rsquo;s feet, rose
+      suddenly, and pricked up his ears, as if to listen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One would think that Spoil-sport heard something,&rdquo; said Agricola. They
+      listened&mdash;but heard only the wind, sounding through the tall trees of
+      the boulevard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now I think of it, father&mdash;when the garden-door is once open, shall
+      we take Spoil-sport with us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; for if there is a watch-dog, he will settle him. And then he will
+      give us notice of the approach of those who go the rounds. Besides, he is
+      so intelligent, so attached to Rose and Blanche, that (who knows?) he may
+      help to discover the place where they are. Twenty times I have seen him
+      find them in the woods, by the most extraordinary instinct.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A slow and solemn knell here rose above the noise of the wind: it was the
+      first stroke of twelve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That note seemed to echo mournfully through the souls of Agricola and his
+      father. Mute with emotion, they shuddered, and by a spontaneous movement,
+      each grasped the hand of the other. In spite of themselves, their hearts
+      kept time to every stroke of the clock, as each successive vibration was
+      prolonged through the gloomy silence of the night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the last strobe, Dagobert said to his son, in a firm voice: &ldquo;It is
+      midnight. Shake hands, and let us forward!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The moment was decisive and solemn. &ldquo;Now, father,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;we will
+      act with as much craft and daring as thieves going to pillage a strong
+      box.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the smith took from the sack the cord and hook; Dagobert armed
+      himself with the iron bar, and both advanced cautiously, following the
+      wall in the direction of the little door, situated not far from the angle
+      formed by the street and the boulevard. They stopped from time to time, to
+      listen attentively, trying to distinguish those noises which were not
+      caused either by the high wind or the rain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It continued light enough for them to be able to see surrounding objects,
+      and the smith and the soldier soon gained the little door, which appeared
+      much decayed, and not very strong.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good!&rdquo; said Agricola to his father. &ldquo;It will yield at one blow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The smith was about to apply his shoulder vigorously to the door, when
+      Spoil-sport growled hoarsely, and made a &ldquo;point.&rdquo; Dagobert silenced the
+      dog with a word, and grasping his son&rsquo;s arm, said to him in a whisper: &ldquo;Do
+      not stir. The dog has scented some one in the garden.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola and his father remained for some minutes motionless, holding
+      their breath and listening. The dog, in obedience to his master, no longer
+      growled, but his uneasiness and agitation were displayed more and more.
+      Yet they heard nothing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The dog must have been deceived, father,&rdquo; whispered Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sure of the contrary. Do not move.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After some seconds of expectation, Spoil-sport crouched down abruptly, and
+      pushed his nose as far as possible under the door, snuffling up the air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are coming,&rdquo; said Dagobert hastily, to his son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us draw off a little distance,&rdquo; replied Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said his father; &ldquo;we must listen. It will be time to retire, if they
+      open the door. Here, Spoil-sport! down!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The dog obeyed, and withdrawing from the door, crouched down at the feet
+      of his master. Some seconds after, they heard a sort of splashing on the
+      damp ground, caused by heavy footsteps in puddles of water, and then the
+      sound of words, which carried away by the wind, did not reach distinctly
+      the ears of the soldier and the smith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are the people of whom Mother Bunch told us, going their round,&rdquo;
+       said Agricola to his father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better. There will be an interval before they come round
+      again, and we shall have some two hours before us, without interruption.
+      Our affair is all right now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By degrees, the sound of the footsteps became less and less distinct, and
+      at last died away altogether.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, quick! we must not lose any time,&rdquo; said Dagobert to his son, after
+      waiting about ten minutes; &ldquo;they are far enough. Let us try to open the
+      door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola leaned his powerful shoulder against it, and pushed vigorously;
+      but the door did not give way, notwithstanding its age.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Confound it!&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;there is a bar on the inside. I am sure of
+      it, or these old planks would not have resisted my weight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20141m.jpg" alt="20141m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20141.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will scale the wall by means of the cord and hook, and open the door
+      from the other side.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Agricola took the cord, and after several attempts, succeeded
+      in fixing the hook on the coping of the wall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, father, give me a leg up; I will help myself up with the cord; once
+      astride on the wall, I can easily turn the hook and get down into the
+      garden.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier leaned against the wall, and joined his two hands, in the
+      hollow of which his son placed one of his feet, then mounting upon the
+      robust shoulders of his father, he was able, by help of the cord, and some
+      irregularities in the wall, to reach the top. Unfortunately, the smith had
+      not perceived that the coping of the wall was strewed with broken bottles,
+      so that he wounded his knees and hands; but, for fear of alarming
+      Dagobert, he repressed every exclamation of pain, and replacing the hook,
+      he glided down the cord to the ground. The door was close by, and he
+      hastened to it; a strong wooden bar had indeed secured it on the inside.
+      This was removed, and the lock was in so bad a state, that it offered no
+      resistance to a violent effort from Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The door was opened, and Dagobert entered the garden with Spoil-sport.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said the soldier to his son, &ldquo;thanks to you, the worst is over.
+      Here is a means of escape for the poor children, and Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+      The thing is now to find them, without accident or delay. Spoil-sport will
+      go before as a scout. Come, my good dog!&rdquo; added Dagobert, &ldquo;above all&mdash;fair
+      and softly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Immediately, the intelligent animal advanced a few steps, sniffing and
+      listening with the care and caution of a hound searching for the game.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By the half-light of the clouded moon, Dagobert and his son perceived
+      round them a V-shaped grove of tall trees, at which several paths met.
+      Uncertain which to choose, Agricola said to his father: &ldquo;Let us take the
+      path that runs alongside the wall. It will surely lead to some building.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Right! Let us walk on the strips of grass, instead of through the mud. It
+      will make less noise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The father and son, preceded by the Siberian dog, kept for some time in a
+      winding path, at no great distance from the wall. They stopped now and
+      then to listen, or to satisfy themselves, before continuing their advance,
+      with regard to the changing aspects of the trees and bushes, which, shaken
+      by the wind, and faintly illumined by the pale light of the moon, often
+      took strange and doubtful forms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Half-past twelve struck as Agricola and his father reached a large iron
+      gate which shut in that part of the garden reserved for the Superior&mdash;the
+      same into which Mother Bunch had intruded herself, after seeing Rose Simon
+      converse with Adrienne de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Through the bars of this gate, Agricola and his father perceived at a
+      little distance an open paling, which joined a half-finished chapel, and
+      beyond it a little square building.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is no doubt the building occupied by Mdlle. de Cardoville,&rdquo; said
+      Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the building which contains the chambers of Rose and Blanche, but
+      which we cannot see from here, is no doubt opposite it,&rdquo; said Dagobert.
+      &ldquo;Poor children! they are there, weeping tears of despair,&rdquo; added he, with
+      profound emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Provided the gate be but open,&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will probably be so&mdash;being within the walls.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us go on gently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The gate was only fastened by the catch of the lock. Dagobert was about to
+      open it, when Agricola said to him: &ldquo;Take care! do not make it creak on
+      its hinges.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I push it slowly or suddenly?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me manage it,&rdquo; said Agricola; and he opened the gate so quickly, that
+      it creaked very little; still the noise might have been plainly heard, in
+      the silence of the night, during one of the lulls between the squalls of
+      wind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola and his father remained motionless for a moment, listening
+      uneasily, before they ventured to pass through the gate. Nothing stirred,
+      however; all remained calm and still. With fresh courage, they entered the
+      reserved garden.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had the dog arrived on this spot, when he exhibited tokens of
+      extraordinary delight. Picking up his ears, wagging his tail, bounding
+      rather than running, he had soon reached the paling where, in the morning,
+      Rose Simon had for a moment conversed with Mdlle. de Cardoville. He
+      stopped an instant at this place, as if at fault, and turned round and
+      round like a dog seeking the scent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert and his son, leaving Spoil-sport to his instinct, followed his
+      least movements with intense interest, hoping everything from his
+      intelligence and his attachment to the orphans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was no doubt near this paling that Rose stood when Mother Bunch saw
+      her,&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;Spoil-sport is on her track. Let him alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a few seconds, the dog turned his head towards Dagobert, and started
+      at full trot in the direction of a door on the ground-floor of a building,
+      opposite to that occupied by Adrienne. Arrived at this door, the dog lay
+      down, seemingly waiting for Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt of it! the children are there!&rdquo; said Dagobert, hastening to
+      rejoin Spoil-sport; &ldquo;it was by this door that they took Rose into the
+      house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must see if the windows are grated,&rdquo; said Agricola, following his
+      father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, old fellow!&rdquo; whispered the soldier, as he came up to the dog and
+      pointed to the building, &ldquo;are Rose and Blanche there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The dog lifted his head, and answered by a joyful bark. Dagobert had just
+      time to seize the mouth of the animal with his hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will ruin all!&rdquo; exclaimed the smith. &ldquo;They have, perhaps, heard him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;But there is no longer any doubt&mdash;the children
+      are here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant, the iron gate, by which the soldier and his son had
+      entered the reserved garden, and which they had left open, fell to with a
+      loud noise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve shut us in,&rdquo; said Agricola, hastily; &ldquo;and there is no other
+      issue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For a moment, the father and son looked in dismay at each other; but
+      Agricola instantly resumed: &ldquo;The gate has perhaps shut of itself. I will
+      make haste to assure myself of this, and to open it again if possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go quickly; I will examine the windows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola flew towards the gate, whilst Dagobert, gliding along the wall,
+      soon reached the windows on the ground floor. They were four in number,
+      and two of them were not grated. He looked up at the first story; it was
+      not very far from the ground, and none of the windows had bars. It would
+      then be easy for that one of the two sisters, who inhabited this story,
+      once informed of their presence, to let herself down by means of a sheet,
+      as the orphans had already done to escape from the inn of the White
+      Falcon. But the difficult thing was to know which room she occupied.
+      Dagobert thought they might learn this from the sister on the ground
+      floor; but then there was another difficulty&mdash;at which of the four
+      windows should they knock?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola returned precipitately. &ldquo;It was the wind, no doubt, which shut
+      the gate,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;I have opened it again, and made it fast with a
+      stone. But we have no time to lose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how shall we know the windows of the poor children?&rdquo; said Dagobert,
+      anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true,&rdquo; said Agricola, with uneasiness. &ldquo;What is to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To call them at hap-hazard,&rdquo; continued Dagobert, &ldquo;would be to give the
+      alarm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, heavens!&rdquo; cried Agricola, with increasing anguish. &ldquo;To have arrived
+      here, under their windows, and yet not to know!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Time presses,&rdquo; said Dagobert, hastily, interrupting his son; &ldquo;we must run
+      all risks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will call out loud, &lsquo;Rose and Blanche&rsquo;&mdash;in their state of despair,
+      I am sure they do not sleep. They will be stirring at my first summons. By
+      means of a sheet, fastened to the window, she who is on the first story
+      will in five minutes be in our arms. As for the one on the ground floor&mdash;if
+      her window is not grated, we can have her in a second. If it is, we shall
+      soon loosen one of the bars.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father&mdash;this calling out aloud?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will not perhaps be heard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if it is heard&mdash;all will be lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who knows? Before they have time to call the watch, and open several
+      doors, the children may be delivered. Once at the entrance of the
+      boulevard, and we shall be safe.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a dangerous course; but I see no other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If there are only two men, I and Spoil-sport will keep them in check,
+      while you will have time to carry off the children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, there is a better way&mdash;a surer one,&rdquo; cried Agricola,
+      suddenly. &ldquo;From what Mother Bunch told us, Mdlle. de Cardoville has
+      corresponded by signs with Rose and Blanche.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hence she knows where they are lodged, as the poor children answered her
+      from their windows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right. There is only that course to take. But how find her room?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch told me there was a shade over the window.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quick! we have only to break through a wooden fence. Have you the iron
+      bar?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, quick!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few steps, Dagobert and his son had reached the paling. Three planks,
+      torn away by Agricola, opened an easy passage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remain here, father, and keep watch,&rdquo; said he to Dagobert, as he entered
+      Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s garden.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The indicated window was easily recognized. It was high and broad; a sort
+      of shade surmounted it, for this window had once been a door, since walled
+      in to the third of its height. It was protected by bars of iron, pretty
+      far apart. Since some minutes, the rain had ceased. The moon, breaking
+      through the clouds, shone full upon the building. Agricola, approaching
+      the window, saw that the room was perfectly dark; but light came from a
+      room beyond, through a door left half open. The smith, hoping that Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville might be still awake, tapped lightly at the window. Soon
+      after, the door in the background opened entirely, and Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, who had not yet gone to bed, came from the other chamber,
+      dressed as she had been at her interview with Mother Bunch. Her charming
+      features were visible by the light of the taper she held in her hand.
+      Their present expression was that of surprise and anxiety. The young girl
+      set down the candlestick on the table, and appeared to listen attentively
+      as she approached the window. Suddenly she started and stopped abruptly.
+      She had just discerned the face of a man, looking at her through the
+      window. Agricola, fearing that Mdlle. de Cardoville would retire in terror
+      to the next room, again tapped on the glass, and running the risk of being
+      heard by others, said in a pretty loud voice: &ldquo;It is Agricola Baudoin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words reached the ears of Adrienne. Instantly remembering her
+      interview with Mother Bunch, she thought that Agricola and Dagobert must
+      have entered the convent for the purpose of carrying off Rose and Blanche.
+      She ran to the window, recognized Agricola in the clear moonlight, and
+      cautiously opened the casement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said the smith, hastily; &ldquo;there is not an instant to lose. The
+      Count de Montbron is not in Paris. My father and myself have come to
+      deliver you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks, thanks, M. Agricola!&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, in a tone
+      expressive of the most touching gratitude; &ldquo;but think first of the
+      daughters of General Simon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We do think of them, madame, I have come to ask you which are their
+      windows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One is on the ground floor, the last on the garden-side; the other is
+      exactly over it, on the first story.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then they are saved!&rdquo; cried the smith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But let me see!&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, hastily; &ldquo;the first story is pretty
+      high. You will find, near the chapel they are building, some long poles
+      belonging to the scaffolding. They may be of use to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They will be as good as a ladder, to reach the upstairs window. But now
+      to think of you madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Think only of the dear orphans. Time presses. Provided they are delivered
+      to-night, it makes little difference to me to remain a day or two longer
+      in this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, mademoiselle,&rdquo; cried the smith, &ldquo;it is of the first importance that
+      you should leave this place to-night. Interests are concerned, of which
+      you know nothing. I am now sure of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have not time to explain myself further; but I conjure you madame, to
+      come. I can wrench out two of these bars; I will fetch a piece of iron.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not necessary. They are satisfied with locking the outer door of
+      this building, which I inhabit alone. You can easily break open the lock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, in ten minutes, we shall be on the boulevard,&rdquo; said the smith. &ldquo;Make
+      yourself ready, madame; take a shawl, a bonnet, for the night is cold. I
+      will return instantly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Agricola,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with tears in her eyes, &ldquo;I know what you
+      risk for my sake. I shall prove to you, I hope, that I have as good a
+      memory as you have. You and your adopted sister are noble and valiant
+      creatures, and I am proud to be indebted to you. But do not return for me
+      till the daughters of Marshal Simon are in safety.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks to your directions, the thing will be done directly, madame. I fly
+      to rejoin my father, and we will come together to fetch you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Following the excellent advice of Mdlle. de Cardoville, Agricola took one
+      of the long, strong poles that rested against the wall of the chapel, and,
+      bearing it on his robust shoulders, hastened to rejoin his father. Hardly
+      had Agricola passed the fence, to direct his steps towards the chapel,
+      obscured in shadow, than Mdlle. de Cardoville thought she perceived a
+      human form issue from one of the clumps of trees in the convent-garden,
+      cross the path hastily, and disappear behind a high hedge of box. Alarmed
+      at the sight, Adrienne in vain called to Agricola in a low voice, to bid
+      him beware. He could not hear her; he had already rejoined his father,
+      who, devoured by impatience, went from window to window with
+      ever-increasing anguish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are saved,&rdquo; whispered Agricola. &ldquo;Those are the windows of the poor
+      children&mdash;one on the ground floor, the other on the first story.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last!&rdquo; said Dagobert, with a burst of joy impossible to describe. He
+      ran to examine the windows. &ldquo;They are not grated!&rdquo; he exclaimed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us make sure, that one of them is there,&rdquo; said Agricola; &ldquo;then, by
+      placing this pole against the wall, I will climb up to the first story,
+      which is not so very high.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Right, my boy!&mdash;once there, tap at the window, and call Rose or
+      Blanche. When she answers, come down. We will rest the pole against the
+      window, and the poor child will slide along it. They are bold and active.
+      Quick, quick! to work!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then we will deliver Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst Agricola placed his pole against the wall, and prepares to mount,
+      Dagobert tapped at the panes of the last window on the ground floor, and
+      said aloud: &ldquo;It is I&mdash;Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose Simon indeed occupied the chamber. The unhappy child, in despair at
+      being separated from her sister, was a prey to a burning fever, and,
+      unable to sleep, watered her pillow with her tears. At the sound of the
+      tapping on the glass, she started up affrighted, then, hearing the voice
+      of the soldier&mdash;that voice so familiar and so dear&mdash;she sat up
+      in bed, pressed her hands across her forehead, to assure herself that she
+      was not the plaything of a dream, and, wrapped in her long night-dress,
+      ran to the window with a cry of joy. But suddenly&mdash;and before she
+      could open the casement&mdash;two reports of fire-arms were heard,
+      accompanied by loud cries of &ldquo;Help! thieves!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphan stood petrified with terror, her eyes mechanically fixed upon
+      the window, through which she saw confusedly, by the light of the moon,
+      several men engaged in a mortal struggle, whilst the furious barking of
+      Spoil-sport was heard above all the incessant cries of &ldquo;Help! Help!
+      Thieves! Murder!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0077" id="link2H_4_0077">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK V.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     XIV. The Eve of a Great Day XV. The Thug XVI. The Two
+     Brothers of the Good Work XVII. The House in the Rue Saint-
+     Francois XVIII. Debit and Credit XIX. The Heir XX. The
+     Rupture XXI. The Change XXII. The Red Room XXIII. The
+     Testament XXIV. The Last Stroke of Noon XXV. The Deed of
+     Gift
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0067" id="link2HCH0067">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV. THE EVE OF A GREAT DAY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>bout two hours before the event last related took place at St. Mary&rsquo;s
+      Convent, Rodin and Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny met in the room where we have already
+      seen them, in the Rue du Milieu-des-Ursins. Since the Revolution of July,
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had thought proper to remove for the moment to this
+      temporary habitation all the secret archives and correspondence of his
+      Order&mdash;a prudent measure, since he had every reason to fear that the
+      reverend fathers would be expelled by the state from that magnificent
+      establishment, with which the restoration had so liberally endowed their
+      society. (11)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, dressed in his usual sordid style, mean and dirty as ever, was
+      writing modestly at his desk, faithful to his humble part of secretary,
+      which concealed, as we have already seen a far more important office&mdash;that
+      of Socius&mdash;a function which, according to the constitutions of the
+      Order, consists in never quitting his superior, watching his least
+      actions, spying into his very thoughts, and reporting all to Rome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of his usual impassibility, Rodin appeared visibly uneasy and
+      absent in mind; he answered even more briefly than usual to the commands
+      and questions of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who had but just entered the room.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20151m.jpg" alt="20151m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20151.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has anything new occurred during my absence?&rdquo; asked he. &ldquo;Are the reports
+      still favorable?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very favorable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read them to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before giving this account to your reverence,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;I must inform
+      you that Morok has been two days in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Morok?&rdquo; said Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with surprise. &ldquo;I thought, on leaving
+      Germany and Switzerland, he had received from Friburg the order to proceed
+      southward. At Nismes, or Avignon, he would at this moment be useful as an
+      agent; for the Protestants begin to move, and we fear a reaction against
+      the Catholics.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;if Morok may not have had private reasons
+      for changing his route. His ostensible reasons are, that he comes here to
+      give performances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A dramatic agent, passing through Lyons, engaged him and his menagerie
+      for the Port Saint-Martin Theatre at a very high price. He says that he
+      did not like to refuse such an offer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, shrugging his shoulders, &ldquo;but by
+      distributing his little books, and selling prints and chaplets, as well as
+      by the influence he would certainly exercise over the pious and ignorant
+      people of the South or of Brittany, he might render services, such as he
+      can never perform in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is now below, with a kind of giant, who travels about with him. In his
+      capacity of your reverence&rsquo;s old servant, Morok hoped to have the honor of
+      kissing your hand this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible&mdash;impossible&mdash;you know how much I am occupied. Have
+      you sent to the Rue Saint-Francois?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have. The old Jew guardian has had notice from the notary. To
+      morrow, at six in the morning, the masons will unwall the door, and, for
+      the first time since one hundred and fifty years, the house will be
+      opened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny remained in thought for a moment, and then said to
+      Rodin: &ldquo;On the eve of such a decisive day, we must neglect nothing, and
+      call every circumstance to memory. Read me the copy of the note, inserted
+      in the archives of the society, a century and a half ago, on the subject
+      of Rennepont.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The secretary took the note from the case, and read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This 19th day of February, 1682, the Reverend Father-Provincial
+      Alexander Bourdon sent the following advice, with these words in the
+      margin: Of extreme importance for the future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;We have just discovered, by the confession of a dying person to one of
+      our fathers, a very close secret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Marius de Rennepont, one of the most active and redoubtable partisans of
+      the Reformed Religion, and one of the most determined enemies of our Holy
+      Society, had apparently re-entered the pale of our Mother Church, but with
+      the sole design of saving his worldly goods, threatened with confiscation
+      because of his irreligious and damnable errors. Evidence having been
+      furnished by different persons of our company to prove that the conversion
+      of Rennepont was not sincere, and in reality covered a sacrilegious lure,
+      the possessions of the said gentleman, now considered a relapsed heretic,
+      were confiscated by our gracious sovereign, his Majesty King Louis XIV,
+      and the said Rennepont was condemned to the galleys for life.(12) He
+      escaped his doom by a voluntary death; in consequence of which abominable
+      crime, his body was dragged upon a hurdle, and flung to the dogs on the
+      highway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;From these preliminaries, we come to the great secret, which is of such
+      importance to the future interests of our Society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;His Majesty Louis XIV., in his paternal and Catholic goodness towards
+      the Church in general, and our Order in particular, had granted to us the
+      profit of this confiscation, in acknowledgment of our services in
+      discovering the infamous and sacrilegious relapse of the said Rennepont.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;But we have just learned, for certain, that a house situated in Paris,
+      No. 3, Rue Saint-Francois, and a sum of fifty thousand gold crowns, have
+      escaped this confiscation, and have consequently been stolen from our
+      Society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The house was conveyed, before the confiscation, by means of a feigned
+      purchase, to a friend of Rennepont&rsquo;s a good Catholic, unfortunately, as
+      against him we cannot take any severe measures. Thanks to the culpable,
+      but secure connivance of his friend, the house has been walled up, and is
+      only to be opened in a century and a half, according to the last will of
+      Rennepont. As for the fifty thousand gold crowns, they have been placed in
+      hands which, unfortunately, are hitherto unknown to us, in order to be
+      invested and put out to use for one hundred and fifty years, at the
+      expiration of which time they are to be divided between the then existing
+      descendants of the said Rennepont; and it is calculated that this sum,
+      increased by so many accumulations, will by then have become enormous, and
+      will amount to at least forty or fifty millions of livres tournois. From
+      motives which are not known, but which are duly stated in a testamentary
+      document, the said Rennepont has concealed from his family, whom the
+      edicts against the Protestants have driven out of France, the investment
+      of these fifty thousand crowns; and has only desired his relations to
+      preserve in their line from generation to generation, the charge to the
+      last survivors, to meet in Paris, Rue Saint-Francois, a hundred and fifty
+      years hence, on February the 13th, 1832. And that this charge might not be
+      forgotten, he employed a person, whose description is known, but not his
+      real occupation, to cause to be manufactured sundry bronze medals, on
+      which the request and date are engraved, and to deliver one to each member
+      of the family&mdash;a measure the more necessary, as, from some other
+      motive equally unknown, but probably explained in the testament, the heirs
+      are to present themselves on the day in question, before noon, in person,
+      and not by any attorney, or representative, or to forfeit all claim to the
+      inheritance. The stranger who undertook to distribute the medals to the
+      different members of the family of Rennepont is a man of thirty to
+      thirty-six years of age, of tall stature, and with a proud and sad
+      expression of countenance. He has black eyebrows, very thick, and
+      singularly joined together. He is known as JOSEPH, and is much suspected
+      of being an active and dangerous emissary of the wretched republicans and
+      heretics of the Seven United Provinces. It results from these premises,
+      that this sum, surreptitiously confided by a relapsed heretic to unknown
+      hands, has escaped the confiscation decreed in our favor by our
+      well-beloved king. A serious fraud and injury has therefore been
+      committed, and we are bound to take every means to recover this our right,
+      if not immediately, at least in some future time. Our Society being (for
+      the greater glory of God and our Holy Father) imperishable, it will be
+      easy, thanks to the connections we keep up with all parts of the world, by
+      means of missions and other establishments, to follow the line of this
+      family of Rennepont from generation to generation, without ever losing
+      sight of it&mdash;so that a hundred and fifty years hence, at the moment
+      of the division of this immense accumulation of property, our Company may
+      claim the inheritance of which it has been so treacherously deprived, and
+      recover it by any means in its power, fas aut nefas, even by craft or
+      violence&mdash;our Company not being bound to act tenderly with the future
+      detainers of our goods, of which we have been maliciously deprived by an
+      infamous and sacrilegious heretic&mdash;and because it is right to defend,
+      preserve, and recover one&rsquo;s own property by every means which the Lord may
+      place within one&rsquo;s reach. Until, therefore, the complete restitution of
+      this wealth, the family of Rennepont must be considered as reprobate and
+      damnable, as the cursed seed of a Cain, and always to be watched with the
+      utmost caution. And it is to be recommended, that, every year from this
+      present date, a sort of inquisition should be held as to the situation of
+      the successive members of this family.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin paused, and said to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;Here follows the account,
+      year by year, of the history of this family, from the year 1682, to our
+      own day. It will be useless to read this to your reverence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite useless,&rdquo; said Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;The note contains all the
+      important facts.&rdquo; Then, after a moment&rsquo;s silence, he exclaimed, with an
+      expression of triumphant pride: &ldquo;How great is the power of the
+      Association, when founded upon tradition and perpetuity! Thanks to this
+      note, inserted in our archives a century and a half ago, this family has
+      been watched from generation to generation&mdash;our Order has always had
+      its eyes upon them, following them to all points of the globe, to which
+      exile had distributed them&mdash;and at last, to-morrow, we shall obtain
+      possession of this property, at first inconsiderable, but which a hundred
+      and fifty years have raised to a royal fortune. Yes, we shall succeed, for
+      we have foreseen every eventuality. One thing only troubles me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that?&rdquo; asked Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The information that we have in vain tried to obtain from the guardian of
+      the house in the Rue Saint-Francois. Has the attempt been once more made,
+      as I directed?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It has been made.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This time, as always before, the old Jew has remained impenetrable.
+      Besides he is almost in his second childhood, and his wife not much
+      better.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I think,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;that for a century and a half,
+      this house in the Rue Saint-Francois has remained walled up, and that the
+      care of it has been transmitted from generation to generation in this
+      family of the Samuels&mdash;I cannot suppose that they have all been
+      ignorant as to who were and are the successive holders of these funds, now
+      become immense by accumulation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have seen,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;by the notes upon this affair, that the
+      Order has always carefully followed it up ever since 1682. At different
+      periods attempts have been made to obtain information upon subjects not
+      fully explained in the note of Father Bourdon. But this race of Jew
+      guardians has ever remained dumb, and we must therefore conclude that they
+      know nothing about it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That has always struck me as impossible; for the ancestor of these
+      Samuels was present at the closing of the house, a hundred and fifty years
+      ago. He was according to the file, a servant or confidential clerk of De
+      Rennepont. It is impossible that he should not have known many things, the
+      tradition of which must have been preserved in the family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I were allowed to hazard a brief observation,&rdquo; began Rodin, humbly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A few years ago we obtained certain information through the confessional,
+      that the funds were in existence, and that they had risen to an enormous
+      amount.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless; and it was that which called the attention of the Reverend
+      Father-General so strongly to this affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We know, then, what probably the descendants of the family do not&mdash;the
+      immense value of this inheritance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;the person who certified this fact in
+      confession is worthy of all belief. Only lately, the same declaration was
+      renewed; but all the efforts of the confessor could not obtain the name of
+      the trustee, or anything beyond the assertion, that the money could not be
+      in more honest hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It seems to me, then,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;that we are certain of what is
+      most important.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who knows if the holder of this enormous sum will appear to-morrow,
+      in spite of the honesty ascribed to him? The nearer the moment the more my
+      anxiety increases. Ah!&rdquo; continued Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      silence, &ldquo;the interests concerned are so immense that the consequences of
+      success are quite incalculable. However, all that it was possible to do,
+      has been at least tried.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To these words, which Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny addressed to Rodin, as if asking
+      for his assent, the socius returned no answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The abbe looked at him with surprise, and said: &ldquo;Are you not of my opinion&mdash;could
+      more have been attempted? Have we not gone to the extreme limit of the
+      possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin bowed respectfully, but remained mute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you think we have omitted some precaution,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      with a sort of uneasy impatience, &ldquo;speak out! We have still time. Once
+      more, do you think it is possible to do more than I have done? All the
+      other descendants being removed, when Gabriel appears to-morrow in the Rue
+      Saint-Francois, will he not be the only representative of this family, and
+      consequently the rightful possessor of this immense fortune? Now,
+      according to his act of renunciation, and the provisions of our statutes,
+      it is not to him, but to the Order, that these possessions must fall.
+      Could I have acted better, or in any other manner? Speak frankly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot permit myself to offer an opinion on this subject,&rdquo; replied
+      Rodin, humbly, and again bowing; &ldquo;the success of the measures taken must
+      answer your reverence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny shrugged his shoulders, and reproached himself for
+      having asked advice of this writing-machine, that served him for a
+      secretary, and to whom he only ascribed three qualities&mdash;memory,
+      discretion, and exactness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (11) This was an idle fear, for we read in the Constitutionnel, Feb. 1st
+      1832, as follows: &ldquo;When in 1822, M. de Corbiere abruptly abolished that
+      splendid Normal School, which, during its few years&rsquo; existence, had called
+      forth or developed such a variety of talent, it was decided, as some
+      compensation, that a house in the Rue des Postes should be purchased,
+      where the congregation of the Holy Ghost should be located and endowed.
+      The Minister of Marine supplied the funds for this purpose, and its
+      management was placed at the disposal of the Society, which then reigned
+      over France. From that period it has held quiet possession of the place,
+      which at once became a sort of house of entertainment, where Jesuitism
+      sheltered, and provided for, the numerous novitiates that flocked from all
+      parts of the country, to receive instructions from Father Ronsin. Matters
+      were in this state when the Revolution of July broke out, which threatened
+      to deprive the Society of this establishment. But it will hardly be
+      believed; this was not done. It is true that they suppressed their
+      practice, but they left them in possession of the house in the Rue des
+      Postes; and to this very day, the 31st of January, 1832, the members of
+      the Sacred Heart are housed at the expense of government, during the whole
+      of which time the Normal School has been without a shelter&mdash;and on
+      its reorganization, thrust into a dirty hole, in a narrow corner of the
+      College of Louis the Great.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The above appeared in the Constitutionnel, respecting the house in the Rue
+      des Posses. We are certainly ignorant as to the nature of the
+      transactions, since that period, that have taken place between the
+      reverend fathers and the government; but we read further, in a recently
+      published article that appeared in a journal, in reference to the Society
+      of Jesus, that the house in the Rue des Postes, still forms a part of
+      their landed property. We will here give some portions of the article in
+      question.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The following is a list of the property belonging to this branch of
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+  Jesuits:                                       Fr.
+     House in the Rue de Postes, worth about 500,000
+     One in the Rue de Sevres, estimated at  300,000
+     Farm, two leagues from Paris.....150,000
+     House and church at Bourges..... 100,000
+     Notre Dame de Liesse, donation in 1843   60,000
+     Saint Acheul, House for Novitiates..  400,000
+     Nantes, a house...........100,000
+     Quimper, ditto...........  40,000
+     Laval, house and church......  150,000
+     Rennes, a house..........  20,000
+     Vannes, ditto...........  20,000
+     Metz, ditto............  40,000
+     Strasbourg............   60,000
+     Rouen, ditto...........   15,000
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By this it appears that these various items amount to little less than
+      two millions. Teaching, moreover, is another important source of revenue
+      to the Jesuits. The college at Broyclette alone brings in 200,000 francs.
+      The two provinces in France (for the general of the Jesuits at Rome has
+      divided France into two provinces, Lyons and Paris) possess, besides a
+      large sum in ready money, Austrian bonds of more than 260,000 francs.
+      Their Propagation of Faith furnishes annually some 50,000 francs; and the
+      harvest which the priests collect by their sermons amounts to 150,000
+      francs. The alms given for charity may be estimated at the same figure,
+      producing together a revenue of 540,000 francs. Now, to this revenue may
+      be added the produce of the sale of the Society&rsquo;s works, and the profit
+      obtained by hawking pictures. Each plate costs, design and engraving
+      included, about 600 francs, off which are struck about 10,000 copies, at
+      40 francs per thousand, and there is a further expense of 250 francs to
+      their publisher; and they obtain a net profit of 210 francs on every
+      thousand. This, indeed, is working to advantage. And it can easily be
+      imagined with what rapidity all these are sold. The fathers themselves are
+      the travellers for the Society, and it would be difficult to find more
+      zealous or persevering ones. They are always well received, and do not
+      know what it is to meet with a refusal. They always take care that the
+      publisher should be one of their own body. The first person whom they
+      selected for this occupation was one of their members, possessing some
+      money; but they were obliged, notwithstanding, to make certain advances to
+      enable him to defray the expenses of its first establishment. But, when
+      they became fully convinced of the success of their undertaking, they
+      suddenly called in these advances, which the publisher was not in a
+      condition to pay. They were perfectly aware of this, and superseded him by
+      a wealthy successor, with whom they could make a better bargain; and thus,
+      without remorse, they ruined the man, by thrusting him from an appointment
+      of which they had morally guaranteed the continuance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (12) Louis XIV., the great King, punished with the Galleys those
+      Protestants who, once converted, often by force, afterwards returned to
+      their first belief. As for those Protestants who remained in France,
+      notwithstanding the rigor of the edicts against them, they were deprived
+      of burial, dragged upon a hurdle, and given to the dogs.&mdash;E. S.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0068" id="link2HCH0068">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV. THE THUG.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>fter a moment&rsquo;s silence, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny resumed &ldquo;Read me to-day&rsquo;s
+      report on the situation of each of the persons designated.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is that of this evening; it has just come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us hear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin read as follows: &ldquo;Jacques Rennepont, alias Sleepinbuff, was seen in
+      the interior of the debtors&rsquo; prison at eight o&rsquo;clock this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will not disturb us to-morrow. One; go on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The lady superior of St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, warned by the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier, has thought fit to confine still more strictly the
+      Demoiselles Rose and Blanche Simon. This evening, at nine o&rsquo;clock, they
+      have been carefully locked in their cells, and armed men will make their
+      round in the convent garden during the night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks to these precautions, there is nothing to fear from that side,&rdquo;
+       said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;Go on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dr. Baleinier, also warned by the Princess de Saint-Dizier, continues to
+      have Mdlle. de Cardoville very closely watched. At a quarter to nine the
+      door of the building in which she is lodged was locked and bolted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is still another cause the less for uneasiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for M. Hardy,&rdquo; resumed Rodin &ldquo;I have received this morning, from
+      Toulouse, a letter from his intimate friend, M. de Bressac, who has been
+      of such service to us in keeping the manufacturer away for some days
+      longer. This letter contains a note, addressed by M. Hardy to a
+      confidential person, which M. de Bressac has thought fit to intercept, and
+      send to us as another proof of the success of the steps he has taken, and
+      for which he hopes we shall give him credit&mdash;as to serve us, he adds,
+      he betrays his friend in the most shameful manner, and acts a part in an
+      odious comedy. M. de Bressac trusts that, in return for these good
+      offices, we will deliver up to him those papers, which place him in our
+      absolute dependence, as they might ruin for ever a woman he loves with an
+      adulterous passion. He says that we ought to have pity on the horrible
+      alternative in which he is placed&mdash;either to dishonor and ruin the
+      woman he adores, or infamously to betray the confidence of his bosom
+      friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These adulterous lamentations are not deserving of pity,&rdquo; answered Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with contempt. &ldquo;We will see about that; M. de Bressac may
+      still be useful to us. But let us hear this letter of M. Hardy, that
+      impious and republican manufacturer, worthy descendant of an accursed
+      race, whom it is of the first importance to keep away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is M. Hardy&rsquo;s letter,&rdquo; resumed Rodin. &ldquo;To-morrow, we will send it to
+      the person to whom it is addressed.&rdquo; Rodin read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;TOULOUSE, February the 10th.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At length I find a moment to write to you, and to explain the cause of
+      the sudden departure which, without alarming, must at least have
+      astonished you. I write also to ask you a service; the facts may be stated
+      in a few words. I have often spoken to you of Felix de Bressac, one of my
+      boyhood mates, though not nearly so old as myself. We have always loved
+      each other tenderly, and have shown too many proofs of mutual affection
+      not to count upon one another. He is a brother to me. You know all I mean
+      by that expression. Well&mdash;a few days ago, he wrote to me from
+      Toulouse, where he was to spend some time: &lsquo;If you love me, come; I have
+      the greatest need of you. At once! Your consolations may perhaps give me
+      the courage to live. If you arrive too late&mdash;why, forgive me&mdash;and
+      think sometimes of him who will be yours to the last.&rsquo; Judge of my grief
+      and fear on receipt of the above. I seat instantly for post-horses. My old
+      foreman, whom I esteem and revere (the father of General Simon), hearing
+      that I was going to the south, begged me to take him with me, and to leave
+      him for some days in the department of the Creuse, to examine some
+      ironworks recently founded there. I consented willingly to this
+      proposition, as I should thus at least have some one to whom I could pour
+      out the grief and anxiety which had been caused by this letter from
+      Bressac. I arrive at Toulouse; they tell me that he left the evening
+      before, taking arms with him, a prey to the most violent despair. It was
+      impossible at first to tell whither he had gone; after two days, some
+      indications, collected with great trouble, put me upon his track. At last,
+      after a thousand adventures, I found him in a miserable village. Never&mdash;no,
+      never, have I seen despair like this. No violence, but a dreadful
+      dejection, a savage silence. At first, he almost repulsed me; then, this
+      horrible agony having reached its height, he softened by degrees, and, in
+      about a quarter of an hour, threw himself into my arms, bathed in tears.
+      Beside him were his loaded pistols: one day later, and all would have been
+      over. I cannot tell you the reason of his despair; I am not at liberty to
+      do so; but it did not greatly astonish me. Now there is a complete cure to
+      effect. We must calm, and soothe, and heal this poor soul, which has been
+      cruelly wounded. The hand of friendship is alone equal to this delicate
+      task, and I have good hope of success. I have therefore persuaded him to
+      travel for some time; movement and change of scene will be favorable to
+      him. I shall take him first to Nice; we set out tomorrow. If he wishes to
+      prolong this excursion. I shall do so too, for my affairs do not
+      imperiously demand my presence in Paris before the end of March. As for
+      the service I have to ask of you, it is conditional. These are the facts.
+      According to some family papers that belonged to my mother, it seems I
+      have a certain interest to present myself at No. 3, Rue Saint-Francois, in
+      Paris, on the 13th of February. I had inquired about it, and could learn
+      nothing, except that this house of very antique appearance, has been shut
+      up for the last hundred and fifty years, through a whim of one of my
+      maternal ancestors, and that it is to be opened on the 13th of this month,
+      in presence of the co-heirs who, if I have any, are quite unknown to me.
+      Not being able to attend myself, I have written to my foreman, the father
+      of General Simon, in whom I have the greatest confidence, and whom I had
+      left behind in the department of the Creuse, to set out for Paris, and to
+      be present at the opening of this house, not as an agent (which would be
+      useless), but as a spectator, and inform me at Nice what has been the
+      result of this romantic notion of my ancestor&rsquo;s. As it is possible that my
+      foreman may arrive too late to accomplish this mission, I should be much
+      obliged if you would inquire at my house at Plessy, if he has yet come,
+      and, in case of his still being absent, if you would take his place at the
+      opening of the house in the Rue Saint-Francois. I believe that I have made
+      a very small sacrifice for my friend Bressac, in not being in Paris on
+      that day. But had the sacrifice been immense, I should have made it with
+      pleasure, for my care and friendship are at present most necessary to the
+      man whom I look upon as a brother. I count upon your compliance with my
+      request, and, begging you to be kind enough to write me, &lsquo;to be called
+      for,&rsquo; at Nice, the result of your visit of inquiry, I remain, etc., etc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;FRANCIS HARDY.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Though his presence cannot be of any great importance, it would be
+      preferable that Marshal Simon&rsquo;s father should not attend at the opening of
+      this house to-morrow,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;But no matter. M. Hardy
+      himself is out of the way. There only remains the young Indian.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for him,&rdquo; continued the abbe, with a thoughtful air, &ldquo;we acted wisely
+      in letting M. Norval set out with the presents of Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+      The doctor who accompanies M. Norval, and who was chosen by M. Baleinier,
+      will inspire no suspicion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None,&rdquo; answered Rodin. &ldquo;His letter of yesterday is completely
+      satisfactory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is nothing, then, to fear from the Indian prince,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+      &ldquo;All goes well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for Gabriel,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;he has again written this morning, to
+      obtain from your reverence the interview that he has vainly solicited for
+      the last three days. He is affected by the rigor exercised towards him, in
+      forbidding him to leave the house for these five days past.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow, when we take him to the Rue Saint-Francois, I will hear what
+      he has to say. It will be time enough. Thus, at this hour,&rdquo; said Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with an air of triumphant satisfaction, &ldquo;all the descendants
+      of this family, whose presence might ruin our projects, are so placed that
+      it is absolutely impossible for them to be at the Rue Saint-Francois
+      to-morrow before noon, while Gabriel will be sure to be there. At last our
+      end is gained.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Two cautious knocks at the door interrupted Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo;
+       said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An old servant in black presented himself, and said: &ldquo;There is a man
+      downstairs who wishes to speak instantly to M. Rodin on very urgent
+      business.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His name?&rdquo; asked Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He would not tell his name; but he says that he comes from M. Van Dael, a
+      merchant in Java.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin exchanged a glance of surprise, almost of
+      alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See what this man is,&rdquo; said D&rsquo;Aigrigny to Rodin, unable to conceal his
+      uneasiness, &ldquo;and then come and give me an account of it.&rdquo; Then, addressing
+      the servant, he added: &ldquo;Show him in&rdquo;&mdash;and exchanging another
+      expressive sign with Rodin, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny disappeared by a side-door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A minute after, Faringhea, the ex-chief of the Stranglers, appeared before
+      Rodin, who instantly remembered having seen him at Cardoville Castle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The socius started, but he did not wish to appear to recollect his
+      visitor. Still bending over his desk, he seemed not to seen Faringhea, but
+      wrote hastily some words on a sheet of paper that lay before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the servant, astonished at the silence of Rodin, &ldquo;here is the
+      person.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin folded the note that he had so precipitately written, and said to
+      the servant: &ldquo;Let this be taken to its address. Wait for an answer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The servant bowed, and went out. Then Rodin, without rising, fixed his
+      little reptile-eyes on Faringhea, and said to him courteously: &ldquo;To whom,
+      sir, have I the honor of speaking?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20157m.jpg" alt="20157m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20157.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0069" id="link2HCH0069">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI. THE TWO BROTHERS OF THE GOOD WORK.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">F</span>aringhea, as we have before stated, though born in India, had travelled a
+      good deal, and frequented the European factories in different parts of
+      Asia. Speaking well both English and French, and full of intelligence and
+      sagacity, he was perfectly civilized.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering Rodin&rsquo;s question, he turned upon him a fixed and
+      searching look. The socius, provoked by this silence, and forseeing
+      vaguely that Faringhea&rsquo;s arrival had some connection&mdash;direct or
+      indirect&mdash;with Djalma, repeated, though still with the greatest
+      coolness: &ldquo;To whom, sir, have I the honor of speaking?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not recognize me,&rdquo; said Faringhea, advancing two steps nearer to
+      Rodin&rsquo;s chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not think I have ever had the honor of seeing you,&rdquo; answered the
+      other, coldly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I recognize you,&rdquo; said Faringhea; &ldquo;I saw you at Cardoville Castle the
+      day that a ship and a steamer were wrecked together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At Cardoville Castle? It is very possible, sir. I was there when a
+      shipwreck took place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that day I called you by your name, and you asked me what I wanted. I
+      replied: &lsquo;Nothing now, brother&mdash;hereafter, much.&rsquo; The time has
+      arrived. I have come to ask for much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, still impassible, &ldquo;before we continue this
+      conversation, which appears hitherto tolerably obscure, I must repeat my
+      wish to be informed to whom I have the advantage of speaking. You have
+      introduced yourself here under pretext of a commission from Mynheer Joshua
+      Van Dael, a respectable merchant of Batavia, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know the writing of M. Van Dael?&rdquo; said Faringhea, interrupting Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it perfectly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look!&rdquo; The half-caste drew from his pocket (he was shabbily dressed in
+      European clothes) a long dispatch, which he had taken from one Mahal the
+      Smuggler, after strangling him on the beach near Batavia. These papers he
+      placed before Rodin&rsquo;s eyes, but without quitting his hold of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is, indeed, M. Van Dael&rsquo;s writing,&rdquo; said Rodin, and he stretched out
+      his hard towards the letter, which Faringhea quickly and prudently
+      returned to his pocket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Allow me to observe, my dear sir, that you have a singular manner of
+      executing a commission,&rdquo; said Rodin. &ldquo;This letter, being to my address,
+      and having been entrusted to you by M. Van Dael, you ought&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This letter was not entrusted to me by M. Van Dael,&rdquo; said Faringhea,
+      interrupting Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How, then, is it in your possession?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A Javanese smuggler betrayed me. Van Dael had secured a passage to
+      Alexandria for this man, and had given him this letter to carry with him
+      for the European mail. I strangled the smuggler, took the letter, made the
+      passage&mdash;and here I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Thug had pronounced these words with an air of savage boasting; his
+      wild, intrepid glance did not quail before the piercing look of Rodin,
+      who, at this strange confession, had hastily raised his head to observe
+      the speaker.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea thought to astonish or intimidate Rodin by these ferocious
+      words; but, to his great surprise, the socius, impassible as a corpse,
+      said to him, quite simply: &ldquo;Oh! they strangle people in Java?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, there and elsewhere,&rdquo; answered Faringhea, with a bitter smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I would prefer to disbelieve you; but I am surprised at your sincerity M.&mdash;,
+      what is your name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faringhea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, M. Faringhea, what do you wish to come to? You have obtained
+      by an abominable crime, a letter addressed to me, and now you hesitate to
+      deliver it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because I have read it, and it may be useful to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you have read it?&rdquo; said Rodin, disconcerted for a moment. Then he
+      resumed: &ldquo;It is true, that judging by your mode of possessing yourself of
+      other people&rsquo;s correspondence, we cannot expect any great amount of
+      honesty on your part. And pray what have you found so useful to you in
+      this letter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have found, brother, that you are, like myself, a son of the Good
+      Work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what good work do you speak&rdquo; asked Rodin not a little surprised.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20165m.jpg" alt="20165m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20165.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea replied with an expression of bitter irony. &ldquo;Joshua says to you
+      in his letter&mdash;&lsquo;Obedience and courage, secrecy and patience, craft
+      and audacity, union between us, who have the world for our country, the
+      brethren for our family, Rome for our queen.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is possible that M. Van Dael has written thus to me Pray, sir, what do
+      you conclude from it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We, too, have the world for our country, brother, our accomplices for our
+      family, and for our queen Bowanee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know that saint,&rdquo; said Rodin, humbly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is our Rome,&rdquo; answered the Strangler. &ldquo;Van Dael speaks to you of those
+      of your Order, who, scattered over all the earth, labor for the glory of
+      Rome, your queen. Those of our band labor also in divers countries, for
+      the glory of Bowanee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who are these sons of Bowanee, M. Faringhea?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Men of resolution, audacious, patient, crafty, obstinate, who, to make
+      the Good Work succeed, would sacrifice country and parents, and sister and
+      brother, and who regard as enemies all not of their band!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There seems to be much that is good in the persevering and exclusively
+      religious spirit of such an order,&rdquo; said Rodin, with a modest and
+      sanctified air; &ldquo;only, one must know your ends and objects.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The same as your own, brother&mdash;we make corpses.&rdquo;(13)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Corpses!&rdquo; cried Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In this letter,&rdquo; resumed Faringhea, &ldquo;Van Dael tells you that the greatest
+      glory of your Order is to make &lsquo;a corpse of man.&rsquo; Our work also is to make
+      corpses of men. Man&rsquo;s death is sweet to Bowanee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But sir,&rdquo; cried Rodin, &ldquo;M. Van Dael speaks of the soul, of the will, of
+      the mind, which are to be brought down by discipline.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true&mdash;you kill the soul, and we the body. Give me your hand,
+      brother, for you also are hunters of men.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But once more, sir,&mdash;understand, that we only meddle with the will,
+      the mind,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what are bodies deprived of soul, will, thought, but mere corpses?
+      Come&mdash;come, brother; the dead we make by the cord are not more icy
+      and inanimate than those you make by your discipline. Take my hand,
+      brother; Rome and Bowanee are sisters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his apparent calmness, Rodin could not behold, without
+      some secret alarm, a wretch like Faringhea in possession of a long letter
+      from Van Dael, wherein mention must necessarily have been made of Djalma.
+      Rodin believed, indeed, that he had rendered it impossible for the young
+      Indian to be at Paris on the morrow, but not knowing what connection might
+      have been formed, since the shipwreck, between the prince and the
+      half-caste, he looked upon Faringhea as a man who might probably be very
+      dangerous. But the more uneasy the socius felt in himself, the more he
+      affected to appear calm and disdainful. He replied, therefore: &ldquo;This
+      comparison between Rome and Bowanee is no doubt very amusing; but what,
+      sir, do you deduce from it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to show you, brother, what I am, and of what I am capable, to
+      convince you that it is better to have me for a friend than an enemy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In other terms, sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, with contemptuous irony, &ldquo;you belong to
+      a murderous sect in India, and, you wish, by a transparent allegory, to
+      lead me to reflect on the fate of the man from whom you have stolen the
+      letter addressed to me. In my turn, I will take the freedom just to
+      observe to you, in all humility, M. Faringhea, that here it is not
+      permitted to strangle anybody, and that if you were to think fit to make
+      any corpses for the love of Bowanee, your goddess, we should make you a
+      head shorter, for the love of another divinity commonly called justice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what would they do to me, if I tried to poison any one?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will again humbly observe to you, M. Faringhea, that I have no time to
+      give you a course of criminal jurisprudence; but, believe me, you had
+      better resist the temptation to strangle or poison any one. One word more:
+      will you deliver up to me the letters of M. Van Dael, or not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The letters relative to Prince Djalma?&rdquo; said the half-caste, looking
+      fixedly at Rodin, who, notwithstanding a sharp and sudden twinge, remained
+      impenetrable, and answered with the utmost simplicity: &ldquo;Not knowing what
+      the letters which you, sir, are pleased to keep from me, may contain, it
+      is impossible for me to answer your question. I beg, and if necessary, I
+      demand, that you will hand me those letters&mdash;or that you will
+      retire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In a few minutes, brother, you will entreat me to remain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I doubt it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A few words will operate&mdash;this miracle. If just now I spoke to you
+      about poisoning, brother, it was because you sent a doctor to Cardoville
+      Castle, to poison (at least for a time) Prince Djalma.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of himself, Rodin started almost imperceptibly, as he replied: &ldquo;I
+      do not understand you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, that I am a poor foreigner, and doubtless speak with an
+      accent; I will try and explain myself better. I know, by Van Dael&rsquo;s
+      letters, the interest you have that Prince Djalma should not be here to
+      morrow, and all that you have done with this view. Do you understand me
+      now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no answer for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Two cautious taps at the door here interrupted the conversation. &ldquo;Come
+      in,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The letter has been taken to its address, sir,&rdquo; said the old servant,
+      bowing, &ldquo;and here is the answer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin took the paper, and, before he opened it, said courteously to
+      Faringhea: &ldquo;With your permission, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make no ceremonies,&rdquo; said the half-caste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are very kind,&rdquo; replied Rodin, as, having read the letter he
+      received, he wrote hastily some words at the bottom, saying: &ldquo;Send this
+      back to the same address.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The servant bowed respectfully, and withdrew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now can I continue&rdquo;&rsquo; asked the half-caste, of Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will continue, then,&rdquo; resumed Faringhea:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The day before yesterday, just as the prince, all wounded as he was, was
+      about, by my advice, to take his departure for Paris, a fine carriage
+      arrived, with superb presents for Djalma, from an unknown friend. In this
+      carriage were two men&mdash;one sent by the unknown friend&mdash;the other
+      a doctor, sent by you to attend upon Djalma, and accompany him to Paris.
+      It was a charitable act, brother&mdash;was it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on with your story, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma set out yesterday. By declaring that the prince&rsquo;s wound would grow
+      seriously worse, if he did not lie down in the carriage during all the
+      journey, the doctor got rid of the envoy of the unknown friend, who went
+      away by himself. The doctor wished to get rid of me too; but Djalma so
+      strongly insisted upon it, that I accompanied the prince and doctor.
+      Yesterday evening, we had come about half the distance. The doctor
+      proposed we should pass the night at an inn. &lsquo;We have plenty of time,&rsquo;
+      said he, &lsquo;to reach Paris by to-morrow evening&rsquo;&mdash;the prince having
+      told him, that he must absolutely be in Paris by the evening of the 12th.
+      The doctor had been very pressing to set out alone with the prince. I knew
+      by Van Dael&rsquo;s letter, that it was of great importance to you for Djalma
+      not to be here on the 13th; I had my suspicions, and I asked the doctor if
+      he knew you; he answered with an embarrassed air, and then my suspicion
+      became certainty. When we reached the inn, whilst the doctor was occupied
+      with Djalma, I went up to the room of the former, and examined a box full
+      of phials that he had brought with him. One of them contained opium&mdash;and
+      then I guessed&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What did you guess, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know. The doctor said to Djalma, before he left him: &lsquo;Your
+      wound is doing well, but the fatigue of the journey might bring on
+      inflammation; it will be good for you, in the course of to-morrow, to take
+      a soothing potion, that I will make ready this evening, to have with us in
+      the carriage.&rsquo; The doctor&rsquo;s plan was a simple one,&rdquo; added Faringhea;
+      &ldquo;to-day the prince was to take the potion at four or five o&rsquo;clock in the
+      afternoon&mdash;and fall into a deep sleep&mdash;the doctor to grow
+      uneasy, and stop the carriage&mdash;to declare that it would be dangerous
+      to continue the journey&mdash;to pass the night at an inn, and keep close
+      watch over the prince, whose stupor was only, to cease when it suited your
+      purposes. That was your design&mdash;it was cleverly planned&mdash;I chose
+      to make use of it myself, and I have succeeded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All that you are talking about, my dear sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, biting his
+      nails, &ldquo;is pure Hebrew to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, because of my accent. But tell me, have you heard speak of
+      array&mdash;mow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your loss! It is an admirable production of the Island of Java, so
+      fertile in poisons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that to me?&rdquo; said Rodin, in a sharp voice, but hardly able to
+      dissemble his growing anxiety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It concerns you nearly. We sons of Bowanee have a horror of shedding
+      blood,&rdquo; resumed Faringhea; &ldquo;to pass the cord round the neck of our
+      victims, we wait till they are asleep. When their sleep is not deep
+      enough, we know how to make it deeper. We are skillful at our work; the
+      serpent is not more cunning, or the lion more valiant, Djalma himself
+      bears our mark. The array-mow is an impalpable powder, and, by letting the
+      sleeper inhale a few grains of it, or by mixing it with the tobacco to be
+      smoked by a waking man, we can throw our victim into a stupor, from which
+      nothing will rouse him. If we fear to administer too strong a dose at
+      once, we let the sleeper inhale a little at different times, and we can
+      thus prolong the trance at pleasure, and without any danger, as long as a
+      man does not require meat and drink&mdash;say, thirty or forty hours. You
+      see, that opium is mere trash compared to this divine narcotic. I had
+      brought some of this with me from Java&mdash;as a mere curiosity, you know&mdash;without
+      forgetting the counter poison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! there is a counter-poison, then?&rdquo; said Rodin, mechanically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just as there are people quite contrary to what we are, brother of the
+      good work. The Javanese call the juice of this root tooboe; it dissipates
+      the stupor caused by the array-mow, as the sun disperses the clouds. Now,
+      yesterday evening, being certain of the projects of your emissary against
+      Djalma, I waited till the doctor was in bed and asleep. I crept into his
+      room, and made him inhale such a dose of array-mow&mdash;that he is
+      probably sleeping still.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Miscreant!&rdquo; cried Rodin, more and more alarmed by this narrative, for
+      Faringhea had dealt a terrible blow at the machinations of the socius and
+      his friends. &ldquo;You risk poisoning the doctor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, brother; just as he ran the risk of poisoning Djalma. This morning
+      we set out, leaving your doctor at the inn, plunged in a deep sleep. I was
+      alone in the carriage with Djalma. He smoked like a true Indian; some
+      grains of array-mow, mixed with the tobacco in his long pipe, first made
+      him drowsy; a second dose, that he inhaled, sent him to sleep; and so I
+      left him at the inn where we stopped. Now, brother, it depends upon me, to
+      leave Djalma in his trance, which will last till to-morrow evening or to
+      rouse him from it on the instant. Exactly as you comply with my demands or
+      not, Djalma will or will not be in the Rue Saint-Francois to morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Faringhea drew from his pocket the medal belonging to Djalma,
+      and observed, as he showed it to Rodin: &ldquo;You see that I tell you the
+      truth. During Djalma&rsquo;s sleep, took from him this medal, the only
+      indication he has of the place where he ought to be to-morrow. I finish,
+      then as I began: Brother, I have come to ask you for a great deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For some minutes, Rodin had been biting his nails to the quick, as was his
+      custom when seized with a fit of dumb and concentrated rage. Just then,
+      the bell of the porter&rsquo;s lodge rang three times in a particular manner.
+      Rodin did not appear to notice it, and yet a sudden light sparkled in his
+      small reptile eyes; while Faringhea, with his arms folded, looked at him
+      with an expression of triumph and disdainful superiority. The socius bent
+      down his head, remained silent for some seconds, took mechanically a pen
+      from his desk, and began to gnaw the feather, as if in deep reflection
+      upon what Faringhea had just said. Then, throwing down the pen upon the
+      desk, he turned suddenly towards the half-caste, and addressed him with an
+      air of profound contempt &ldquo;Now, really, M. Faringhea&mdash;do you think to
+      make game of us with your cock-and bull stories?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Amazed, in spite of his audacity, the half-caste recoiled a step.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir!&rdquo; resumed Rodin. &ldquo;You come here into a respectable house, to
+      boast that you have stolen letters, strangled this man, drugged that
+      other?&mdash;Why, sir, it is downright madness. I wished to hear you to
+      the end, to see to what extent you would carry your audacity&mdash;for
+      none but a monstrous rascal would venture to plume himself on such
+      infamous crimes. But I prefer believing, that they exist only in your
+      imagination.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he barked out these words, with a degree of animation not usual in him,
+      Rodin rose from his seat, and approached the chimney, while Faringhea, who
+      had not yet recovered from his surprise, looked at him in silence. In a
+      few seconds, however, the half-caste returned, with a gloomy and savage
+      mien: &ldquo;Take care, brother; do not force me to prove to you that I have
+      told the truth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, sir; you must be fresh from the Antipodes, to believe us
+      Frenchmen such easy dupes. You have, you say, the prudence of a serpent,
+      and the courage of a lion. I do not know if you are a courageous lion, but
+      you are certainly not a prudent serpent. What! you have about you a letter
+      from M. Van Dael, by which I might be compromised&mdash;supposing all this
+      not to be a fable&mdash;you have left Prince Djalma in a stupor, which
+      would serve my projects, and from which you alone can rouse him&mdash;you
+      are able, you say, to strike a terrible blow at my interests&mdash;and yet
+      you do not consider (bold lion! crafty serpent as you are!) that I only
+      want to gain twenty-four hours upon you. Now, you come from the end of
+      India to Paris, an unknown stranger&mdash;you believe me to be as great a
+      scoundrel as yourself,&mdash;since you call me brother&mdash;and do not
+      once consider, that you are here in my power&mdash;that this street and
+      house are solitary, and that I could have three or four persons to bind
+      you in a second, savage Strangler though you are!&mdash;and that just by
+      pulling this bell-rope,&rdquo; said Rodin, as he took it in his hand. &ldquo;Do not be
+      alarmed,&rdquo; added he, with a diabolical smile, as he saw Faringhea make an
+      abrupt movement of surprise and fright; &ldquo;would I give you notice, if I
+      meant to act in this manner?&mdash;But just answer me. Once bound and put
+      in confinement for twenty-four hours, how could you injure me? Would it
+      not be easy for me to possess myself of Van Dael&rsquo;s letter, and Djalma&rsquo;s
+      medal? and the latter, plunged in a stupor till to-morrow evening, need
+      not trouble me at all. You see, therefore, that your threats are vain
+      because they rest upon falsehood&mdash;because it is not true, that Prince
+      Djalma is here and in your power. Begone, sir&mdash;leave the house; and
+      when next you wish to make dupes, show more judgment in the selection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea seemed struck with astonishment. All that he had just heard
+      seemed very probable. Rodin might seize upon him, the letter, and the
+      medal, and, by keeping him prisoner, prevent Djalma from being awakened.
+      And yet Rodin ordered him to leave the house, at the moment when Faringhea
+      had imagined himself so formidable. As he thought for the motives of this
+      inexplicable conduct, it struck him that Rodin, notwithstanding the proofs
+      he had brought him, did not yet believe that Djalma was in his power. On
+      that theory, the contempt of Van Dael&rsquo;s correspondent admitted of a
+      natural explanation. But Rodin was playing a bold and skillful game; and,
+      while he appeared to mutter to himself, as in anger, he was observing,
+      with intense anxiety, the Strangler&rsquo;s countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter, almost certain that he had divined the secret motive of Rodin,
+      replied: &ldquo;I am going&mdash;but one word more. You think I deceive you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am certain of it. You have told me nothing but a tissue of fables, and
+      I have lost much time in listening to them. Spare me the rest; it is late&mdash;and
+      I should like to be alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One minute more: you are a man, I see, from whom nothing should be hid,&rdquo;
+       said Faringhea, &ldquo;from Djalma, I could now only expect alms and disdain&mdash;for,
+      with a character like this, to say to him, &lsquo;Pay me, because I might have
+      betrayed you and did not,&rsquo; would be to provoke his anger and contempt. I
+      could have killed him twenty times over, but his day is not yet come,&rdquo;
+       said the Thug, with a gloomy air; &ldquo;and to wait for that and other fatal
+      days, I must have gold, much gold. You alone can pay me for the betrayal
+      of Djalma, for you alone profit by it. You refuse to hear me, because you
+      think I am deceiving you. But I took the direction of the inn where we
+      stopped&mdash;and here it is. Send some one to ascertain the truth of what
+      I tell you, and then you will believe me. But the price of my services
+      will be high; for I told you that I wanted much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Faringhea offered a printed card to Rodin: the socius, who, out
+      of the corner of his eye, followed all the half-caste&rsquo;s movements,
+      appeared to be absorbed in thought, and taking no heed of anything.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the address,&rdquo; repeated Faringhea, as he held out the card to
+      Rodin; &ldquo;assure yourself that I do not lie.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh? what is it?&rdquo; said the other, casting a rapid but stolen glance at the
+      address, which he read greedily, without touching the card.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take this address,&rdquo; repeated the half-caste, &ldquo;and you may then assure
+      yourself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, sir,&rdquo; cried Rodin, pushing back the card with his hand, &ldquo;your
+      impudence confounds me. I repeat that I wish to have nothing in common
+      with you. For the last time, I tell you to leave the house. I know nothing
+      about your Prince Djalma. You say you can injure me&mdash;do so&mdash;make
+      no ceremonies&mdash;but, in heaven&rsquo;s name, leave me to myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rodin rang the bell violently. Faringhea made a movement as if
+      to stand upon the defensive; but only the old servant, with his quiet and
+      placid mien, appeared at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lapierre, light the gentleman out,&rdquo; said Rodin, pointing to Faringhea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Terrified at Rodin&rsquo;s calmness, the half-caste hesitated to leave the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why do you wait, sir?&rdquo; said Rodin, remarking his hesitation. &ldquo;I wish to
+      be alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, sir,&rdquo; said Faringhea, as he withdrew, slowly, &ldquo;you refuse my offers?
+      Take care! to-morrow it will be too late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have the honor to be your most humble servant, sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, bowing
+      courteously. The Strangler went out, and the door closed upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Immediately, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny entered from the next room. His countenance
+      was pale and agitated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you done?&rdquo; exclaimed he addressing Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have heard all. I am unfortunately too sure that this wretch spoke the
+      truth. The Indian is in his power, and he goes to rejoin him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think not,&rdquo; said Rodin, humbly, as bowing, he reassumed his dull and
+      submissive countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What will prevent this man from rejoining the prince?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Allow me. As soon as the rascal was shown in, I knew him; and so, before
+      speaking a word to him, I wrote a few lines to Morok, who was waiting
+      below with Goliath till your reverence should be at leisure. Afterwards,
+      in the course of the conversation, when they brought me Morok&rsquo;s answer, I
+      added some fresh instructions, seeing the turn that affairs were taking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what was the use of all this, since you have let the man leave the
+      house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your reverence will perhaps deign to observe that he did not leave it;
+      till he had given me the direction of the hotel where the Indian now is,
+      thanks to my innocent stratagem of appearing to despise him. But, if it
+      had failed, Faringhea would still have fallen into the hands of Goliath
+      and Morok, who are waiting for him in the street, a few steps from the
+      door. Only we should have been rather embarrassed, as we should not have
+      known where to find Prince Djalma.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;More violence!&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with repugnance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is to be regretted, very much regretted,&rdquo; replied Rodin; &ldquo;but it was
+      necessary to follow out the system already adopted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that meant for a reproach?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who began to think
+      that Rodin was something more than a mere writing-machine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I could not permit myself to blame your reverence,&rdquo; said Rodin, cringing
+      almost to the ground. &ldquo;But all that will be required is to confine this
+      man for twenty-four hours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And afterwards&mdash;his complaints?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such a scoundrel as he is will not dare to complain. Besides, he left
+      this house in freedom. Morok and Goliath will bandage his eyes when they
+      seize him. The house has another entrance in the Rue Vieille-des-Ursins.
+      At this hour, and in such a storm, no one will be passing through this
+      deserted quarter of the town. The knave will be confused by the change of
+      place; they will put him into a cellar, of the new building, and to morrow
+      night, about the same hour, they will restore him to liberty with the like
+      precautions. As for the East Indian, we now know where to find him; we
+      must send to him a confidential person, and, if he recovers from his
+      trance, there would be, in my humble opinion,&rdquo; said Rodin, modestly, &ldquo;a
+      very simple and quiet manner of keeping him away from the Rue Saint
+      Francois all day to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The same servant with the mild countenance, who had introduced and shown
+      out Faringhea, here entered the room, after knocking discreetly at the
+      door. He held in his hand a sort of game-bag, which he gave to Rodin,
+      saying: &ldquo;Here is what M. Morok has just brought; he came in by the Rue
+      Vieille.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The servant withdrew, and Rodin, opening the bag, said to Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, as he showed him the contents: &ldquo;The medal, and Van Dael&rsquo;s
+      letter. Morok has been quick at his work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One more danger avoided,&rdquo; said the marquis; &ldquo;it is a pity to be forced to
+      such measures.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must only blame the rascal who has obliged us to have recourse to
+      them. I will send instantly to the hotel where the Indian lodges.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, at seven in the morning, you will conduct Gabriel to the Rue Saint
+      Francois. It is there that I must have with him the interview which he has
+      so earnestly demanded these three days.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I informed him of it this evening, and he awaits your orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last, then,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;after so many struggles, and
+      fears, and crosses, only a few hours separate us from the moment which we
+      have so long desired.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We now conduct the reader to the house in the Rue Saint-Francois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (13) The doctrine of passive and absolute obedience, the principal tool in
+      the hands of the Jesuits, as summed up in these terrible words of the
+      dying Loyola&mdash;that every member of the order should be in the hands
+      of his superiors as a dead body&mdash;&lsquo;perinde ad cadaver&rsquo;.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0070" id="link2HCH0070">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII. THE HOUSE IN THE RUE SAINT-FRANCOIS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>n entering the Rue Saint-Gervais, by the Rue Dore (in the Marais), you
+      would have found yourself, at the epoch of this narrative, directly
+      opposite to an enormously high wall, the stones of which were black and
+      worm-eaten with age. This wall, which extended nearly the whole length of
+      that solitary street, served to support a terrace shaded by trees of some
+      hundred years old, which thus grew about forty feet above the causeway.
+      Through their thick branches appeared the stone front, peaked roof and
+      tall brick chimneys of an antique house, the entrance of which was
+      situated in the Rue Saint-Francois, not far from the Rue Saint Gervais
+      corner. Nothing could be more gloomy than the exterior of this abode. On
+      the entrance-side also was a very high wall, pierced with two or three
+      loop-holes, strongly grated. A carriage gateway in massive oak, barred
+      with iron, and studded with large nail-heads, whose primitive color
+      disappeared beneath a thick layer of mud, dust, and rust, fitted close
+      into the arch of a deep recess, forming the swell of a bay window above.
+      In one of these massive gates was a smaller door, which served for ingress
+      and egress to Samuel the Jew, the guardian of this dreary abode. On
+      passing the threshold, you came to a passage, formed in the building which
+      faced in the street. In this building was the lodging of Samuel, with its
+      windows opening upon the rather spacious inner court yard, through the
+      railing of which you perceived the garden. In the middle of this garden
+      stood a two-storied stone house, so strangely built, that you had to mount
+      a flight of steps, or rather a double-flight of at least twenty steps, to
+      reach the door, which had been walled up a hundred and fifty years before.
+      The window-blinds of this habitation had been replaced by large thick
+      plates of lead, hermetically soldered and kept in by frames of iron
+      clamped in the stone. Moreover, completely to intercept air and light, and
+      thus to guard against decay within and without, the roof had been covered
+      with thick sheets of lead, as well as the vents of the tall chimneys,
+      which had previously been bricked up. The same precautions had been taken
+      with respect to a small square belvedere, situated on the top of the
+      house; this glass cage was covered with a sort of dome, soldered to the
+      roof. Only, in consequence of some singular fancy, in every one of the
+      leaden plates, which concealed the four sides of the belvedere,
+      corresponding to the cardinal points, seven little round holes had been
+      bored in the form of a cross, and were easily distinguishable from the
+      outside. Everywhere else the plates of lead were completely unpierced.
+      Thanks to these precautions, and to the substantial structure of the
+      building, nothing but a few outward repairs had been necessary; and the
+      apartments, entirely removed from the influence of the external air, no
+      doubt remained, during a century and a half, exactly in the same state as
+      at the time of their being shut up. The aspect of walls in crevices, of
+      broken, worm-eaten shutters, of a roof half fallen in, and windows covered
+      with wall-flowers, would perhaps have been less sad than the appearance of
+      this stone house, plated with iron and lead, and preserved like a
+      mausoleum. The garden, completely deserted, and only regularly visited
+      once a week by Samuel, presented to the view, particularly in summer, an
+      incredible confusion of parasites and brambles. The trees, left to
+      themselves, had shot forth and mingled their branches in all directions;
+      some straggling vines, reproduced from offshoots, had crept along the
+      ground to the foot of the trees, and, climbing up their trunks, had twined
+      themselves about them, and encircled their highest branches with their
+      inextricable net. You could only pass through this virgin forest by
+      following the path made by the guardian, to go from the grating to the
+      house, the approaches to which were a little sloped to let the water run
+      off, and carefully paved to the width of about ten feet. Another narrow
+      path which extended all around the enclosure, was every night perambulated
+      by two or three Pyrenees dogs&mdash;a faithful race, which had been
+      perpetuated in the house during a century and a half. Such was the
+      habitation destined for the meeting of the descendants of the family of
+      Rennepont. The night which separated the 12th from the 13th day of
+      February was near its close. A calm had succeeded the storm, and the rain
+      had ceased; the sky was clear and full of stars; the moon, on its decline,
+      shone with a mild lustre, and threw a melancholy light over that deserted,
+      silent house, whose threshold for so many years no human footstep had
+      crossed.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20177m.jpg" alt="20177m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20177.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      A bright gleam of light, issuing from one of the windows of the guardian&rsquo;s
+      dwelling, announced that Samuel was awake. Figure to yourself a tolerably
+      large room, lined from top to bottom with old walnut wainscoting browned
+      to an almost black, with age. Two half-extinguished brands are smoking
+      amid the cinders on the hearth. On the stone mantelpiece, painted to
+      resemble gray granite, stands an old iron candlestick, furnished with a
+      meagre candle, capped by an extinguisher. Near it one sees a pair of
+      double-barrelled pistols, and a sharp cutlass, with a hilt of carved
+      bronze, belonging to the seventeenth century. Moreover, a heavy rifle
+      rests against one of the chimney jambs. Four stools, an old oak press, and
+      a square table with twisted legs, formed the sole furniture of this
+      apartment. Against the wall were systematically suspended a number of keys
+      of different sizes, the shape of which bore evidence to their antiquity,
+      whilst to their rings were affixed divers labels. The back of the old
+      press, which moved by a secret spring, had been pushed aside, and
+      discovered, built in the wall, a large and deep iron chest, the lid of
+      which, being open, displayed the wondrous mechanism of one of those
+      Florentine locks of the sixteenth century, which, better than any modern
+      invention, set all picklocks at defiance; and, moreover, according to the
+      notions of that age, are supplied with a thick lining of asbestos cloth,
+      suspended by gold wire at a distance from the sides of the chest, for the
+      purpose of rendering incombustible the articles contained in it. A large
+      cedar-wood box had been taken from the chest, and placed upon a stool; it
+      contained numerous papers, carefully arranged and docketed. By the light
+      of a brass lamp, the old keeper Samuel, was writing in a small register,
+      whilst Bathsheba, his wife, was dictating to him from an account. Samuel
+      was about eighty two years old, and, notwithstanding his advanced age, a
+      mass of gray curling hair covered his head. He was short, thin, nervous,
+      and the involuntary petulance of his movements proved that years had not
+      weakened his energy and activity; though, out of doors, where, however, he
+      made his appearance very seldom, he affected a sort of second childhood,
+      as had been remarked by Rodin to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. An old dressing-gown,
+      of maroon-colored camlet, with large sleeves, completely enveloped the old
+      man, and reached to his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel&rsquo;s features were cast in the pure, Eastern mould of his race. His
+      complexion was of a dead yellow, his nose aquiline, his chin shaded by a
+      little tuft of white beard, while projecting cheek-bones threw a harsh
+      shadow upon the hollow and wrinkled cheeks. His countenance was full of
+      intelligence, fine sharpness, and sagacity. On his broad, high forehead
+      one might read frankness, honesty, and firmness; his eyes, black and
+      brilliant as an Arab&rsquo;s, were at once mild and piercing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His wife, Bathsheba, some fifteen years younger than himself, was of tall
+      stature, and dressed entirely in black. A low cap, of starched lawn, which
+      reminded one of the grave head-dresses of Dutch matrons, encircled a pale
+      and austere countenance, formerly of a rare and haughty beauty, and
+      impressed with the Scriptural character. Some lines in the forehead,
+      caused by the almost continual knitting of her gray brows, showed that
+      this woman had often suffered from the pressure of intense grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this very moment her countenance betrayed inexpressible sorrow. Her
+      look was fixed, her head resting on her bosom. She had let her right hand,
+      which held a small account-book, fall upon her lap, while the other hand
+      grasped convulsively a long tress of jet-black hair, which she bore about
+      her neck. It was fastened by a golden clasp, about an inch square, in
+      which, under a plate of crystal, that shut in one side of it like a
+      relic-case, could be seen a piece of linen, folded square, and almost
+      entirely covered with dark red spots that resembled blood a long time
+      dried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a short silence, during which Samuel was occupied with his register,
+      he read aloud what he had just been writing: &ldquo;Per contra, 5,000 Austrian
+      Metallics of 1,000 florins, under date of October 19th, 1826.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After which enumeration, Samuel raised his head, and said to his wife:
+      &ldquo;Well, is it right, Bathsheba? Have you compared it with the account
+      book?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Bathsheba did not answer. Samuel looked at her, and, seeing that she was
+      absorbed in grief, said to her, with an expression of tender anxiety:
+      &ldquo;What is the matter? Good heaven! what is the matter with you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The 19th of October, 1826,&rdquo; said she, slowly, with her eyes still fixed,
+      and pressing yet more closely the lock of black hair which she wore about
+      her neck; &ldquo;It was a fatal day&mdash;for, Samuel, it was the date of the
+      last letter which we received from&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Bathsheba was unable to proceed. She uttered a long sigh, and concealed
+      her face in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I understand you,&rdquo; observed the old man, in a tremulous voice; &ldquo;a
+      father may be taken up by the thought of other cares; but the heart of a
+      mother is ever wakeful.&rdquo; Throwing his pen down upon the table, Samuel
+      leaned his forehead upon his hands in sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bathsheba resumed, as if she found a melancholy pleasure in these cruel
+      remembrances: &ldquo;Yes; that was the last day on which our son, Abel, wrote to
+      us from Germany, to announce to us that he had invested the funds
+      according to your desire and was going thence into Poland, to effect
+      another operation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And in Poland he met the death of a martyr,&rdquo; added Samuel. &ldquo;With no
+      motive and no proof, they accused him falsely of coming to organize
+      smuggling, and the Russian governor, treating him as they treat our
+      brothers in that land of cruel tyranny, condemned him to the dreadful
+      punishment of the knout, without even hearing him in his defence. Why
+      should they hear a Jew? What is a Jew? A creature below a serf, whom they
+      reproach for all the vices that a degrading slavery has engendered. A Jew
+      beaten to death? Who would trouble themselves about it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And poor Abel, so good, so faithful, died beneath their stripes, partly
+      from shame, partly from the wounds,&rdquo; said Bathsheba, shuddering. &ldquo;One of
+      our Polish brethren obtained with great difficulty permission to bury him.
+      He cut off this lock of beautiful black hair&mdash;which, with this scrap
+      of linen, bathed in the blood of our dear son, is all that now remains to
+      us of him.&rdquo; Bathsheba covered the hair and clasp with convulsive kisses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said Samuel, drying his tears, which had burst forth at these sad
+      recollections, &ldquo;the Lord did not at last remove our child, until the task
+      which our family has accomplished faithfully for a century and a half was
+      nearly at an end. Of what use will our race be henceforth upon earth?&rdquo;
+       added Samuel, most bitterly. &ldquo;Our duty is performed. This casket contains
+      a royal fortune&mdash;and yonder house, walled up for a hundred and fifty
+      years, will be opened to-morrow to the descendants of my ancestor&rsquo;s
+      benefactor.&rdquo; So saying, Samuel turned his face sorrowfully towards the
+      house, which he could see through the window. The dawn was just about to
+      appear. The moon had set; belvedere, roof, and chimneys formed a black
+      mass upon the dark blue of the starry firmament.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, Samuel grew pale, and, rising abruptly, said to his wife in a
+      tremulous tone, whilst he still pointed to the house: &ldquo;Bathsheba! the
+      seven points of light&mdash;just as it was thirty years ago. Look! look:&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, the seven round holes, bored in the form of a cross in the leaden
+      plates which covered the window of the belvedere, sparkled like so many
+      luminous points, as if some one in the house ascended with a light to the
+      roof.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0071" id="link2HCH0071">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII. DEBIT AND CREDIT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">F</span>or some seconds, Samuel and Bathsheba remained motionless, with their
+      eyes fixed in fear and uneasiness on the seven luminous points, which
+      shone through the darkness of the night from the summit of the belvedere;
+      while, on the horizon, behind the house, a pale, rosy hue announced the
+      dawn of day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel was the first to break silence, and he said to his wife, as he drew
+      his hand across his brow: &ldquo;The grief caused by the remembrance of our poor
+      child has prevented us from reflecting that, after all, there should be
+      nothing to alarm us in what we see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so, Samuel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My father always told me that he, and my grandfather before him, had seen
+      such lights at long intervals.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Samuel&mdash;but without being able, any more than ourselves, to
+      explain the cause.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like my father and grandfather, we can only suppose that some secret
+      passage gives admittance to persons who, like us, have some mysterious
+      duty to fulfil in this dwelling. Besides, my father warned me not to be
+      uneasy at these appearances, foretold by him, and now visible for the
+      second time in thirty years.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter for that, Samuel, it does strike one as if it was something
+      supernatural.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The days of miracles are over.&rdquo; said the Jew, shaking his head
+      sorrowfully: &ldquo;many of the old houses in this quarter have subterraneous
+      communications with distant places&mdash;some extending even to the Seine
+      and the Catacombs. Doubtless, this house is so situated, and the persons
+      who make these rare visits enter by some such means.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But that the belvedere should be thus lighted up?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;According to the plan of the building, you know that the belvedere forms
+      a kind of skylight to the apartment called the Great Hall of Mourning,
+      situated on the upper story. As it is completely dark, in consequence of
+      the closing of all the windows, they must use a light to visit this Hall
+      of Mourning&mdash;a room which is said to contain some very strange and
+      gloomy things,&rdquo; added the Jew, with a shudder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bathsheba, as well as her husband, gazed attentively on the seven luminous
+      points, which diminished in brightness as the daylight gradually
+      increased.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you say, Samuel, the mystery may be thus explained,&rdquo; resumed the
+      Hebrew&rsquo;s wife. &ldquo;Besides, the day is so important a one for the family of
+      Rennepont, that this apparition: ought not to astonish us under the
+      circumstances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only to think,&rdquo; remarked Samuel, &ldquo;that these lights have appeared at
+      several different times throughout a century and a half! There must,
+      therefore, be another family that, like ours, has devoted itself, from
+      generation to generation, to accomplish a pious duty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what is this duty? It will perhaps be explained today.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, Bathsheba,&rdquo; suddenly exclaimed Samuel, as if roused from his
+      reverie, and reproaching himself with idleness; this is the day, and,
+      before eight o&rsquo;clock, our cash account must be in order, and these titles
+      to immense property arranged, so that they may be delivered to the
+      rightful owners&rdquo;&mdash;and he pointed to the cedar-wood box.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Samuel; this day does not belong to us. It is a solemn day&mdash;one
+      that would have been sweet, oh! very sweet to you and me&mdash;if now any
+      days could be sweet to us,&rdquo; said Bathsheba bitterly, for she was thinking
+      of her son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bathsheba,&rdquo; said Samuel, mournfully, as he laid his hand on his wife&rsquo;s;
+      &ldquo;we shall at least have the stern satisfaction of having done our duty.
+      And has not the Lord been very favorable to us, though He has thus
+      severely tried us by the death of our son? Is it not thanks to His
+      providence that three generations of my family have been able to commence,
+      continue, and finish this great work?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Samuel,&rdquo; said the Jewess, affectionately, &ldquo;and for you at least this
+      satisfaction will be combined with calm and quietness, for on the stroke
+      of noon you will be delivered from a very terrible responsibility.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Bathsheba pointed to the box.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; replied the old man; &ldquo;I had rather these immense riches were
+      in the hands of those to whom they belong, than in mine; but, to day, I
+      shall cease to be their trustee. Once more then, I will check the account
+      for the last time, and compare the register with the cash-book that you
+      hold in your hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Bathsheba bowed her head affirmatively, and Samuel, taking up his pen,
+      occupied himself once more with his calculations. His wife, in spite of
+      herself, again yielded to the sad thoughts which that fatal date had
+      awakened, by reminding her of the death of her son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us now trace rapidly the history, in appearance so romantic and
+      marvellous, in reality so simple, of the fifty thousand crowns, which,
+      thanks to the law of accumulation, and to a prudent, intelligent and
+      faithful investment, had naturally, and necessarily, been transformed, in
+      the space of a century and a half, into a sum far more important than the
+      forty millions estimated by Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&mdash;who, partially
+      informed on this subject, and reckoning the disastrous accidents, losses,
+      and bankruptcies which might have occurred during so long a period,
+      believed that forty millions might well b e considered enormous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The history of this fortune being closely connected with that of the
+      Samuel family, by whom it had been managed for three generations, we shall
+      give it again in a few words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About the period 1670, some years before his death, Marius de Rennepont,
+      then travelling in Portugal, had been enabled, by means of powerful
+      interest, to save the life of an unfortunate Jew, condemned to be burnt
+      alive by the Inquisition, because of his religion. This Jew was Isaac
+      Samuel, grandfather of the present guardian of the house in the Rue
+      Saint-Francois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Generous men often attach themselves to those they have served, as much,
+      at least, as the obliged parties are attached to their benefactors. Having
+      ascertained that Isaac, who at that time carried on a petty broker&rsquo;s
+      business at Lisbon, was industrious, honest, active, laborious, and
+      intelligent, M. de Rennepont, who then possessed large property in France,
+      proposed to the Jew to accompany him, and undertake the management of his
+      affairs. The same hatred and suspicion with which the Israelites have
+      always been followed, was then at its height. Isaac was therefore doubly
+      grateful for this mark of confidence on the part of M. de Rennepont. He
+      accepted the offer, and promised from that day to devote his existence to
+      the service of him who had first saved his life, and then trusted
+      implicitly to his good faith and uprightness, although he was a Jew, and
+      belonged to a race generally suspected and despised. M. de Rennepont, a
+      man of great soul, endowed with a good spirit, was not deceived in his
+      choice. Until he was deprived of his fortune, it prospered wonderfully in
+      the hands of Isaac Samuel, who, gifted with an admirable aptitude for
+      business, applied himself exclusively to advance the interests of his
+      benefactor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then came the persecution and ruin of M. de Rennepont, whose property was
+      confiscated and given up to the reverend fathers of the Company of Jesus
+      only a few days before his death. Concealed in the retreat he had chosen,
+      therein to put a violent end to his life, he sent secretly for Isaac
+      Samuel, and delivered to him fifty thousand crowns in gold, the last
+      remains of his fortune. This faithful servant was to invest the money to
+      the best advantage, and, if he should have a son, transmit to him the same
+      obligation; or, should he have no child, he was to seek out some relation
+      worthy of continuing this trust, to which would moreover be annexed a fair
+      reward. It was thus to be transmitted and perpetuated from relative to
+      relative, until the expiration of a century and a half. M. de Rennepont
+      also begged Isaac to take charge, during his life, of the house in the Rue
+      Saint-Francois, where he would be lodged gratis, and to leave this
+      function likewise to his descendants, if it were possible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If even Isaac Samuel had not had children, the powerful bond of union
+      which exists between certain Jewish families, would have rendered
+      practicable the last will of De Rennepont. The relations of Isaac would
+      have become partner; in his gratitude to his benefactor, and they, and
+      their succeeding generations, would have religiously accomplished the task
+      imposed upon one of their race. But, several years after the death of De
+      Rennepont, Isaac had a son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This son, Levy Samuel, born in 1689, not having had any children by his
+      first wife, married again at nearly sixty years of age, and, in 1750, he
+      also had a son&mdash;David Samuel, the guardian of the house in the Rue
+      Saint Francois, who, in 1832 (the date of this narrative), was eighty-two
+      years old, and seemed likely to live as long as his father, who had died
+      at the age of ninety-three. Finally, Abel Samuel, the son whom Bathsheba
+      so bitterly regretted, born in 1790, had perished under the Russian knout,
+      at the age of thirty-six.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having established this humble genealogy, we easily understand how this
+      successive longevity of three members of the Samuel family, all of whom
+      had been guardians of the walled house, by uniting, as it were, the
+      nineteenth with the seventeenth century, simplified and facilitated the
+      execution of M. de Rennepont&rsquo;s will; the latter having declared his desire
+      to the grandfather of the Samuels, that the capital should only be
+      augmented by interest at five per cent.&mdash;so that the fortune might
+      come to his descendants free from all taint of usurious speculation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The fellow men of the Samuel family, the first inventors of the bill of
+      exchange, which served them in the Middle Ages to transport mysteriously
+      considerable amounts from one end of the world to the other, to conceal
+      their fortune, and to shield it from the rapacity of their enemies&mdash;the
+      Jews, we say, having almost the monopoly of the trade in money and
+      exchanges, until the end of the eighteenth century, aided the secret
+      transactions and financial operations of this family, which, up to about
+      1820, placed their different securities, which had become progressively
+      immense, in the hands of the principal Israelitish bankers and merchants
+      of Europe. This sure and secret manner of acting had enabled the present
+      guardian of the house in the Rue Saint-Francois, to effect enormous
+      investments, unknown to all; and it was more especially during the period
+      of his management, that the capital sum had acquired, by the mere fact of
+      compound interest, an almost incalculable development. Compared with him,
+      his father and grandfather had only small amounts to manage. Though it had
+      only been necessary to find successively sure and immediate investments,
+      so that the money might not remain as it were one day without bearing
+      interest, it had acquired financial capacity to attain this result, when
+      so many millions were in question. The last of the Samuels, brought up in
+      the school of his father, had exhibited this capacity in a very high
+      degree, as will be seen immediately by the results. Nothing could be more
+      touching, noble, and respectable, than the conduct of the members of this
+      Jewish family, who, partners in the engagement of gratitude taken by their
+      ancestor, devote themselves for long years, with as much disinterestedness
+      as intelligence and honesty, to the slow acquisition of a kingly fortune,
+      of which they expect no part themselves, but which, thanks to them, would
+      come pure, as immense, to the hands of the descendants of their
+      benefactor! Nor could anything be more honorable to him who made, and him
+      who received this deposit, than the simple promise by word of mouth,
+      unaccompanied by any security save mutual confidence and reciprocal
+      esteem, when the result was only to be produced at the end of a century
+      and a half!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After once more reading his inventory with attention, Samuel said to his
+      wife: &ldquo;I am certain of the correctness of my additions. Now please to
+      compare with the account-book in your hand the summary of the investments
+      that I have just entered in the register. I will assure myself, at the
+      same time, that the bonds and vouchers are properly arranged in this
+      casket, that, on the opening of the will, they may be delivered in order
+      to the notary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Begin, my dear, and I will check you,&rdquo; said Bathsheba.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel read as follows, examining as he went on, the contents of his
+      casket:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Statement of the account of the heirs of M. DE RENNEPONT, delivered by
+      DAVID SAMUELS.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      DEBIT.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     2,000,000 francs per annum,
+      in the French 5 P. C.,
+      bought from 1825 to 1832,
+      at an average price of 99f.
+      50c............ 39,800,000
+     900,000 francs, ditto, in
+      the French 3 P. C.,
+      bought during the
+      same years, at an average
+      of 74f 25c........ 22,275,000
+     5;000 shares in the Bank
+      of France, bought at 1,900 9,500,000
+     3,000 shares in the Four
+      Canals, in a certificate
+      from the Company,
+      bought at 1,115f..... 3,345,000
+     125,000 ducats of
+      Neapolitans, at an average
+      of 82. 2,050,000 ducats,
+      at 4f. 400.......  9,020,000
+     5,000 Austrian Metallics,
+      of 1,000 florins, at 93
+     &mdash;say 4,650,000 florins,
+      at 2f. 50c........ 11,625,000
+     75,000 pounds sterling
+      per annum, English
+      Consolidated 3 P. C.,
+      at 88 3/4&mdash;say 2,218,750,
+      at 25f......... 55,468,750
+     1,200,000 florins, Dutch
+     2 1/2 P. C., at 60-28,
+     860,000 florins, at 2f.
+     100........... 60,606,000
+     Cash in banknotes, gold
+     and silver........   535,250
+                          &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;
+              Francs  212,175,000
+
+     Paris, 12th February, 1832.
+     CREDIT.
+
+     150,000 francs
+      received from M.
+      de Rennepont,
+      in 1682, by Isaac
+      Samuel my grandfather;
+      and invested by him,
+      my father, and myself,
+      in different securities,
+      at Five per Cent.
+      Interest, with a
+      settlement of account
+      and Investment of
+      interest every six
+      months, producing,
+      as by annexed vouchers, 225,950,000
+
+     Less losses sustained
+      by failures, expenses of
+      commission and
+      brokerage, and
+      salary of three
+      generations of
+      trustees, as per
+      statement annexed    13,775,000
+                           &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;
+                          212,175,000
+
+     Francs 212,175,000
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is quite right,&rdquo; said Samuel, after examining the papers, contained in
+      the cedar-wood box. &ldquo;There remains in hand, at the absolute disposal of
+      the heirs of the Rennepont family, the Sum Of TWO HUNDRED AND TWELVE
+      MILLIONS, ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND FRANCS.&rdquo; And the old man
+      looked at his wife with an expression of legitimate pride. &ldquo;It is hardly
+      credible!&rdquo; cried Bathsheba, struck with surprise. &ldquo;I knew that you had
+      immense property in your hands; but I could never have believed, that one
+      hundred and fifty thousand francs, left a century and a half ago, should
+      be the only source of this immense fortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20187m.jpg" alt="20187m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20187.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is even so, Bathsheba,&rdquo; answered the old man, proudly. &ldquo;Doubtless, my
+      grandfather, my father, and myself, have all been exact and faithful in
+      the management of these funds; doubtless, we have required some sagacity
+      in the choice of investments, in times of revolution and commercial
+      panics; but all this was easy to us, thanks to our relations with our
+      brethren in all countries&mdash;and never have I, or any of mine, made an
+      usurious investment, or even taken the full advantage of the legal rate of
+      interest. Such were the positive demands of M. de Rennepont, given to my
+      grandfather; nor is there in the world a fortune that has been obtained by
+      purer means. Had it not been for this disinterestedness, we might have
+      much augmented this two hundred and twelve millions, only by taking
+      advantage of a few favorable circumstances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me! is it possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing is more simple, Bathsheba. Every one knows, that in fourteen
+      years a capital will be doubled, by the mere accumulation of interest and
+      compound interest at five per cent. Now reflect, that in a century and a
+      half there are ten times fourteen years, and that these one hundred and
+      fifty thousands francs have thus been doubled and redoubled, over and over
+      again. All that astonishes you will then appear plain enough. In 1682, M.
+      de Rennepont entrusted my grandfather with a hundred and fifty thousand
+      francs; this sum, invested as I have told you, would have produced in
+      1696, fourteen years after, three hundred thousand francs. These last,
+      doubled in 1710, would produce six hundred thousand. On the death of my
+      grandfather in 1719, the amount was already near a million; in 1724, it
+      would be twelve hundred thousand francs; in 1738, two millions four
+      hundred thousand; in 1752, about two years after my birth, four millions
+      eight hundred thousand; in 1766, nine millions six hundred thousand; in
+      1780, nineteen millions two hundred thousand; in 1794, twelve years after
+      the death of my father, thirty-eight millions four hundred thousand; in
+      1808, seventy-six millions eight hundred thousand; in 1822, one hundred
+      and fifty-three millions six hundred thousand; and, at this time, taking
+      the compound interest for ten years, it should be at least two hundred and
+      twenty-five millions. But losses and inevitable charges, of which the
+      account has been strictly kept, have reduced the sum to two hundred and
+      twelve millions one hundred and seventy-five thousand francs, the
+      securities for which are in this box.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I now understand you, my dear,&rdquo; answered Bathsheba, thoughtfully; &ldquo;but
+      how wonderful is this power of accumulation! and what admirable provision
+      may be made for the future, with the smallest present resources!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such, no doubt, was the idea of M. de Rennepont; for my father has often
+      told me, and he derived it from his father, that M. de Rennepont was one
+      of the soundest intellects of his time,&rdquo; said Samuel, as he closed the
+      cedar-box.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God grant his descendants may be worthy of this kingly fortune, and make
+      a noble use of it!&rdquo; said Bathsheba, rising.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was now broad day, and the clock had just struck seven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The masons will soon be here,&rdquo; said Samuel, as he replaced the cedar-box
+      in the iron safe, concealed behind the antique press. &ldquo;Like you,
+      Bathsheba, I am curious and anxious to know, what descendants of M. de
+      Rennepont will now present themselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Two or three loud knocks on the outer gate resounded through the house.
+      The barking of the watch-dogs responded to this summons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel said to his wife: &ldquo;It is no doubt the masons, whom the notary has
+      sent with his clerk. Tie all the keys and their labels together; I will
+      come back and fetch them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Samuel went down to the door with much nimbleness, considering
+      his age, prudently opened a small wicket, and saw three workmen, in the
+      garb of masons, accompanied by a young man dressed in black.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What may you want, gentlemen?&rdquo; said the Jew, before opening the door, as
+      he wished first to make sure of the identity of the personages.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sent by M. Dumesnil, the notary,&rdquo; answered the clerk, &ldquo;to be present
+      at the unwalling of a door. Here is a letter from my master, addressed to
+      M. Samuel, guardian of the house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am he, sir,&rdquo; said the Jew; &ldquo;please to put the letter through the slide,
+      and I will take it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The clerk did as Samuel desired, but shrugged his shoulders at what he
+      considered the ridiculous precautions of a suspicious old man. The
+      housekeeper opened the box, took the letter, went to the end of the
+      vaulted passage in order to read it, and carefully compared the signature
+      with that of another letter which he drew from the pocket of his long
+      coat; then, after all these precautions, he chained up his dogs, and
+      returned to open the gate to the clerk and masons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What the devil, my good man!&rdquo; said the clerk, as he entered; &ldquo;there would
+      not be more formalities in opening the gates of a fortress!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jew bowed, but without answering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you deaf, my good fellow?&rdquo; cried the clerk, close to his ears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; said Samuel, with a quiet smile, as he advanced several steps
+      beyond the passage. Then pointing to the old house, he added: &ldquo;That, sir,
+      is the door which you will have to open; you will also have to remove the
+      lead and iron from the second window to the right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not open all the windows?&rdquo; asked the clerk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because, sir, as guardian of this house, I have received particular
+      orders on the subject.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who gave you these orders?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My father, sir, who received them from his father, who transmitted them
+      from the master of this house. When I cease to have the care of it, the
+      new proprietor will do as he pleases.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! very well,&rdquo; said the clerk, not a little surprised. Then, addressing
+      himself to the masons, he added: &ldquo;This is your business, my fine fellows;
+      you are to unwall the door, and remove the iron frame-work of the second
+      window to the right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst the masons set to work, under the inspection of the notary&rsquo;s clerk,
+      a coach stopped before the outer gate, and Rodin, accompanied by Gabriel,
+      entered the house in the Rue Saint-Francois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0072" id="link2HCH0072">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX. THE HEIR
+    </h2>
+    <h3>
+      Samuel opened the door to Gabriel and Rodin.
+    </h3>
+    <p>
+      The latter said to the Jew, &ldquo;You, sir, are the keeper of this house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; replied Samuel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is Abbe Gabriel de Rennepont,&rdquo; said Rodin, as he introduced his
+      companion, &ldquo;one of the descendants of the family of the Renneponts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Happy to hear it, sir,&rdquo; said the Jew, almost involuntarily, struck with
+      the angelic countenance of Gabriel&mdash;for nobleness and serenity of
+      soul were visible in the glance of the young priest, and were written upon
+      his pure, white brow, already crowned with the halo of martyrdom. Samuel
+      looked at Gabriel with curiosity and benevolent interest; but feeling that
+      this silent contemplation must cause some embarrassment to his guest, he
+      said to him, &ldquo;M. Abbe, the notary will not be here before ten o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel looked at him in turn, with an air of surprise, and answered,
+      &ldquo;What notary, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny will explain all this to you,&rdquo; said Rodin, hastily.
+      Then addressing Samuel, he added, &ldquo;We are a little before the time. Will
+      you allow us to wait for the arrival of the notary?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said Samuel, &ldquo;if you please to walk into my house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, sir,&rdquo; answered Rodin, &ldquo;and accept your offer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Follow me, then, gentlemen,&rdquo; said the old man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few moments after, the young priest and the socius, preceded by Samuel,
+      entered one of the rooms occupied by the latter, on the ground-floor of
+      the building, looking out upon the court-yard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who has been the guardian of M. Gabriel, will soon
+      be coming to ask for us,&rdquo; added Rodin; &ldquo;will you have the kindness, sir to
+      show him into this room?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not fail to do so, sir,&rdquo; said Samuel, as he went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The socius and Gabriel were left alone. To the adorable gentleness which
+      usually gave to the fine features of the missionary so touching a charm,
+      there had succeeded in this moment a remarkable expression of sadness,
+      resolution, and severity. Rodin not having seen Gabriel for some days, was
+      greatly struck by the change he remarked in him. He had watched him
+      silently all the way from the Rue des Postes to the Rue Saint-Francois.
+      The young priest wore, as usual, a long black cassock, which made still
+      more visible the transparent paleness of his countenance. When the Jew had
+      left the room, Gabriel said to Rodin, in a firm voice, &ldquo;Will you at length
+      inform me, sir, why, for some days past, I have been prevented from
+      speaking to his reverence Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny? Why has he chosen this house
+      to grant me an interview?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is impossible for me to answer these questions,&rdquo; replied Rodin,
+      coldly. &ldquo;His reverence will soon arrive, and will listen to you. All I can
+      tell you is, that the reverend father lays as much stress upon this
+      meeting as you do. If he has chosen this house for the interview, it is
+      because you have an interest to be here. You know it well&mdash;though you
+      affected astonishment on hearing the guardian speak of a notary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rodin fixed a scrutinizing, anxious look upon Gabriel, whose
+      countenance expressed only surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand you,&rdquo; said he, in reply to Rodin. &ldquo;What have I to do
+      with this house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is impossible that you should not know it,&rdquo; answered Rodin, still
+      looking at him with attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have told you, sir, that I do not know it,&rdquo; replied the other, almost
+      offended by the pertinacity of the socius.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, then, did your adopted mother come to tell you yesterday? Why did
+      you presume to receive her without permission from Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, as I
+      have heard this morning? Did she not speak with you of certain family
+      papers, found upon you when she took you in?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; said Gabriel; &ldquo;those papers were delivered at the time to my
+      adopted mother&rsquo;s confessor, and they afterwards passed into Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s hands. This is the first I hear for a long time of these
+      papers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you affirm that Frances Baudoin did not come to speak to you on this
+      subject?&rdquo; resumed Rodin, obstinately, laying great emphasis on his words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is the second time, sir, that you seem to doubt my affirmation,&rdquo;
+       said the young priest, mildly, while he repressed a movement of
+      impatience, &ldquo;I assure you that I speak the truth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He knows nothing,&rdquo; thought Rodin; for he was too well convinced of
+      Gabriel&rsquo;s sincerity to retain the least doubt after so positive a
+      declaration. &ldquo;I believe you,&rdquo; went on he. &ldquo;The idea only occurred to me in
+      reflecting what could be the reason of sufficient weight to induce you to
+      transgress Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s orders with regard to the absolute
+      retirement he had commanded, which was to exclude all communication with
+      those without. Much more, contrary to all the rules of our house, you
+      ventured to shut the door of your room, whereas it ought to remain half
+      open, that the mutual inspection enjoined us might be the more easily
+      practiced. I could only explain these sins against discipline, by the
+      necessity of some very important conversation with your adopted mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was to a priest, and not to her adopted son, that Madame Baudoin
+      wished to speak,&rdquo; replied Gabriel, in a tone of deep seriousness. &ldquo;I
+      closed my door because I was to hear a confession.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what had Frances Baudoin of such importance to confess?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will know that by-and-bye, when I speak to his reverence&mdash;if it
+      be his pleasure that you should hear me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were so firmly spoken, that a long silence ensued. Let us
+      remind the reader that Gabriel had hitherto been kept by his superiors in
+      the most complete ignorance of the importance of the family interests
+      which required his presence in the Rue Saint-Francois. The day before,
+      Frances Baudoin, absorbed in her own grief, had forgotten to tell him that
+      the two orphans also should be present at this meeting, and had she even
+      thought of it, Dagobert would have prevented her mentioning this
+      circumstance to the young priest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel was therefore quite ignorant of the family ties which united him
+      with the daughters of Marshal Simon, with Mdlle. de Cardoville, with M.
+      Hardy, Prince Djalma, and Sleepinbuff. In a word, if it had then been
+      revealed to him that he was the heir of Marius de Rennepont, he would have
+      believed himself the only descendant of the family. During the moment&rsquo;s
+      silence which succeeded his conversation with Rodin, Gabriel observed
+      through the windows the mason&rsquo;s at their work of unwalling the door.
+      Having finished this first operation, they set about removing the bars of
+      iron by which a plate of lead was fixed over the same entrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, conducted by Samuel, entered the
+      room. Before Gabriel could turn around, Rodin had time to whisper to the
+      reverend father, &ldquo;He knows nothing&mdash;and we have no longer anything to
+      fear from the Indian.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his affected calmness, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s countenance was
+      pale and contracted, like that of a player who is about to stake all on a
+      last, decisive game. Hitherto, all had favored the designs of the Society;
+      but he could not think without alarm of the four hours which still
+      remained before they should reach the fatal moment. Gabriel having turned
+      towards him, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny offered him his hand with a smile, and said
+      to him in an affectionate and cordial tone, &ldquo;My dear son, it has pained me
+      a good deal to have been obliged to refuse you till now the interview that
+      you so much desired. It has been no less distressing to me to impose on
+      you a confinement of some days. Though I cannot give any explanation of
+      what I may think fit to order, I will just observe to you that I have
+      acted only for your interest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am bound to believe your reverence,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, bowing his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of himself, the young priest felt a vague sense of fear, for
+      until his departure for his American mission, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, at whose
+      feet he had pronounced the formidable vows which bound him irrevocably to
+      the Society of Jesus, had exercised over him that frightful species of
+      influence which, acting only by despotism, suppression, and intimidation,
+      breaks down all the living forces of the soul, and leaves it inert,
+      trembling, and terrified. Impressions of early youth are indelible, and
+      this was the first time, since his return from America, that Gabriel found
+      himself in presence of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; and although he did not shrink
+      from the resolution he had taken, he regretted not to have been able, as
+      he had hoped, to gather new strength and courage from an interview with
+      Agricola and Dagobert. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny knew mankind too well not to have
+      remarked the emotion of the young priest, and to have endeavored to
+      explain its cause. This emotion appeared to him a favorable omen; he
+      redoubled, therefore, his seductive arts, his air of tenderness and
+      amenity, reserving to himself, if necessary, the choice of assuming
+      another mask. He sat down, while Gabriel and Rodin remained standing in a
+      respectful position, and said to the former: &ldquo;You desire, my dear son, to
+      have an important interview with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father,&rdquo; said Gabriel, involuntarily casting down his eyes before
+      the large, glittering gray pupil of his superior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I also have matters of great importance to communicate to you. Listen
+      to me first; you can speak afterwards.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I listen, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is about twelve years ago, my dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      affectionately, &ldquo;that the confessor of your adopted mother, addressing
+      himself to me through M. Rodin, called my attention to yourself, by
+      reporting the astonishing progress you had made at the school of the
+      Brothers. I soon found, indeed, that your excellent conduct, your gentle,
+      modest character, and your precocious intelligence, were worthy of the
+      most tender interest. From that moment I kept my eyes upon you, and at the
+      end of some time, seeing that you did not fall off, it appeared to me that
+      there was something more in you than the stuff that makes a workman. We
+      agreed with your adopted mother, and through my intervention, you were
+      admitted gratuitously to one of the schools of our Company. Thus one
+      burden the less weighed upon the excellent woman who had taken charge of
+      you, and you received from our paternal care all the benefits of a
+      religious education. Is not this true, my dear son?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, father,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, casting down his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you grew up, excellent and rare virtues displayed themselves in your
+      character. Your obedience and mildness were above all exemplary. You made
+      rapid progress in your studies. I knew not then to what career you wished
+      to devote yourself, but I felt certain that, in every station of life, you
+      would remain a faithful son of the Church. I was not deceived in my hopes,
+      or rather, my dear son, you surpassed them all. Learning, by a friendly
+      communication, that your adopted mother ardently desired to see you take
+      orders, you acceded generously and religiously to the wish of the
+      excellent woman to whom you owed so much. But as the Lord is always just
+      in His recompenses, He willed that the most touching work of gratitude you
+      could show to your adopted mother, should at the same time be divinely
+      profitable by making you one of the militant members of our holy Church.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, Gabriel could not repress a significant start, as he
+      remembered Frances&rsquo; sad confidences. But he restrained himself, whilst
+      Rodin stood leaning with his elbow on the corner of the chimney-piece,
+      continuing to examine him with singular and obstinate attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny resumed: &ldquo;I do not conceal from you, my dear son, that
+      your resolution filled me with joy. I saw in you one of the future lights
+      of the Church, and I was anxious to see it shine in the midst of our
+      Company. You submitted courageously to our painful and difficult tests;
+      you were judged worthy of belonging to us, and, after taking in my
+      presence the irrevocable and sacred oath, which binds you for ever to our
+      Company for the greater glory of God, you answered the appeal of our Holy
+      Father(14) to willing souls, and offered yourself as a missionary, to
+      preach to savages the one Catholic faith. Though it was painful to us to
+      part with our dear son, we could not refuse to accede to such pious
+      wishes. You set out a humble missionary you return a glorious martyr&mdash;and
+      we are justly proud to reckon you amongst our number. This rapid sketch of
+      the past was necessary, my dear son to arrive at what follows, for we wish
+      now, if it be possible, to draw still closer the bonds that unite us.
+      Listen to me, my dear son; what I am about to say is confidential and of
+      the highest importance, not only for you, but the whole Company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, father,&rdquo; cried Gabriel hastily, interrupting the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      &ldquo;I cannot&mdash;I ought not to hear you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young priest became deadly pale; one saw, by the alteration of his
+      features, that a violent struggle was taking place within him, but
+      recovering his first resolution, he raised his head, and casting an
+      assured look on Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin, who glanced at each other in
+      mute surprise, he resumed: &ldquo;I repeat to you, father, that if it concerns
+      confidential matters of the Company, I must not hear you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, my dear son, you occasion me the greatest astonishment. What is
+      the matter?&mdash;Your countenance changes, your emotion is visible. Speak
+      without fear; why can you not hear me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell you, father, until I also have, in my turn, rapidly
+      sketched the past&mdash;such as I have learned to judge it of late. You
+      will then understand, father, that I am no longer entitled to your
+      confidence, for an abyss will doubtlessly soon separate us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, it is impossible to paint the look rapidly exchanged
+      between Rodin and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The socius began to bite his nails,
+      fixing his reptile eye angrily upon Gabriel; Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny grew livid,
+      and his brow was bathed in cold sweat. He asked himself with terror, if,
+      at the moment of reaching the goal, the obstacle was going to come from
+      Gabriel, in favor of whom all other obstacles had been removed. This
+      thought filled him with despair. Yet the reverend father contained himself
+      admirably, remained calm, and answered with affectionate unction: &ldquo;It is
+      impossible to believe, my dear son, that you and I can ever be separated
+      by an abyss&mdash;unless by the abyss of grief, which would be caused by
+      any serious danger to your salvation. But speak; I listen to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, that, twelve years ago, father,&rdquo; proceeded Gabriel, in a firm
+      voice, growing more animated as he proceeded, &ldquo;I entered, through your
+      intervention, a college of the Company of Jesus. I entered it loving,
+      truthful, confiding. How did they encourage those precious instincts of
+      childhood? I will tell you. The day of my entrance, the Superior said to
+      me, as he pointed out two children a little older than myself: &lsquo;These are
+      the companions that you will prefer. You will always walk three together.
+      The rules of the house forbid all intercourse between two persons only.
+      They also require, that you should listen attentively to what your
+      companions say, so that you may report it to me; for these dear children
+      may have, without knowing it, bad thoughts or evil projects. Now, if you
+      love your comrades, you must inform me of these evil tendencies, that my
+      paternal remonstrances may save them from punishment; it is better to
+      prevent evil than to punish it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20197m.jpg" alt="20197m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20197.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such are, indeed, my dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;the rules of our
+      house, and the language we hold to all our pupils on their entrance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it, father,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, bitterly; &ldquo;three days after, a
+      poor, submissive, and credulous child, I was already a spy upon my
+      comrades, hearing and remembering their conversation, and reporting it to
+      the superior, who congratulated me on my zeal. What they thus made me do
+      was shameful, and yet, God knows! I thought I was accomplishing a
+      charitable duty. I was happy in obeying the commands of a superior whom I
+      respected, and to whose words I listened, in my childish faith, as I
+      should have listened to those of Heaven. One day, that I had broken some
+      rule of the house, the superior said to me: &lsquo;My child, you have deserved a
+      severe punishment; but you will be pardoned, if you succeed in surprising
+      one of your comrades in the same fault that you have committed.&rsquo; And for
+      that, notwithstanding my faith and blind obedience, this encouragement to
+      turn informer, from the motive of personal interest, might appear odious
+      to me, the superior added. &lsquo;I speak to you, my child, for the sake of your
+      comrade&rsquo;s salvation. Were he to escape punishment, his evil habits would
+      become habitual. But by detecting him in a fault, and exposing him to
+      salutary correction, you will have the double advantage of aiding in his
+      salvation, and escaping yourself a merited punishment, which will have
+      been remitted because of your zeal for your neighbor&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, more and more terrified by
+      Gabriel&rsquo;s language; &ldquo;and in truth, my dear son, all this is conformable to
+      the rule followed in our colleges, and to the habits of the members of our
+      Company, &lsquo;who may denounce each other without prejudice to mutual love and
+      charity, and only for their greater spiritual advancement, particularly
+      when questioned by their superior, or commanded for the greater glory of
+      God,&rsquo; as our Constitution has it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it,&rdquo; cried Gabriel; &ldquo;I know it. &lsquo;Tis in the name of all that is
+      most sacred amongst men, that we are encouraged to do evil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, trying to conceal his secret and
+      growing terror beneath an appearance of wounded dignity, &ldquo;from you to me
+      these words are at least strange.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this, Rodin quitted the mantelpiece, on which he had been leaning,
+      begin to walk up and down the room, with a meditative air, and without
+      ceasing to bite his nails.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is cruel to be obliged to remind you, my dear son, that your are
+      indebted to us for the education you have received,&rdquo; added Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such were its fruits, father,&rdquo; replied Gabriel. &ldquo;Until then I had been a
+      spy on the other children, from a sort of disinterestedness; but the
+      orders of the superior made me advance another step on that shameful road.
+      I had become an informer, to escape a merited punishment. And yet, such
+      was my faith, my humility, my confidence, that I performed with innocence
+      and candor this doubly odious part. Once, indeed, tormented by vague
+      scruples, the last remains of generous aspirations that they were stifling
+      within me, I asked myself if the charitable and religious end could
+      justify the means, and I communicated my doubts to the superior. He
+      replied, that I had not to judge, but to obey, and that to him alone
+      belonged the responsibility of my acts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on, my dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, gelding, in spite of
+      himself, to the deepest dejection. &ldquo;Alas! I was right in opposing your
+      travel to America.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet it was the will of Providence, in that new, productive, and free
+      country, that, enlightened by a singular chance, on past and present, my
+      eyes were at length opened. Yes!&rdquo; cried Gabriel, &ldquo;it was in America that,
+      released from the gloomy abode where I had spent so many years of my
+      youth, and finding myself for the first time face to face with the divine
+      majesty of Nature, in the heart of immense solitudes through which I
+      journeyed&mdash;it was there that, overcome by so much magnificence and
+      grandeur, I made a vow&mdash;&rdquo; Here Gabriel interrupted himself, to
+      continue: &ldquo;Presently, father, I will explain to you that vow; but believe
+      me,&rdquo; added the missionary, with an accent of deep sorrow, &ldquo;it was a fatal
+      day to me when I first learned to fear and condemn all that I had hitherto
+      most revered and blessed. Oh! I assure you father,&rdquo; added Gabriel, with
+      moist eyes, &ldquo;it was not for myself alone, that I then wept.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know the goodness of your heart, my dear son,&rdquo; replied Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, catching a glimpse of hope, on seeing Gabriel&rsquo;s emotion; &ldquo;I
+      fear that you have been led astray. But trust yourself to us, as to your
+      spiritual fathers, and I doubt not we shall confirm your faith, so
+      unfortunately shaken, and disperse the darkness which at present obscures
+      your sight. Alas, my dear son, in your vain illusions, you have mistaken
+      some false glimmer for the pure light of day. But go on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny was thus speaking, Rodin stopped, took a pocket
+      book from his coat, and wrote down several notes. Gabriel was becoming
+      more and more pale and agitated. It required no small courage in him, to
+      speak as he was speaking, for, since his journey to America, he had
+      learned to estimate the formidable power of the Company. But this
+      revelation of the past, looked at from the vantage-ground of a more
+      enlightened present, was for the young priest the excuse, or rather the
+      cause of the determination he had just signified to his superior, and he
+      wished to explain all faithfully, notwithstanding the danger he knowingly
+      encountered. He continued therefore, in an agitated voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know, father, that the last days of my childhood, that happy age of
+      frankness and innocent joy, were spent in an atmosphere of terror,
+      suspicion, and restraint. Alas! how could I resign myself to the least
+      impulse of confiding trust, when I was recommended to shun the looks of
+      him who spoke with me, in order to hide the impression that his words
+      might cause&mdash;to conceal whatever I felt, and to observe and listen to
+      everything? Thus I reached the age of fifteen; by degrees, the rare visits
+      that I was allowed to pay, but always in presence of one of our fathers,
+      to my adopted mother and brother, were quite suppressed, so as to shut my
+      heart against all soft and tender emotions. Sad and fearful in that large,
+      old noiseless, gloomy house, I felt that I became more and more isolated
+      from the affections and the freedom of the world. My time was divided
+      between mutilated studies, without connection and without object, and long
+      hours of minute devotional exercises. I ask you, father, did they ever
+      seek to warm our young souls by words of tenderness or evangelic love?
+      Alas, no! For the words of the divine Saviour&mdash;Love ye one another,
+      they had substituted the command: Suspect ye one another. Did they ever,
+      father, speak to us of our country or of liberty?&mdash;No! ah, no! for
+      those words make the heart beat high; and with them, the heart must not
+      beat at all. To our long hours of study and devotion, there only succeeded
+      a few walks, three by three&mdash;never two and two&mdash;because by
+      threes, the spy-system is more practicable, and because intimacies are
+      more easily formed by two alone; and thus might have arisen some of those
+      generous friendships, which also make the heart beat more than it
+      should.15 And so, by the habitual repression of every feeling, there came
+      a time when I could not feel at all. For six months, I had not seen my
+      adopted mother and brother; they came to visit me at the college; a few
+      years before, I should have received them with transports and tears; this
+      time my eyes were dry, my heart was cold. My mother and brother quitted me
+      weeping. The sight of this grief struck me and I became conscious of the
+      icy insensibility which had been creeping upon me since I inhabited this
+      tomb. Frightened at myself, I wished to leave it, while I had still
+      strength to do so. Then, father, I spoke to you of the choice of a
+      profession; for sometimes, in waking moments, I seemed to catch from afar
+      the sound of an active and useful life, laborious and free, surrounded by
+      family affections. Oh! then I felt the want of movement and liberty, of
+      noble and warm emotions&mdash;of that life of the soul, which fled before
+      me. I told it you, father on my knees, bathing your hands with my tears.
+      The life of a workman or a soldier&mdash;anything would have suited me. It
+      was then you informed me, that my adopted mother, to whom I owed my life&mdash;for
+      she had taken me in, dying of want, and, poor herself, had shared with me
+      the scanty bread of her child&mdash;admirable sacrifice for a mother!&mdash;that
+      she,&rdquo; continued Gabriel, hesitating and casting down his eyes, for noble
+      natures blush for the guilt of others, and are ashamed of the infamies of
+      which they are themselves victims, &ldquo;that she, that my adopted mother, had
+      but one wish, one desire&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That of seeing you takes orders, my dear son,&rdquo; replied Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny;
+      &ldquo;for this pious and perfect creature hoped, that, in securing your
+      salvation, she would provide for her own: but she did not venture to
+      inform you of this thought, for fear you might ascribe it to an interested
+      motive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, father!&rdquo; said Gabriel, interrupting the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with a
+      movement of involuntary indignation; &ldquo;it is painful for me to hear you
+      assert an error. Frances Baudoin never had such a thought.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear son, you are too hasty in your judgments,&rdquo; replied Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, mildly. &ldquo;I tell you, that such was the one, sole thought of
+      your adopted mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yesterday, father, she told me all. She and I were equally deceived.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, my dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, sternly, &ldquo;you take the word
+      of your adopted mother before mine?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spare me an answer painful for both of us, father,&rdquo; said Gabriel, casting
+      down his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you now tell me,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with anxiety, &ldquo;what you
+      mean to&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The reverend father was unable to finish. Samuel entered the room, and
+      said: &ldquo;A rather old man wishes to speak to M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is my name, sir,&rdquo; answered the socius, in surprise; &ldquo;I am much
+      obliged to you.&rdquo; But, before following the Jew, he gave to Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny a few words written with a pencil upon one of the leaves of his
+      packet-book.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin went out in very uneasy mood, to learn who could have come to seek
+      him in the Rue Saint-Francois. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Gabriel were left
+      alone together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (14) It is only in respect to Missions that the Jesuits acknowledge the
+      papal supremacy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (15) This rule is so strict in Jesuit Colleges, that if one of three
+      pupils leaves the other two, they separate out of earshot till the first
+      comes back.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20205m.jpg" alt="20205m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20205.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0073" id="link2HCH0073">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX. THE RUPTURE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">P</span>lunged into a state of mortal anxiety, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had taken
+      mechanically the note written by Rodin, and held it in his hand without
+      thinking of opening it. The reverend father asked himself in alarm, what
+      conclusion Gabriel would draw from these recriminations upon the past; and
+      he durst not make any answer to his reproaches, for fear of irritating the
+      young priest, upon whose head such immense interests now reposed. Gabriel
+      could possess nothing for himself, according to the constitutions of the
+      Society of Jesus. Moreover, the reverend father had obtained from him, in
+      favor of the Order, an express renunciation of all property that might
+      ever come to him. But the commencement of his conversation seemed to
+      announce so serious a change in Gabriel&rsquo;s views with regard to the
+      Company, that he might choose to break through the ties which attached him
+      to it; and in that case, he would not be legally bound to fulfil any of
+      his engagements.(16) The donation would thus be cancelled de facto, just
+      at the moment of being so marvellously realized by the possession of the
+      immense fortune of the Rennepont family, and d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s hopes would thus
+      be completely and for ever frustrated. Of all these perplexities which the
+      reverend father had experienced for some time past, with regard to this
+      inheritance, none had been more unexpected and terrible than this. Fearing
+      to interrupt or question Gabriel, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny waited, in mute
+      terror, the end of this interview, which already bore so threatening an
+      aspect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The missionary resumed: &ldquo;It is my duty, father, to continue this sketch of
+      my past life, until the moment of my departure for America. You will
+      understand, presently, why I have imposed on myself this obligation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny nodded for him to proceed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once informed of the pretended wishes of my adopted mother, I resigned
+      myself to them, though at some cost of feeling. I left the gloomy abode,
+      in which I had passed my childhood and part of my youth, to enter one of
+      the seminaries of the Company. My resolution was not caused by an
+      irresistible religious vocation, but by a wish to discharge the sacred
+      debt I owed my adopted mother. Yet the true spirit of the religion of
+      Christ is so vivifying, that I felt myself animated and warmed by the idea
+      of carrying out the adorable precepts of our Blessed Saviour. To my
+      imagination, a seminary, instead of resembling the college where I had
+      lived in painful restraint, appeared like a holy place, where all that was
+      pure and warm in the fraternity of the Gospel would be applied to common
+      life&mdash;where, for example, the lessons most frequently taught would be
+      the ardent love of humanity, and the ineffable sweets of commiseration and
+      tolerance&mdash;where the everlasting words of Christ would be interpreted
+      in their broadest sense&mdash;and where, in fine, by the habitual exercise
+      and expansion of the most generous sentiments, men were prepared for the
+      magnificent apostolic mission of making the rich and happy sympathize with
+      the sufferings of their brethren, by unveiling the frightful miseries of
+      humanity&mdash;a sublime and sacred morality, which none are able to
+      withstand, when it is preached with eyes full of tears, and hearts
+      overflowing with tenderness and charity!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he delivered these last words with profound emotion, Gabriel&rsquo;s eyes
+      became moist, and his countenance shone with angelic beauty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such is, indeed, my dear son, the spirit of Christianity; but one must
+      also study and explain the letter,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, coldly.
+      &ldquo;It is to this study that the seminaries of our Company are specially
+      destined. Now the interpretation of the letter is a work of analysis,
+      discipline, and submission&mdash;and not one of heart and sentiment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I perceive that only too well, father. On entering this new house, I
+      found, alas! all my hopes defeated. Dilating for a moment, my heart soon
+      sunk within me. Instead of this centre of life, affection, youth, of which
+      I had dreamed. I found, in the silent and ice-cold seminary, the same
+      suppression of every generous emotion, the same inexorable discipline, the
+      same system of mutual prying, the same suspicion, the same invincible
+      obstacles to all ties of friendship. The ardor which had warmed my soul
+      for an instant soon died out; little by little, I fell back into the
+      habits of a stagnant, passive, mechanical life, governed by a pitiless
+      power with mechanical precision, just like the inanimate works of a
+      watch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But order, submission and regularity are the first foundations of our
+      Company, my dear son.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, father! it was death, not life, that I found thus organized. In the
+      midst of this destruction of every generous principle, I devoted myself to
+      scholastic and theological studies&mdash;gloomy studies&mdash;a wily,
+      menacing, and hostile science which, always awake to ideas of peril,
+      contest, and war, is opposed to all those of peace, progress, and
+      liberty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Theology, my dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, sternly, &ldquo;is at once a
+      buckler and a sword; a buckler, to protect and cover the Catholic faith&mdash;a
+      sword, to attack and combat heresy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, father, Christ and His apostles knew not this subtle science:
+      their simple and touching words regenerated mankind, and set freedom over
+      slavery. Does not the divine code of the Gospel suffice to teach men to
+      love one another? But, alas! far from speaking to us this language, our
+      attention was too often occupied with wars of religion, and the rivers of
+      blood that had flowed in honor of the Lord, and for the destruction of
+      heresy. These terrible lessons made our life still more melancholy. As we
+      grew near to manhood, our relations at the seminary assumed a growing
+      character of bitterness, jealousy and suspicion. The habit of tale bearing
+      against each other, applied to more serious subjects, engendered silent
+      hate and profound resentments. I was neither better nor worse than the
+      others. All of us, bowed down for years beneath the iron yoke of passive
+      obedience, unaccustomed to reflection or free-will, humble and trembling
+      before our superiors, had the same pale, dull, colorless disposition. At
+      last I took orders; once a priest, you invited me, father, to enter the
+      Company of Jesus, or rather I found myself insensibly brought to this
+      determination. How, I do not know. For a long time before, my will was not
+      my own. I went through all my proofs; the most terrible was decisive; for
+      some months, I lived in the silence of my cell, practicing with
+      resignation the strange and mechanical exercises that you ordered me. With
+      the exception of your reverence, nobody approached me during that long
+      space of time; no human voice but yours sounded in my ear. Sometimes, in
+      the night, I felt vague terrors; my mind, weakened by fasting, austerity,
+      and solitude, was impressed with frightful visions. At other times, on the
+      contrary, I felt a sort of quiescence, in the idea that, having once
+      pronounced my vows, I should be delivered for ever from the burden of
+      thought and will. Then I abandoned myself to an insurmountable torpor,
+      like those unfortunate wretches, who, surprised by a snow-storm, yield to
+      a suicidal repose. Thus I awaited the fatal moment. At last, according to
+      the rule of discipline, choking with the death rattle,(17) I hastened the
+      moment of accomplishing the final act of my expiring will&mdash;the vow to
+      renounce it for ever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember, my dear son,&rdquo; replied Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, pale and tortured by
+      increasing anguish, &ldquo;remember, that, on the eve of the day fixed for the
+      completion of your vows; I offered, according to the rule of our Company,
+      to absolve you from joining us&mdash;leaving you completely free, for we
+      accept none but voluntary vocations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, father,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, with sorrowful bitterness; &ldquo;when,
+      worn out and broken by three months of solitude and trial, I was
+      completely exhausted, and unable to move a step, you opened the door of my
+      cell, and said to me: &lsquo;If you like, rise and walk; you are free; Alas! I
+      had no more strength. The only desire of my soul, inert and paralyzed for
+      so long a period, was the repose of the grave; and pronouncing those
+      irrevocable vows, I fell, like a corpse, into your hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, till now, my dear son, you have never failed in this corpse&mdash;like
+      obedience,&mdash;to use the expression of our glorious founder&mdash;because,
+      the more absolute this obedience, the more meritorious it must be.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, Gabriel resumed: &ldquo;You had always concealed from
+      me, father, the true ends of the Society into which I entered. I was asked
+      to abandon my free-will to my superiors, in the name of the Greater Glory
+      of God. My vows once pronounced, I was to be in your hands a docile and
+      obedient instrument; but I was to be employed, you told me, in a holy,
+      great and beauteous work. I believed you, father&mdash;how should I not
+      have believed you? but a fatal event changed my destiny&mdash;a painful
+      malady caused by&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My son,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, interrupting Gabriel, &ldquo;it is useless to
+      recall these circumstances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon me, father, I must recall them. I have the right to be heard. I
+      cannot pass over in silence any of the facts, which have led me to take
+      the immutable resolution that I am about to announce to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak on, my son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, frowning; for he was much
+      alarmed at the words of the young priest, whose cheeks, until now pale,
+      were covered with a deep blush.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Six months before my departure for America,&rdquo; resumed Gabriel, casting
+      down his eyes, &ldquo;you informed me, that I was destined to confess penitents;
+      and to prepare then for that sacred ministry, you gave me a book.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel again hesitated. His blushes increased. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny could
+      scarcely restrain a start of impatience and anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You gave me a book,&rdquo; resumed the young priest, with a great effort to
+      control himself, &ldquo;a book containing questions to be addressed by a
+      confessor to youths, and young girls, and married women, when they present
+      themselves at the tribunal of penance. My God!&rdquo; added Gabriel, shuddering
+      at the remembrance. &ldquo;I shall never forget that awful moment. It was night.
+      I had retired to my chamber, taking with me this book, composed, you told
+      me, by one of our fathers, and completed by a holy bishop.(18) Full of
+      respect, faith, and confidence, I opened those pages. At first, I did not
+      understand them&mdash;afterwards I understood&mdash;and then I was seized
+      with shame and horror&mdash;struck with stupor&mdash;and had hardly
+      strength to close, with trembling hand, this abominable volume. I ran to
+      you, father, to accuse myself of having involuntarily cast my eyes on
+      those nameless pages, which, by mistake, you had placed in my hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember, also, my dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, gravely, &ldquo;that I
+      calmed your scruples, and told you that a priest, who is bound to hear
+      everything under the seal of confession, must be able to know and
+      appreciate everything; and that our Company imposes the task of reading
+      this Compendium, as a classical work, upon young deacons seminarists, and
+      priests, who are destined to be confessors.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believed you, father. In me the habit of inert obedience was so
+      powerful, and I was so unaccustomed to independent reflection, that,
+      notwithstanding my horror (with which I now reproached myself as with a
+      crime), I took the volume back into my chamber, and read. Oh, father! what
+      a dreadful revelation of criminal fancies, guilty of guiltiest in their
+      refinement!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You speak of this book in blamable terms,&rdquo; skid Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      severely; &ldquo;you were the victim of a too lively imagination. It is to it
+      that you must attribute this fatal impression, and not to an excellent
+      work, irreproachable for its special purpose, and duly authorized by the
+      Church. You are not able to judge of such a production.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will speak of it no more, father,&rdquo; said Gabriel: and he thus resumed:
+      &ldquo;A long illness followed that terrible night. Many times, they feared for
+      my reason. When I recovered, the past appeared to me like a painful dream.
+      You told me, then, father, that I was not yet ripe for certain functions;
+      and it was then that I earnestly entreated you to be allowed to go on the
+      American missions. After having long refused my prayer, you at length
+      consented. From my childhood, I had always lived in the college or
+      seminary, to a state of continual restraint and subjection. By constantly
+      holding down my head and eyes, I had lost the habit of contemplating the
+      heavens and the splendors of nature. But, oh! what deep, religious
+      happiness I felt, when I found myself suddenly transported to the centre
+      of the imposing grandeur of the seas-half-way between the ocean and the
+      sky!&mdash;I seemed to come forth from a place of thick darkness; for the
+      first time, for many years, I felt my heart beat freely in my bosom; for
+      the first time, I felt myself master of my own thoughts, and ventured to
+      examine my past life, as from the summit of a mountain, one looks down
+      into a gloomy vale. Then strange doubts rose within me. I asked myself by
+      what right, and for what end, any beings had so long repressed, almost
+      annihilated, the exercise of my will, of my liberty, of my reason, since
+      God had endowed me with these gifts. But I said to myself, that perhaps,
+      one day, the great, beauteous, and holy work, in which I was to have my
+      share, would be revealed to me, and would recompense my obedience and
+      resignation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, Rodin re-entered the room. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny questioned
+      him with a significant look. The socius approached, and said to him in a
+      low voice, so, that Gabriel could not hear: &ldquo;Nothing serious. It was only
+      to inform me, that Marshal Simon&rsquo;s father is arrived at M. Hardy&rsquo;s
+      factory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, glancing at Gabriel, Rodin appeared to interrogate Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who hung his head with a desponding air. Yet he resumed, again
+      addressing Gabriel, whilst Rodin took his old place, with his elbow on the
+      chimney-piece: &ldquo;Go on, my dear son. I am anxious to learn what resolution
+      you have adopted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell you in a moment, father. I arrived at Charleston. The
+      superior of our establishment in that place, to whom I imparted my doubts
+      as to the object of our Society, took upon himself to clear them up, and
+      unveiled it all to me with alarming frankness. He told me the tendency not
+      perhaps of all the members of the Company, for a great number must have
+      shared my ignorance&mdash;but the objects which our leaders have
+      pertinaciously kept in view, ever since the foundation of the Order. I was
+      terrified. I read the casuists. Oh, father! that was a new and dreadful
+      revelation, when, at every page, I read the excuse and justification of
+      robbery, slander, adultery, perjury, murder, regicide. When I considered
+      that I, the priest of a God of charity, justice, pardon, and love, was to
+      belong henceforth to a Company, whose chiefs professed and glorified in
+      such doctrines, I made a solemn oath to break for ever the ties which
+      bound me to it!&rdquo;(19)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words of Gabriel, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin exchanged a look of
+      terror. All was lost; their prey had escaped them. Deeply moved by the
+      remembrances he recalled, Gabriel did not perceive the action of the
+      reverend father and the socius, and thus continued: &ldquo;In spite of my
+      resolution, father, to quit the Company, the discovery I had made was very
+      painful to me. Oh! believe me, for the honest and loving soul, nothing is
+      more frightful than to have to renounce what it has long respected!&mdash;I
+      suffered so much, that, when I thought of the dangers of my mission, I
+      hoped, with a secret joy, that God would perhaps take me to Himself under
+      these circumstances: but, on the contrary, He watched over me with
+      providential solicitude.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he said this, Gabriel felt a thrill, for he remembered a Mysterious
+      Woman who had saved his life in America. After a moment&rsquo;s silence, he
+      resumed: &ldquo;My mission terminated, I returned hither to beg, father, that
+      you would release me from my vows. Many times but in vain, I solicited an
+      interview. Yesterday, it pleased Providence that I should have a long
+      conversation with my adopted mother; from her I learned the trick by which
+      my vocation had been forced upon me&mdash;and the sacrilegious abuse of
+      the confessional, by which she had been induced to entrust to other
+      persons the orphans that a dying mother had confided to the care of an
+      honest soldier. You understand, father, that, if even I had before
+      hesitated to break these bonds, what I have heard yesterday must have
+      rendered my decision irrevocable. But at this solemn moment, father, I am
+      bound to tell you, that I do not accuse the whole Society; many simple,
+      credulous, and confiding men, like myself, must no doubt form part of it.
+      Docile instruments, they see not in their blindness the work to which they
+      are destined. I pity them, and pray God to enlighten them, as he has
+      enlightened me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, my son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, rising with livid and despairing
+      look, &ldquo;you come to ask of me to break the ties which attach you to the
+      Society?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; you received my vows&mdash;it is for you to release me from
+      them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, my son, you understand that engagements once freely taken by you, are
+      now to be considered as null and void?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, my son, there is to be henceforth nothing in common between you and
+      our Company?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, father&mdash;since I request you to absolve me of my vows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, you know, my son, that the Society may release you&mdash;but that
+      you cannot release yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The step I take proves to you, father, the importance I attach to an
+      oath, since I come to you to release me from it. Nevertheless, were you to
+      refuse me, I should not think myself bound in the eyes of God or man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is perfectly clear,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to Rodin, his voice
+      expiring upon his lips, so deep was his despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, whilst Gabriel, with downcast eyes, waited for the answer of
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who remained mute and motionless, Rodin appeared struck
+      with a new idea, on perceiving that the reverend father still held in his
+      hand the note written in pencil. The socius hastily approached Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and said to him in a whisper, with a look of doubt and alarm:
+      &ldquo;Have you not read my note?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not think of it,&rdquo; answered the reverend father, mechanically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin appeared to make a great effort to repress a movement of violent
+      rage. Then he said to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in a calm voice: &ldquo;Read it now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had the reverend father cast his eyes upon this note, than a sudden
+      ray of hope illumined his hitherto despairing countenance. Pressing the
+      hand of the socius with an expression of deep gratitude, he said to him in
+      a low voice: &ldquo;You are right. Gabriel is ours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (16) The statutes formally state that the Company can expel all drones and
+      wasps, but that no man can break his ties, if the Order wishes to retain
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (17) This is their own command. The constitution expressly bids the novice
+      wait for this decisive climax of the ordeal before taking the vows of God.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (18) It is impossible, even in Latin, to give our readers an idea of this
+      infamous work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (19) This is true. See the extracts from the Compendium for the use of
+      Schools, published under the title of &ldquo;Discoveries by a Bibliophilist.&rdquo;
+       Strasburg, 1843. For regicide, see Sanchez and others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0074" id="link2HCH0074">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI. THE CHANGE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">B</span>efore again addressing Gabriel, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny carefully reflected;
+      and his countenance, lately so disturbed, became gradually once more
+      serene. He appeared to meditate and calculate the effects of the eloquence
+      he was about to employ, upon an excellent and safe theme, which the socius
+      struck with the danger of the situation, had suggested in a few lines
+      rapidly written with a pencil, and which, in his despair, the reverend
+      father had at first neglected. Rodin resumed his post of observation near
+      the mantelpiece, on which he leaned his elbow, after casting at Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny a glance of disdainful and angry superiority, accompanied by a
+      significant shrug of the shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After this involuntary manifestation, which was luckily not perceived by
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, the cadaverous face of the socius resumed its icy
+      calmness, and his flabby eyelids, raised a moment with anger and
+      impatience, fell, and half-veiled his little, dull eyes. It must be
+      confessed that Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, notwithstanding the ease and elegance of
+      his speech, notwithstanding the seduction of his exquisite manners, his
+      agreeable features, and the exterior of an accomplished and refined man of
+      the world, was often subdued and governed by the unpitying firmness, the
+      diabolical craft and depth of Rodin, the old, repulsive, dirty, miserably
+      dressed man, who seldom abandoned his humble part of secretary and mute
+      auditor. The influence of education is so powerful, that Gabriel,
+      notwithstanding the formal rupture he had just provoked, felt himself
+      still intimidated in presence of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and waited with
+      painful anxiety for the answer of the reverend father to his express
+      demand to be released from his old vows. His reverence having, doubtless,
+      regularly laid his plan of attack, at length broke silence, heaved a deep
+      sigh, gave to his countenance, lately so severe and irritated, a touching
+      expression of kindness, and said to Gabriel, in an affectionate voice:
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, my dear son, for having kept silence so long; but your abrupt
+      determination has so stunned me, and has raised within me so many painful
+      thoughts, that I have had to reflect for some moments, to try and
+      penetrate the cause of this rupture, and I think I have succeeded. You
+      have well considered, my dear son, the serious nature of the step you are
+      taking?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20213m.jpg" alt="20213m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20213.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you have absolutely decided to abandon the Society, even against my
+      will?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would be painful to me, father&mdash;but I must resign myself to it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It should be very painful to you, indeed, my dear son; for you took the
+      irrevocable vow freely, and this vow, according to our statutes, binds you
+      not to quit the Society, unless with the consent of your superiors.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not then know, father, the nature of the engagement I took. More
+      enlightened now, I ask to withdraw myself; my only desire is to obtain a
+      curacy in some village far from Paris. I feel an irresistible vocation for
+      such humble and useful functions. In the country, there is so much misery,
+      and such ignorance of all that could contribute to ameliorate the
+      condition of the agricultural laborer, that his existence is as unhappy as
+      that of a negro slave; for what liberty has he? and what instruction? Oh!
+      it seems to me, that, with God&rsquo;s help, I might, as a village curate,
+      render some services to humanity. It would therefore be painful to me,
+      father, to see you refuse&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, my son,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;I will no longer seek
+      to combat your desire to separate yourself from us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, father, you release me from my vows?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have not the power to do so, my dear son; but I will write immediately
+      to Rome, to ask the necessary authority from our general.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Soon, my dear son, you will be delivered from these bonds, which you deem
+      so heavy; and the men you abandon will not the less continue to pray for
+      you, that God may preserve you from still greater wanderings. You think
+      yourself released with regard to us, my dear son; but we do not think
+      ourselves released with regard to you. It is not thus that we can get rid
+      of the habit of paternal attachment. What would you have? We look upon
+      ourselves as bound to our children, by the very benefits with which we
+      have loaded them. You were poor, and an orphan; we stretched out our arms
+      to you, as much from the interest which you deserved, my dear son, as to
+      spare your excellent adopted mother too great a burden.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said Gabriel, with suppressed emotion, &ldquo;I am not ungrateful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to believe so, my dear son. For long years, we gave to you, as to
+      our beloved child, food for the body and the soul. It pleases you now to
+      renounce and abandon us. Not only do we consent to it&mdash;but now that I
+      have penetrated the true motives of your rupture with us, it is my duty to
+      release you from your vow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what motives do you speak, Father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! my dear son, I understand your fears. Dangers menace us&mdash;you
+      know it well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dangers, father?&rdquo; cried Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is impossible, my dear son, that you should not be aware that, since
+      the fall of our legitimate sovereigns, our natural protectors,
+      revolutionary impiety becomes daily more and more threatening. We are
+      oppressed with persecutions. I can, therefore, comprehend and appreciate,
+      my dear son, the motive which under such circumstances, induces you to
+      separate from us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father!&rdquo; cried Gabriel, with as much indignation as grief, &ldquo;you do not
+      think that of me&mdash;you cannot think it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without noticing the protestations of Gabriel, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny continued
+      his imaginary picture of the dangers of the Company, which, far from being
+      really in peril, was already beginning secretly to recover its influence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! if our Company were now as powerful as it was some years ago,&rdquo;
+       resumed the reverend father; &ldquo;if it were still surrounded by the respect
+      and homage which are due to it from all true believers&mdash;in spite of
+      the abominable calumnies with which we are assailed&mdash;then, my dear
+      son, we should perhaps have hesitated to release you from your vows, and
+      have rather endeavored to open your eyes to the light, and save you from
+      the fatal delusion to which you are a prey. But now that we are weak,
+      oppressed, threatened on every side, it is our duty, it is an act of
+      charity, not to force you to share in perils from which you have the
+      prudence to wish to withdraw yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So, saying, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny cast a rapid glance at his socius, who
+      answered with a nod of approbation, accompanied by a movement of
+      impatience that seemed to say: &ldquo;Go on! go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel was quite overcome. There was not in the whole world a heart more
+      generous, loyal, and brave than his. We may judge of what he must have
+      suffered, on hearing the resolution he had come to thus misinterpreted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; he resumed, in an agitated voice, whilst his eyes filled with
+      tears, &ldquo;your words are cruel and unjust. You know that I am not a coward.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Rodin, in his sharp, cutting voice, addressing Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and pointing to Gabriel with a disdainful look; &ldquo;your dear son
+      is only prudent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words from Rodin made Gabriel start; a slight blush colored his pale
+      cheeks; his large and blue eyes sparkled with a generous anger; then,
+      faithful to the precepts of Christian humility and resignation, he
+      conquered this irritable impulse, hung down his head, and, too much
+      agitated to reply, remained silent, and brushed away an unseen tear. This
+      tear did not escape the notice of the socius. He saw in it no doubt, a
+      favorable symptom, for he exchanged a glance of satisfaction with Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The latter was about to touch on a question of great interest,
+      so, notwithstanding his self-command, his voice trembled slightly; but
+      encouraged, or rather pushed on by a look from Rodin, who had become
+      extremely attentive, he said to Gabriel: &ldquo;Another motive obliges us not to
+      hesitate in releasing you from your vow, my dear son. It is a question of
+      pure delicacy. You probably learned yesterday from your adopted mother,
+      that you will perhaps be called upon to take possession of an inheritance,
+      of which the value is unknown.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel raised his head hastily and said to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;As I have
+      already stated to M. Rodin, my adopted mother only talked of her scruples
+      of conscience, and I was completely ignorant of the existence of the
+      inheritance of which you speak.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The expression of indifference with which the young priest pronounced
+      these last words, was remarked by Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so,&rdquo; replied Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;You were not aware of it&mdash;I
+      believe you&mdash;though all appearances would tend to prove the contrary&mdash;to
+      prove, indeed, that the knowledge of this inheritance was not unconnected
+      with your resolution to separate from us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand you, Father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very simple. Your rupture with us would then have two motives.
+      First, we are in danger, and you think it prudent to leave us&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Allow me to finish, my dear son, and come to the second motive. If I am
+      deceived, you can tell me so. These are the facts. Formerly, on the
+      hypothesis that your family, of which you knew nothing, might one day
+      leave you some property, you made, in return for the care bestowed on you
+      by the Company, a free gift of all you might hereafter possess, not to us&mdash;but
+      to the poor, of whom we are the born shepherds.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, father?&rdquo; asked Gabriel, not seeing to what this preamble tended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear son&mdash;now that you are sure of enjoying a competence,
+      you wish, no doubt, by separating from us, to annul this donation made
+      under other circumstances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To speak plainly, you violate your oath, because we are persecuted, and
+      because you wish to take back your gifts,&rdquo; added Rodin, in a sharp voice,
+      as if to describe in the clearest and plainest manner the situation of
+      Gabriel with regard to the Society.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this infamous accusation, Gabriel could only raise his hands and eyes
+      to heaven, and exclaim, with an expression of despair, &ldquo;Oh, heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Once more exchanging a look of intelligence with Rodin, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      said to him, in a severe tone, as if reproaching him for his too savage
+      frankness: &ldquo;I think you go too far. Our dear son could only have acted in
+      the base and cowardly manner you suggest, had he known his position as an
+      heir; but, since he affirms the contrary, we are bound to believe him&mdash;in
+      spite of appearances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said Gabriel, pale, agitated trembling, and with half suppressed
+      grief and indignation, &ldquo;I thank you, at least, for having suspended your
+      judgment. No, I am not a coward; for heaven is my witness, that I knew of
+      no danger to which the Society was exposed. Nor am I base and avaricious;
+      for heaven is also my witness, that only at this moment I learn from you,
+      father, that I may be destined to inherit property, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word, my dear son. It is quite lately that I became informed of this
+      circumstance, by the greatest chance in the world,&rdquo; said Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, interrupting Gabriel; &ldquo;and that was thanks to some family
+      papers which your adopted mother had given to her confessor, and which
+      were entrusted to us when you entered our college. A little before your
+      return from America, in arranging the archives of the Company, your file
+      of papers fell into the hands of our father-attorney. It was examined, and
+      we thus learned that one of your paternal ancestors, to whom the house in
+      which we now are belonged, left a will which is to be opened to day at
+      noon. Yesterday, we believed you one of us; our statutes command that we
+      should possess nothing of our own; you had corroborated those statutes, by
+      a donation in favor of the patrimony of the poor&mdash;which we
+      administer. It was no longer you, therefore, but the Company, which, in my
+      person, presented itself as the inheritor in your place, furnished with
+      your titles, which I have here ready in order. But now, my clear son, that
+      you separate from us, you must present yourself in your own name. We came
+      here as the representatives of the poor, to whom in former days you
+      piously abandoned whatever goods might fall to your share. Now, on the
+      contrary, the hope of a fortune changes your sentiments. You are free to
+      resume your gifts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel had listened to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny with painful impatience. At
+      length he exclaimed. &ldquo;Do you mean to say, father, that you think me
+      capable of canceling a donation freely made, in favor of the Company, to
+      which I am indebted for my education? You believe me infamous enough to
+      break my word, in the hope of possessing a modest patrimony?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This patrimony, my dear, son, may be small; but it may also be
+      considerable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, father! if it were a king&rsquo;s fortune,&rdquo; cried Gabriel, with proud and
+      noble indifference, &ldquo;I should not speak otherwise&mdash;and I have, I
+      think, the right to be believed listen to my fixed resolution. The Company
+      to which I belong runs, you say, great dangers. I will inquire into these
+      dangers. Should they prove threatening&mdash;strong in the determination
+      which morally separates me from you&mdash;I will not leave you till I see
+      the end of your perils. As for the inheritance, of which you believe me so
+      desirous, I resign it to you formally, father, as I once freely promised.
+      My only wish is, that this property may be employed for the relief of the
+      poor. I do not know what may be the amount of this fortune, but large or
+      small, it belongs to the Company, because I have thereto pledged my word.
+      I have told you, father, that my chief desire is to obtain a humble curacy
+      in some poor village&mdash;poor, above all&mdash;because there my services
+      will be most useful. Thus, father, when a man, who never spoke falsehood
+      in his life, affirms to you, that he only sighs for so humble an
+      existence, you ought, I think, to believe him incapable of snatching back,
+      from motives of avarice, gifts already made.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had now as much trouble to restrain his joy, as he
+      before had to conceal his terror. He appeared, however, tolerably calm,
+      and said to Gabriel: &ldquo;I did not expect less from you, my dear son.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he made a sign to Rodin, to invite him to interpose. The latter
+      perfectly understood his superior. He left the chimney, drew near to
+      Gabriel, and leaned against the table, upon which stood paper and
+      inkstand. Then, beginning mechanically to beat the tattoo with the tips of
+      his coarse fingers, in all their array of flat and dirty nails, he said to
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;All this is very fine! but your dear son gives you no
+      security for the fulfilment of his promise except an oath&mdash;and that,
+      we know, is of little value.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir!&rdquo; cried Gabriel
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Allow me,&rdquo; said Rodin, coldly. &ldquo;The law does not acknowledge our
+      existence and therefore can take no cognizance of donations made in favor
+      of the Company. You might resume to-morrow what you are pleased to give us
+      to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But my oath, sir!&rdquo; cried Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked at him fixedly, as he answered: &ldquo;Your oath? Did you not swear
+      eternal obedience to the Company, and never to separate from us?&mdash;and
+      of what weight now are these oaths?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For a moment Gabriel was embarrassed; but, feeling how false was this
+      logic, he rose, calm and dignified, went to seat himself at the desk, took
+      up a pen, and wrote as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before God, who sees and hears me, and in the presence of you, Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny and M. Rodin, I renew and confirm, freely and voluntarily, the
+      absolute donation made by me to the Society of Jesus, in the person of the
+      said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, of all the property which may hereafter belong to
+      me, whatever may be its value. I swear, on pain of infamy, to perform tis
+      irrevocable promise, whose accomplishment I regard, in my soul and
+      conscience, as the discharge of a debt, and the fulfilment of a pious
+      duty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This donation having for its object the acknowledgment of past services,
+      and the relief of the poor, no future occurrences can at all modify it.
+      For the very reason that I know I could one day legally cancel the present
+      free and deliberate act, I declare, that if ever I were to attempt such a
+      thing, under any possible circumstances, I should deserve the contempt and
+      horror of all honest people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In witness whereof I have written this paper, on the 13th of February,
+      1832, in Paris, immediately before the opening of the testament of one of
+      my paternal ancestors.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/10225m.jpg" alt="10225m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/10225.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;GABRIEL DE RENNEPONT.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he rose, the young priest delivered this document to Rodin, without
+      uttering a word. The socius read it attentively, and, still impassible,
+      answered, as he looked at Gabriel: &ldquo;Well, it is a written oath&mdash;that
+      is all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel dwelt stupefied at the audacity of Rodin, who ventured to tell
+      him, that this document, in which he renewed his donation in so noble,
+      generous, and spontaneous a manner, was not all sufficient. The socius was
+      the first again to break the silence, and he said to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      with his usual cool impudence. &ldquo;One of two things must be. Either your
+      dear son means to render his donation absolutely valuable and irrevocable,&mdash;or&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; exclaimed Gabriel, interrupting him, and hardly able to restrain
+      himself, &ldquo;spare yourself and me such a shameful supposition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, impassible as ever, &ldquo;as you are perfectly
+      decided to make this donation a serious reality, what objection can you
+      have to secure it legally?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, sir,&rdquo; said Gabriel, bitterly, &ldquo;since my written and sworn promise
+      will not suffice you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, affectionately, &ldquo;if this were a
+      donation for my own advantage, believe me I should require no better
+      security than your word. But here I am, as it were, the agent of the
+      Society, or rather the trustee of the poor, who will profit by your
+      generosity. For the sake of humanity, therefore, we cannot secure this
+      gift by too many legal precautions, so that the unfortunate objects of our
+      care may have certainty instead of vague hopes to depend upon. God may
+      call you to him at any moment, and who shall say that your heirs will be
+      so ready to keep the oath you have taken?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, father,&rdquo; said Gabriel, sadly; &ldquo;I had not thought of the
+      case of death, which is yet so probable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hereupon, Samuel opened the door of the room, and said: &ldquo;Gentlemen, the
+      notary has just arrived. Shall I show him in? At ten o&rsquo;clock precisely,
+      the door of the house will be opened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are the more glad to see the notary,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;as we just happen
+      to have some business with him. Pray ask him to walk in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will bring him to you instantly,&rdquo; replied Samuel, as he went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is a notary,&rdquo; said Rodin to Gabriel. &ldquo;If you have still the same
+      intentions, you can legalize your donation in presence of this public
+      officer, and thus save yourself from a great burden for the future.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said Gabriel, &ldquo;happen what may, I am as irrevocably engaged by this
+      written promise, which I beg you to keep, father&rdquo;&mdash;and he handed the
+      paper to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny &ldquo;as by the legal document, which I am about to
+      sign,&rdquo; he added, turning to Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence, my dear son,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;here is the notary,&rdquo; just
+      as the latter entered the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During the interview of the administrative officer with Rodin, Gabriel,
+      and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, we shall conduct the reader to the interior of the
+      walled-up house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0075" id="link2HCH0075">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. THE RED ROOM.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>s Samuel had said, the door of the walled-up house had just been
+      disencumbered of the bricks, lead, and iron, which had kept it from view,
+      and its panels of carved oak appeared as fresh and sound, as on the day
+      when they had first been withdrawn from the influence of the air and time.
+      The laborers, having completed their work, stood waiting upon the steps,
+      as impatient and curious as the notary&rsquo;s clerk, who had superintended the
+      operation, when they saw Samuel slowly advancing across the garden, with a
+      great bunch of keys in his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, my friends,&rdquo; said the old man, when he had reached the steps, &ldquo;your
+      work is finished. The master of this gentleman will pay you, and I have
+      only to show you out by the street door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, my good fellow,&rdquo; cried the clerk, &ldquo;you don&rsquo;t think. We are
+      just at the most interesting and curious moment; I and these honest masons
+      are burning to see the interior of this mysterious house, and you would be
+      cruel enough to send us away? Impossible!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I regret the necessity, sir, but so it must he. I must be the first to
+      enter this dwelling, absolutely alone, before introducing the heirs, in
+      order to read the testament.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who gave you such ridiculous and barbarous orders?&rdquo; cried the clerk,
+      singularly disappointed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My father, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A most respectable authority, no doubt; but come, my worthy guardian, my
+      excellent guardian,&rdquo; resumed the clerk, &ldquo;be a good fellow, and let us just
+      take a peep in at the door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, sir, only a peep!&rdquo; cried the heroes of the trowel, with a
+      supplicating air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is disagreeable to have to refuse you, gentlemen,&rdquo; answered Samuel;
+      &ldquo;but I cannot open this door, until I am alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The masons, seeing the inflexibility of the old man, unwillingly descended
+      the steps; but the clerk had resolved to dispute the ground inch by inch,
+      and exclaimed: &ldquo;I shall wait for my master. I do not leave the house
+      without him. He may want me&mdash;and whether I remain on these steps or
+      elsewhere, can be of little consequence to you my worthy keeper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The clerk was interrupted in his appeal by his master himself, who called
+      out from the further side of the courtyard, with an air of business: &ldquo;M.
+      Piston! quick, M. Piston&mdash;come directly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What the devil does he want with me?&rdquo; cried the clerk, in a passion. &ldquo;He
+      calls me just at the moment when I might have seen something.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Piston,&rdquo; resumed the voice, approaching, &ldquo;do you not hear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      While Samuel let out the masons, the clerk saw, through a clump of trees,
+      his master running towards him bareheaded, and with an air of singular
+      haste and importance. The clerk was therefore obliged to leave the steps,
+      to answer the notary&rsquo;s summons, towards whom he went with a very bad
+      grace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir, sir,&rdquo; said M. Dumesnil, &ldquo;I have been calling you this hour with all
+      my might.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not hear you sir,&rdquo; said M. Piston.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must be deaf, then. Have you any change about you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes sir,&rdquo; answered the clerk, with some surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, you must go instantly to the nearest stamp-office, and fetch
+      me three or four large sheets of stamped paper, to draw up a deed. Run! it
+      is wanted directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; said the clerk, casting a rueful and regretful glance at the
+      door of the walled-up house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But make haste, will you, M. Piston,&rdquo; said the notary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, sir, where to get any stamped paper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the guardian,&rdquo; replied M. Dumesnil. &ldquo;He will no doubt be able to
+      tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant, Samuel was returning, after showing the masons out by the
+      street-door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the notary to him, &ldquo;will you please to tell me where we can
+      get stamped paper?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Close by, sir,&rdquo; answered Samuel; &ldquo;in the tobacconist&rsquo;s, No. 17, Rue
+      Vieille-du-Temple.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You hear, M. Piston?&rdquo; said the notary to his clerk. &ldquo;You can get the
+      stamps at the tobacconist&rsquo;s, No. 17, Rue Vieille-du-Temple. Be quick! for
+      this deed must be executed immediately before the opening of the will.
+      Time presses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, sir; I will make haste,&rdquo; answered the clerk, discontentedly,
+      as he followed his master, who hurried back into the room where he had
+      left Rodin, Gabriel, and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During this time, Samuel, ascending the steps, had reached the door, now
+      disencumbered of the stone, iron, and lead with which it had been blocked
+      up. It was with deep emotion that the old man having selected from his
+      bunch of keys the one he wanted, inserted it in the keyhole, and made the
+      door turn upon its hinges. Immediately he felt on his face a current of
+      damp, cold air, like that which exhales from a cellar suddenly opened.
+      Having carefully re-closed and double-locked the door, the Jew advanced
+      along the hall, lighted by a glass trefoil over the arch of the door. The
+      panes had lost their transparency by the effect of time, and now had the
+      appearance of ground-glass. This hall, paved with alternate squares of
+      black and white marble, was vast, sonorous, and contained a broad
+      staircase leading to the first story. The walls of smooth stone offered
+      not the least appearance of decay or dampness; the stair-rail of wrought
+      iron presented no traces of rust; it was inserted, just above the bottom
+      step, into a column of gray granite, which sustained a statue of black
+      marble, representing a negro bearing a flambeau. This statue had a strange
+      countenance, the pupils of the eyes being made of white marble.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20223m.jpg" alt="20223m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20223.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The Jew&rsquo;s heavy tread echoed beneath the lofty dome of the hall. The
+      grandson of Isaac Samuel experienced a melancholy feeling, as he reflected
+      that the footsteps of his ancestor had probably been the last which had
+      resounded through this dwelling, of which he had closed the doors a
+      hundred and fifty years before; for the faithful friend, in favor of whom
+      M. de Rennepont had made a feigned transfer of the property, had
+      afterwards parted with the same, to place it in the name of Samuel&rsquo;s
+      grandfather, who had transmitted it to his descendants, as if it had been
+      his own inheritance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To these thoughts, in which Samuel was wholly absorbed, was joined the
+      remembrance of the light seen that morning through the seven openings in
+      the leaden cover of the belvedere; and, in spite of the firmness of his
+      character, the old man could not repress a shudder, as, taking a second
+      key from his bunch, and reading upon the label, The Key of the Red Room,
+      he opened a pair of large folding doors, leading to the inner apartments.
+      The window which, of all those in the house, had alone been opened,
+      lighted this large room, hung with damask, the deep purple of which had
+      undergone no alteration. A thick Turkey carpet covered the floor, and
+      large arm-chairs of gilded wood, in the severe Louis XIV. style, were
+      symmetrically arranged along the wall. A second door, leading to the next
+      room, was just opposite the entrance. The wainscoting and the cornice were
+      white, relieved with fillets and mouldings of burnished gold. On each side
+      of this door was a large piece of buhl-furniture, inlaid with brass and
+      porcelain, supporting ornamental sets of sea crackle vases. The window was
+      hung with heavy deep-fringed damask curtains, surmounted by scalloped
+      drapery, with silk tassels, directly opposite the chimney-piece of
+      dark-gray marble, adorned with carved brass-work. Rich chandeliers, and a
+      clock in the same style as the furniture, were reflected in a large Venice
+      glass, with basiled edges. A round table, covered with a cloth of crimson
+      velvet, was placed in the centre of this saloon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he approached this table, Samuel perceived a piece of white vellum, on
+      which were inscribed these words: &ldquo;My testament is to be opened in this
+      saloon. The other apartments are to remain closed, until after the reading
+      of my last will&mdash;M. De R.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the Jew, as he perused with emotion these lines traced so long
+      ago; &ldquo;this is the same recommendation as that which I received from my
+      father; for it would seem that the other apartments of this house are
+      filled with objects, on which M. de Rennepont set a high value, not for
+      their intrinsic worth, but because of their origin. The Hall of Mourning
+      must be a strange and mysterious chamber. Well,&rdquo; added Samuel, as he drew
+      from his pocket a register bound in black shagreen, with a brass lock,
+      from which he drew the key, after placing it upon the table, &ldquo;here is the
+      statement of the property in hand, which I have been ordered to bring
+      hither, before the arrival of the heirs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The deepest silence reigned in the room, at the moment when Samuel placed
+      the register on the table. Suddenly a simple and yet most startling
+      occurrence roused him from his reverie. In the next apartment was heard
+      the clear, silvery tone of a clock, striking slowly ten. And the hour was
+      ten! Samuel had too much sense to believe in perpetual motion, or in the
+      possibility of constructing a clock to go far one hundred and fifty years.
+      He asked himself, therefore, with surprise and alarm, how this clock could
+      still be going, and how it could mark so exactly the hour of the day.
+      Urged with restless curiosity, the old man was about to enter the room;
+      but recollecting the recommendation of his father, which had now been
+      confirmed by the few lines he had just read from De Rennepont&rsquo;s pen, he
+      stopped at the door, and listened with extreme attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He heard nothing&mdash;absolutely nothing, but the last dying vibration of
+      the clock. After having long reflected upon this strange fact, Samuel,
+      comparing it with the no less extraordinary circumstance of the light
+      perceived that morning through the apertures in the belvedere, concluded
+      that there must be some connection between these two incidents. If the old
+      man could not penetrate the true cause of these extraordinary appearances,
+      he at least explained them to himself, by remembering the subterraneous
+      communications, which, according to tradition, were said to exist between
+      the cellars of this house and distant places; and he conjectured that
+      unknown and mysterious personages thus gained access to it two or three
+      times in a century. Absorbed in these thoughts Samuel approached the
+      fireplace, which, as we have said, was directly opposite the window. Just
+      then, a bright ray of sunlight, piercing the clouds, shone full upon two
+      large portraits, hung upon either side of the fireplace, and not before
+      remarked by the Jew. They were painted life size, and represented one a
+      woman, the other a man. By the sober yet powerful coloring of these
+      paintings, by the large and vigorous style, it was easy to recognize a
+      master&rsquo;s hand. It would have been difficult to find models more fitted to
+      inspire a great painter. The woman appeared to be from five-and-twenty to
+      thirty years of age. Magnificent brown hair, with golden tints, crooned a
+      forehead, white, noble, and lofty. Her head-dress, far from recalling the
+      fashion, which Madame de Sevigne brought in during the age of Louis XIV.,
+      reminded one rather of some of the portraits of Paul Veronese, in which
+      the hair encircles the face in broad, undulating bands, surmounted by a
+      thick plait, like a crown, at the back of the head. The eyebrows, finely
+      pencilled, were arched over large eyes of bright, sapphire blue. Their
+      gaze at once proud and mournful, had something fatal about it. The nose,
+      finely formed, terminated in slight dilated nostrils: a half smile, almost
+      of pain, contracted the mouth; the face was a long oval, and the
+      complexion, extremely pale, was hardly shaded on the cheek by a light
+      rose-color. The position of the head and neck announced a rare mixture of
+      grace and dignity. A sort of tunic or robe, of glossy black material, came
+      as high as the commencement of her shoulders, and just marking her lithe
+      and tall figure, reached down to her feet, which were almost entirely
+      concealed by the folds of this garment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The attitude was full of nobleness and simplicity. The head looked white
+      and luminous, standing out from a dark gray sky, marbled at the horizon by
+      purple clouds, upon which were visible the bluish summits of distant
+      hills, in deep shadow. The arrangement of the picture, as well as the warm
+      tints of the foreground, contrasting strongly with these distant objects,
+      showed that the woman was placed upon an eminence, from which she could
+      view the whole horizon. The countenance was deeply pensive and desponding.
+      There was an expression of supplicating and resigned grief, particularly
+      in her look, half raised to heaven, which one would have thought
+      impossible to picture. On the left side of the fireplace was the other
+      portrait, painted with like vigor. It represented a man, between thirty
+      and thirty-five years of age, of tall stature. A large brown cloak, which
+      hung round him in graceful folds, did not quite conceal a black doublet,
+      buttoned up to the neck, over which fell a square white collar. The
+      handsome and expressive head was marked with stern powerful lines, which
+      did not exclude an admirable air of suffering, resignation, and ineffable
+      goodness. The hair, as well as the beard and eyebrows, was black; and the
+      latter, by some singular caprice of nature, instead of being separated and
+      forming two distinct arches, extended from one temple to the other, in a
+      single bow, and seemed to mark the forehead of this man with a black line.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The background of this picture also represented a stormy sky; but, beyond
+      some rocks in the distance, the sea was visible, and appeared to mingle
+      with the dark clouds. The sun, just now shining upon these two remarkable
+      figures (which it appeared impossible to forget, after once seeing them),
+      augmented their brilliancy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Starting from his reverie, and casting his eyes by chance upon these
+      portraits, Samuel was greatly struck with them. They appeared almost
+      alive. &ldquo;What noble and handsome faces!&rdquo; he exclaimed, as he approached to
+      examine them more closely. &ldquo;Whose are these portraits? They are not those
+      of any of the Rennepont family, for my father told me that they are all in
+      the Hall of Mourning. Alas!&rdquo; added the old man, &ldquo;one might think, from the
+      great sorrow expressed in their countenances, that they ought to have a
+      place in that mourning-chamber.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, Samuel resumed: &ldquo;Let me prepare everything for
+      this solemn assembly, for it has struck ten.&rdquo; So saying, he placed the
+      gilded arm-chairs round the table, and then continued, with a pensive air:
+      &ldquo;The hour approaches, and of the descendants of my grandfather&rsquo;s
+      benefactor, we have seen only this young priest, with the angelic
+      countenance. Can he be the sole representative of the Rennepont family? He
+      is a priest, and this family will finish with him! Well! the moment is
+      come when I must open this door, that the will may be read. Bathsheba is
+      bringing hither the notary. They knock at the door; it is time!&rdquo; And
+      Samuel, after casting a last glance towards the place where the clock had
+      struck ten, hastened to the outer door, behind which voices were now
+      audible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned the key twice in the lock, and threw the portals open. To his
+      great regret, he saw only Gabriel on the steps, between Rodin and Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The notary, and Bathsheba, who had served them as a guide,
+      waited a little behind the principal group.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel could not repress a sigh, as he stood bowing on the threshold, and
+      said to them: &ldquo;All is ready, gentlemen. You may walk in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0076" id="link2HCH0076">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIII. THE TESTAMENT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hen Gabriel, Rodin, and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny entered the Red Room, they were
+      differently affected. Gabriel, pale and sad, felt a kind of painful
+      impatience. He was anxious to quit this house, though he had already
+      relieved himself of a great weight, by executing before the notary,
+      secured by every legal formality, a deed making over all his rights of
+      inheritance to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. Until now it had not occurred to the
+      young priest, that in bestowing the care upon him, which he was about to
+      reward so generously, and in forcing his vocation by a sacrilegious
+      falsehood, the only object of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny might have been to secure
+      the success of a dark intrigue. In acting as he did, Gabriel was not
+      yielding, in his view of the question, to a sentiment of exaggerated
+      delicacy. He had made this donation freely, many years before. He would
+      have looked upon it as infamy now to withdraw it. It was hard enough to be
+      suspected of cowardice: for nothing in the world would he have incurred
+      the least reproach of cupidity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The missionary must have been endowed with a very rare and excellent
+      nature, or this flower of scrupulous probity would have withered beneath
+      the deleterious and demoralizing influence of his education; but happily,
+      as cold sometimes preserves from corruption, the icy atmosphere in which
+      he had passed a portion of his childhood and youth had benumbed, but not
+      vitiated, his generous qualities, which had indeed soon revived in the
+      warm air of liberty. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, much paler and more agitated than
+      Gabriel, strove to excuse and explain his anxiety by attributing it to the
+      sorrow he experienced at the rupture of his dear son with the Order.
+      Rodin, calm, and perfectly master of himself, saw with secret rage the
+      strong emotion of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, which might have inspired a man less
+      confiding than Gabriel with strange suspicions. Yet, notwithstanding his
+      apparent indifference, the socius was perhaps still more ardently
+      impatient than his superior for the success of this important affair.
+      Samuel appeared quite desponding, no other heir but Gabriel having
+      presented himself. No doubt the old man felt a lively sympathy for the
+      young priest; but then he was a priest, and with him would finish the line
+      of Rennepont; and this immense fortune, accumulated with so much labor,
+      would either be again distributed, or employed otherwise than the testator
+      had desired. The different actors in this scene were standing around the
+      table. As they were about to seat themselves, at the invitation of the
+      notary, Samuel pointed to the register bound in black shagreen, and said:
+      &ldquo;I was ordered, sir, to deposit here this register. It is locked. I will
+      deliver up the key, immediately after the reading of the will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This course is, in fact, directed by the note which accompanies the
+      will,&rdquo; said M. Dumesnil, &ldquo;as it was deposited, in the year 1682, in the
+      hands of Master Thomas Le Semelier, king&rsquo;s counsel, and notary of the
+      Chatelet of Paris, then living at No. 13, Place Royale.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, M. Dumesnil drew from a portfolio of red morocco a large
+      parchment envelope, grown yellow with time; to this envelope was annexed,
+      by a silken thread, a note also upon vellum.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; said the notary, &ldquo;if you please to sit down, I will read the
+      subjoined note, to regulate the formalities at the opening of the will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The notary, Rodin, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and Gabriel, took seats. The young
+      priest, having his back turned to the fireplace, could not see the two
+      portraits. In spite of the notary&rsquo;s invitation, Samuel remained standing
+      behind the chair of that functionary, who read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;On the 13th February, 1832, my will shall be carried to No. 3, in the
+      Rue Saint-Francois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;At ten o&rsquo;clock precisely, the door of the Red Room shall be opened to my
+      heirs, who will no doubt have arrived long before at Paris, in
+      anticipation of this day, and will have had time to establish their line
+      of descent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;As soon as they are assembled, the will shall be read, and, at the last
+      stroke of noon, the inheritance shall be finally settled in favor of those
+      of my kindred, who according to my recommendation (preserved, I hope, by
+      tradition in my family, during a century and a half); shall present
+      themselves in person, and not by agents, before twelve o&rsquo;clock, on the
+      13th of February, in the Rue Saint-Francois.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having read these words in a sonorous voice, the notary stopped an
+      instant, and resumed, in a solemn tone: &ldquo;M. Gabriel Francois Marie de
+      Rennepont, priest, having established, by legal documents, his descent on
+      the father&rsquo;s side, and his relationship to the testator, and being at this
+      hour the only one of the descendants of the Rennepont family here present,
+      I open the testament in his presence, as it has been ordered.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the notary drew from its envelope the will, which had been
+      previously opened by the President of the Tribunal, with the formalities
+      required by law. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny leaned forward, and resting his elbow
+      on the table, seemed to pant for breath. Gabriel prepared himself to
+      listen with more curiosity than interest. Rodin was seated at some
+      distance from the table, with his old hat between his knees, in the bottom
+      of which, half hidden by the folds of a shabby blue cotton handkerchief,
+      he had placed his watch. The attention of the socius was divided between
+      the least noise from without, and the slow evolution of the hands of the
+      watch, which he followed with his little, wrathful eye, as if hastening
+      their progress, so great was his impatience for the hour of noon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The notary, unfolding the sheet of parchment, read what follows, in the
+      midst of profound attention:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hameau de Villetaneuse,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;February 13th, 1682.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;I am about to escape, by death, from the disgrace of the galleys, to
+      which the implacable enemies of my family have caused me to be condemned
+      as a relapsed heretic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Moreover, life is too bitter for me since the death of my son, the
+      victim of a mysterious crime.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;At nineteen years of age&mdash;poor henry!&mdash;and his murderers
+      unknown&mdash;no, not unknown&mdash;if I may trust my presentiments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;To preserve my fortune for my son, I had feigned to abjure the
+      Protestant faith. As long as that beloved boy lived, I scrupulously kept
+      up Catholic appearances. The imposture revolted me, but the interest of my
+      son was concerned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;When they killed him, this deceit became insupportable to me. I was
+      watched, accused, and condemned as relapsed. My property has been
+      confiscated, and I am sentenced to the galleys.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Tis a terrible time we live in! Misery and servitude! sanguinary
+      despotism and religious intolerance! Oh, it is sweet to abandon life!
+      sweet to rest and see no more such evils and such sorrows!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In a few hours, I shall enjoy that rest. I shall die. Let me think of
+      those who will survive&mdash;or rather, of those who will live perhaps in
+      better times.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Out of all my fortune, there remains to me a sum of fifty thousand
+      crowns, deposited in a friend&rsquo;s hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;I have no longer a son; but I have numerous relations, exiled in various
+      parts of Europe. This sum of fifty thousand crowns, divided between them,
+      would profit each of them very little. I have disposed of it differently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In this I have followed the wise counsels of a man, whom I venerate as
+      the image of God on earth, for his intelligence, wisdom, and goodness are
+      almost divine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Twice in the course of my life have I seen this man, under very fatal
+      circumstances&mdash;twice have I owed him safety, once of the soul, once
+      of the body.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Alas! he might perhaps have saved my poor child, but he came too late&mdash;too
+      late.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Before he left me, he wished to divert me from the intention of dying&mdash;for
+      he knew all. But his voice was powerless. My grief, my regret, my
+      discouragement, were too much for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;It is strange! when he was convinced of my resolution to finish my days
+      by violence, some words of terrible bitterness escaped him, making me
+      believe that he envied me&mdash;my fate&mdash;my death!
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20231m.jpg" alt="20231m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20231.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Is he perhaps condemned to live?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Yes; he has, no doubt, condemned himself to be useful to humanity, and
+      yet life is heavy on him, for I heard him repeat one day, with an
+      expression of despair and weariness that I have never forgotten: &ldquo;Life!
+      life! who will deliver me from it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Is life then so very burdensome to him?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;He is gone. His last words have made me look for my departure with
+      serenity. Thanks to him, my death shall not be without fruit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Thanks to him, these lines, written at this moment by a man who, in a
+      few hours, will have ceased to live, may perhaps be the parents of great
+      things a century and a half hence&mdash;yes! great and noble things, if my
+      last will is piously followed by my descendants, for it is to them that I
+      here address myself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;That they may understand and appreciate this last will&mdash;which I
+      commend to the care of the unborn, who dwell in the future whither I am
+      hastening&mdash;they must know the persecutors of my family and avenge
+      their ancestor, but by a noble vengeance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;My grandfather was a Catholic. Induced by perfidious counsels rather
+      than religious zeal, he attached himself, though a layman, to a Society
+      whose power has always been terrible and mysterious&mdash;the Society of
+      Jesus&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words of the testament, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, Rodin, and Gabriel
+      looked involuntarily at each other: The notary, who had not perceived this
+      action, continued to read:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;After some years, during which he had never ceased to profess the most
+      absolute devotion to this Society, he was suddenly enlightened by fearful
+      revelations as to the secret ends it pursued, and the means it employed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This was in 1510, a month before the assassination of Henry IV. &ldquo;&lsquo;My
+      grandfather, terrified at the secret of which he had become the unwilling
+      depositary, and which was to be fully explained by the death of the best
+      of kings, not only broke with the Society, but, as if Catholicism itself
+      had been answerable for the crimes of its members, he abandoned the Romish
+      religion, in which he had hitherto lived, and became a Protestant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Undeniable proofs, attesting the connivance of two members of the
+      Company with Ravaillac, a connivance also proved in the case of Jean
+      Chatel, the regicide, were in my grandfather&rsquo;s possession.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This was the first cause of the violent hatred of the Society for our
+      family. Thank Heaven, these papers have been placed in safety, and if my
+      last will is executed, will be found marked A. M.C. D. G., in the ebony
+      casket in the Hall of Mourning, in the house in the Rue Saint-Francois.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;My father was also exposed to these secret persecutions. His ruin, and
+      perhaps his death, would have been the consequence, had it not been for
+      the intervention of an angelic woman, towards whom he felt an almost
+      religious veneration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The portrait of this woman, whom I saw a few years ago, as well as that
+      of the man whom I hold in the greatest reverence, were painted by me from
+      memory, and have been placed in the Red Room in the Rue Saint-Francois&mdash;to
+      be gratefully valued, I hope, by the descendants of my family.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For some moments Gabriel had become more and more attentive to the reading
+      of this testament. He thought within himself by how strange a coincidence
+      one of his ancestors had, two centuries before, broken with the Society of
+      Jesus, as he himself had just done; and that from this rupture, two
+      centuries old, dated also that species of hatred with which the Society of
+      Jesus had always pursued his family. Nor did the young priest find it less
+      strange that this inheritance, transmitted to him after a lapse of a
+      hundred and fifty years, from one of his kindred (the victim of the
+      Society of Jesus), should return by a voluntary act to the coffers of this
+      same society. When the notary read the passage relative to the two
+      portraits, Gabriel, who, like Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, sat with his back towards
+      the pictures, turned round to look at them. Hardly had the missionary cast
+      his eyes on the portrait of the woman, than he uttered a loud cry of
+      surprise, and almost terror. The notary paused in his reading, and looked
+      uneasily at the young priest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0077" id="link2HCH0077">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV. THE LAST STROKE OF NOON.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>t the cry uttered by Gabriel, the notary had stopped reading the
+      testament, and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny hastily drew near the young priest. The
+      latter rose trembling from his seat and gazed with increasing stupor at
+      the female portrait.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he said in a low voice, as if speaking to himself. &ldquo;Good Heaven! is
+      it possible that nature can produce such resemblances? Those eyes&mdash;so
+      proud and yet so sad&mdash;that forehead&mdash;that pale complexion&mdash;yes,
+      all her features, are the same&mdash;all of them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear son, what is the matter?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, as astonished
+      as Samuel and the notary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eight months ago,&rdquo; replied the missionary, in a voice of deep emotion,
+      without once taking his eyes from the picture, &ldquo;I was in the power of the
+      Indians, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. They had crucified, and were
+      beginning to scalp me; I was on the point of death, when Divine Providence
+      sent me unexpected aid&mdash;sent me this woman for a deliverer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That woman!&rdquo; cried Samuel, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and the notary, all
+      together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin alone appeared completely indifferent to this episode of the
+      picture. His face contracted with angry impatience, he bit his nails to
+      the quick, as he contemplated with agony the slow progress of the hands of
+      his watch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! that woman saved your life?&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, this woman,&rdquo; replied Gabriel, in a still lower and more trembling
+      voice; &ldquo;this woman&mdash;or rather a woman so much resembling her, that if
+      this picture had not been here for a century and a half, I should have
+      felt sure it was the same&mdash;nor can I explain to myself that so
+      striking a resemblance could be the effect of chance. Well,&rdquo; added he,
+      after a moment&rsquo;s silence, as he heaved a profound sigh, &ldquo;the mysteries of
+      Nature, and the will of God, are impenetrable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel fell back into his chair, in the midst of a general silence, which
+      was broken by Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny saying, &ldquo;It is a case of extraordinary
+      resemblance; that is all, my dear son. Only, the natural gratitude which
+      you feel towards your benefactress, makes you take a deep interest in this
+      singular coincidence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, bursting with impatience, here said to the notary, by whose side he
+      stood, &ldquo;It seems to me, sir, that all this little romance has nothing to
+      do with the testament.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; answered the notary, resuming his seat; &ldquo;but the fact is
+      so extraordinary, and as you say, romantic, that one cannot help sharing
+      in this gentleman&rsquo;s astonishment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He pointed to Gabriel, who, with his elbow resting on the arms of the
+      chair, leaned his forehead upon his hand, apparently quite absorbed in
+      thought. The notary continued the reading of the will, as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Such are the persecutions to which my family has been exposed on the
+      part of the Society of Jesus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The Society possesses at this hour the whole of my confiscated property.
+      I am about to die. May its hatred perish with me, and spare my kindred,
+      whose fate at this solemn moment is my last and only thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This morning I sent for a man of long tried probity Isaac Samuel. He
+      owes his life to me, and every day I congratulate myself on having been
+      able to preserve to the world so honest and excellent a creature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Before the confiscation of my property, Isaac Samuel had long managed it
+      with as much intelligence as uprightness. I have entrusted him with the
+      fifty thousand crowns, returned to me by a faithful friend. Isaac Samuel,
+      and his descendants after him, to whom he will leave this debt of
+      gratitude, will invest the above sum, and allow it to accumulate, until
+      the expiration of the hundred and fiftieth year from this time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The amount thus accumulated may become enormous, and constitute a royal
+      fortune, if no unfavorable event should occur. May my descendants attend
+      to my wishes, as to the division and employment of this immense sum!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In a century and a half, there happen so many changes, so many varieties
+      of fortunes, such a rise and fall in the condition of the successive
+      generations of a family, that probably, a hundred and fifty years hence,
+      my descendants will belong to various classes of society, and thus
+      represent the divers social elements of their time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;There may, perhaps, be among them men of great intelligence great
+      courage, or great virtue&mdash;learned men, or names illustrious in arts
+      and arms. There may, perhaps, also be obscure workmen, or humble citizens&mdash;perhaps,
+      also, alas! great criminals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;However, this may be, my most earnest desire is that my descendants
+      should combine together, and, reconstituting one family, by a close and
+      sincere union, put into practice the divine words of Christ, &ldquo;Love ye one
+      another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This union would have a salutary tendency; for it seems to me that upon
+      union, upon the association of men together, must depend the future
+      happiness of mankind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The Company, which so long persecuted my family, is one of the most
+      striking examples of the power of association, even when applied to evil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;There is something so fruitful and divine in this principle, that it
+      sometimes forces to good the worst and most dangerous combinations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Thus, the missions have thrown a scanty but pure and generous light on
+      the darkness of this Company of Jesus&mdash;founded with the detestable
+      and impious aim of destroying, by a homicidal education, all will,
+      thought, liberty, and intelligence, in the people, so as to deliver them,
+      trembling, superstitious, brutal, and helpless, to the despotism of kings,
+      governed in their turn by confessors belonging to the Society.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this passage of the will, there was another strange look exchanged
+      between Gabriel and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The notary continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;If a perverse association, based upon the degradation of humanity, upon
+      fear and despotism, and followed by the maledictions of the people, has
+      survived for centuries, and often governed the world by craft and terror&mdash;how
+      would it be with an association, which, taking fraternity and evangelic
+      love for its means, had for its end to deliver man and woman from all
+      degrading slavery, to invite to the enjoyment of terrestrial happiness
+      those who have hitherto known nothing of life but its sorrows and
+      miseries, and to glorify and enrich the labor that feeds the state?&mdash;to
+      enlighten those whom ignorance has depraved?&mdash;to favor the free
+      expansion of all the passions, which God, in His infinite wisdom, and
+      inexhaustible goodness, gave to man as so many powerful levers?&mdash;to
+      sanctify all the gifts of Heaven: love, maternity, strength, intelligence,
+      beauty, genius?&mdash;to make men truly religious, and deeply grateful to
+      their Creator, by making them understand the splendors of Nature, and
+      bestowing on them their rightful share in the treasures which have been
+      poured upon us?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Oh! if it be Heaven&rsquo;s will that, in a century and a half, the
+      descendants of my family, faithful to the last wishes of a heart that
+      loved humanity, meet in this sacred union!&mdash;if it be Heaven&rsquo;s will
+      that amongst them be found charitable and passionate souls, full of
+      commiseration for those who suffer, and lofty minds, ardent for liberty!
+      warm and eloquent natures! resolute characters! women, who unite beauty
+      and wit with goodness&mdash;oh! then, how fruitful, how powerful will be
+      the harmonious union of all these ideas, and influences, and forces&mdash;of
+      all these attractions grouped round that princely fortune, which,
+      concentrated by association, and wisely managed, would render practicable
+      the most admirable Utopias!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;What a wondrous centre of fertile and generous thoughts! What precious
+      and life-giving rays would stream incessantly from this focus of charity,
+      emancipation, and love! What great things might be attempted what
+      magnificent examples given to the world! What a divine mission! What an
+      irresistible tendency towards good might be impressed on the whole human
+      race by a family thus situated, and in possession of such means!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;And, then, such a beneficent association would be able to combat the
+      fatal conspiracy of which I am the victim, and which, in a century and a
+      half, may have lost none of its formidable power.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;So, to this work of darkness, restraint, and despotism, which weighs
+      heavily on the Christian world, my family would oppose their work of
+      light, expansion, and liberty!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The genii of good and evil would stand face to face. The struggle would
+      commence, and God would protect the right.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;And that these immense pecuniary resources, which will give so much
+      power to my family, may not be exhausted by the course of years, my heirs,
+      following my last will, are to place out, upon the same conditions, double
+      the sum that I have invested&mdash;so that, a century and a half later, a
+      new source of power and action will be at the disposal of their
+      descendants. What a perpetuity of good!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In the ebony cabinet of the Hall of Mourning will be found some
+      practical suggestions on the subject of this association.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Such is my last will&mdash;or rather, such are my last hopes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;When I require absolutely that the members of my family should appear in
+      person in the Rue Saint-Francois, on the day of the opening of this
+      testament, it is so that, united in that solemn moment, they may see and
+      know each other. My words may then, perhaps, have some effect upon them;
+      and, instead of living divided, they will combine together. It will be for
+      their own interest, and my wishes will thus be accomplished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;When I sent, a few days ago, to those of my family whom exile has
+      dispersed over Europe, a medal on which is engravers the date of the
+      convocation of my heirs, a century and a half from this time, I was forced
+      to keep secret my true motive, and only to tell them, that my descendants
+      would find it greatly to their interest to attend this meeting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;I have acted thus, because I know the craft and perseverance of the
+      society of which I have been the victim. If they could guess that my
+      descendants would hereafter have to divide immense sums between them, my
+      family would run the risk of much fraud and malice, through the fatal
+      recommendations handed down from age to age in the Society of Jesus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;May these precautions be successful! May the wish, expressed upon these
+      medals, be faithfully transmitted from generation to generation!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;If I fix a day and hour, in which my inheritance shall irrevocably fall
+      to those of my descendants who shall appear in the Rue Saint-Francois on
+      the 13th February, in 1832, it is that all delays must have a term, and
+      that my heirs will have been sufficiently informed years before of the
+      great importance of this meeting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;After the reading of my testament, the person who shall then be the
+      trustee of the accumulated funds, shall make known their amount, so that,
+      with the last stroke of noon, they may be divided between my heirs then
+      and there present.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The different apartments of the house shall then be opened to them. They
+      will see in them divers objects, well worthy of interest, pity, and
+      respect&mdash;particularly in the Hall of Mourning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;My desire is, that the house may not be sold, but that it may remain
+      furnished as it is, and serve as a place of meeting for my descendants,
+      if, as I hope, they attend to my last wishes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;If, on the contrary, they are divided amongst themselves&mdash;if,
+      instead of uniting for one of the most generous enterprises that ever
+      signalized an age, they yield to the influence of selfish passions&mdash;if
+      they prefer a sterile individuality to a fruitful association&mdash;if, in
+      this immense fortune, they see only an opportunity for frivolous
+      dissipation, or sordid interest&mdash;may they be accursed by all those
+      whom they might have loved, succored, and disfettered!&mdash;and then let
+      this house be utterly demolished and destroyed, and the papers, of which
+      Isaac Samuel possesses the inventory, as well as the two portraits in the
+      Red Room, be burnt by the guardian of the property.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;I have spoken. My duty is accomplished. In all this, I have followed the
+      counsels of the man whom I revere and love as the image of God upon earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;The faithful friend, who preserved for me the fifty thousand crowns, the
+      wreck of my fortune, knows the use I mean to make of them. I could not
+      refuse his friendship this mark of confidence. But I have concealed from
+      him the name of Isaac Samuel&mdash;for to have mentioned it might have
+      exposed this latter and his descendants to great dangers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In a short time, this friend, who knows not that my resolution to die is
+      so near its accomplishment, will come hither with my notary. Into their
+      hands, after the usual formalities, I shall deliver my sealed testament.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Such is my last will. I leave its execution to the superintending care
+      of Providence. God will protect the cause of love, peace, union, and
+      liberty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This mystic testament,(20) having been freely made by me, and written
+      entirely with my own hand, I intend and will its scrupulous execution both
+      in spirit and the letter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This 13th day of February, 1682, at one o&rsquo;clock in the afternoon.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                &ldquo;&lsquo;MARIUS DE RENNEPONT.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      As the notary had proceeded with the reading of the testament, Gabriel was
+      successively agitated by divers painful impressions. At first, as we have
+      before said, he was struck with the singular fatality which restored this
+      immense fortune, derived from a victim of the Society of Jesus, to the
+      hands of that very association, by the renewal of his deed of gift. Then,
+      as his charitable and lofty soul began fully to comprehend the admirable
+      tendency of the association so earnestly recommended by Marius de
+      Rennepont, he reflected with bitter remorse, that, in consequence of his
+      act of renunciation, and of the absence of any other heir, this great idea
+      would never be realized, and a fortune, far more considerable than had
+      even been expected, would fall to the share of an ill-omened society, in
+      whose hands it would become a terrible means of action. At the same time,
+      it must be said that the soul of Gabriel was too pure and noble to feel
+      the slightest personal regret, on hearing the great probable value of the
+      property he had renounced. He rejoiced rather in withdrawing his mind, by
+      a touching contrast, from the thought of the wealth he had abandoned, to
+      the humble parsonage, where he hoped to pass the remainder of his life, in
+      the practice of most evangelical virtue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These ideas passed confusedly through his brain. The sight of that woman&rsquo;s
+      portrait, the dark revelations contained in the testament, the grandeur of
+      the views exhibited in this last will of M. de Rennepont, all these
+      extraordinary incidents had thrown Gabriel into a sort of stupor, in which
+      he was still plunged, when Samuel offered the key of the register to the
+      notary, saying: &ldquo;You will find, sir, in this register, the exact statement
+      of the sums in my possession, derived from the investment and accumulation
+      of the one hundred and fifty thousand francs, entrusted to my grandfather
+      by M. Marius de Rennepont.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your grandfather!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with the utmost surprise; &ldquo;it
+      is then your family that has always had the management of this property.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; and, in a few minutes, my wife will bring hither the casket
+      which contains the vouchers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to what sum does this property amount?&rdquo; asked Rodin, with an air of
+      the most complete indifference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As M. Notary may convince himself by this statement,&rdquo; replied Samuel,
+      with perfect frankness, and as if he were only talking of the original one
+      hundred and fifty thousand francs, &ldquo;I have in my possession various
+      current securities to the amount of two hundred and twelve millions, one
+      hundred and seventy&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You say, sir&rsquo;&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, without giving Samuel time to
+      finish, for the odd money did not at all interest his reverence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, the sum!&rdquo; added Rodin, in an agitated voice, and, for the first
+      time, perhaps, in his life losing his presence of mind; &ldquo;the sum&mdash;the
+      sum&mdash;the sum!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, sir,&rdquo; resumed the old man, &ldquo;that I hold securities for two hundred
+      and twelve millions, one hundred and seventy-five thousand francs, payable
+      to self or bearer&mdash;as you may soon convince yourself, M. Notary, for
+      here is my wife with the casket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+
+    <p>
+      Indeed, at this moment, Bathsheba entered, holding in her arms the cedar
+      wood chest, which contained the securities in question; she placed it upon
+      the table, and withdrew, after exchanging an affectionate glance with
+      Samuel. When the latter declared the enormous amount of the sum in hand,
+      his words were received with silent stupor. All the actors in this scene,
+      except himself, believed that they were the sport of some delusion. Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin had counted upon forty millions. This sum, in itself
+      enormous, was more than quintupled. Gabriel, when he heard the notary read
+      those passages in the testament, which spoke of a princely fortune, being
+      quite ignorant of the prodigious effects of eligible investments, had
+      valued the property at some three or four millions. He was, therefore,
+      struck dumb with amazement at the exorbitant amount named. Notwithstanding
+      his admirable disinterestedness and scrupulous honor, he felt dazzled and
+      giddy at the thought, that all these immense riches might have belonged to
+      him&mdash;alone. The notary, almost as much amazed as Gabriel, examined
+      the statement, and could hardly believe his eyes. The Jew also remained
+      mute, and seemed painfully absorbed in thought, that no other heir made
+      his appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the depth of this profound silence, the clock in the next room began
+      slowly to strike twelve. Samuel started, and heaved a deep sigh. A few
+      seconds more, and the fatal term would be at an end. Rodin, Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, Gabriel, and the notary, were all under the influence of such
+      complete surprise, that not one of them even remarked how strange it was
+      to hear the sound of this clock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Noon!&rdquo; cried Rodin, as, by an involuntary movement, he hastily placed his
+      two hands upon the casket, as if to take possession of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with an expression of joy, triumph
+      transport, which it is impossible to describe. Then he added, as he threw
+      himself into Gabriel&rsquo;s arms, whom he embraced warmly: &ldquo;Oh, my dear son!
+      how the poor will bless you! You will be a second Vincent de Paul. You
+      will be canonized, I promise you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us first thank Providence,&rdquo; said Rodin, in a grave and solemn tone,
+      as he fell upon his knees, &ldquo;let us thank Providence, that He has permitted
+      so much wealth to be employed for His glory!&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, having again embraced Gabriel, took him by the hand,
+      and said: &ldquo;Rodin is right. Let us kneel, my dear son, and render thanks to
+      Providence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny knelt down, dragging Gabriel with him, and
+      the latter, confused and giddy with so many precipitate events, yielded
+      mechanically to the impulse. It was the last stroke of twelve when they
+      all rose together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then said the notary, in a slightly agitated voice, for there was
+      something extraordinary and solemn in this scene&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No other heir of M. Marius de Rennepont having presented himself, before
+      noon on this day, I execute the will of the testator, by declaring, in the
+      name of law and justice, that M. Francois Marie Gabriel de Rennepont, here
+      present, is the sole heir and possessor of all the estate, real and
+      personal, bequeathed under the said will; all which estate the said
+      Gabriel de Rennepont, priest, has freely and voluntarily made over by deed
+      of gift to Frederic Emanuel de Bordeville, Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny, priest, who
+      has accepted the same, and is, therefore, the only legal holder of such
+      property, in the room of the said Gabriel de Rennepont, by virtue of the
+      said deed, drawn up and engrossed by me this morning, and signed in my
+      presence by the said Gabriel de Rennepont and Frederic d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, the sound of loud voices was heard from the garden.
+      Bathsheba entered hastily, and said to her husband with an agitated air:
+      &ldquo;Samuel&mdash;a soldier&mdash;who insists&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She had not time to finish. Dagobert appeared at the door of the Red Room.
+      The soldier was fearfully pale. He seemed almost fainting; his left arm
+      was in a sling, and he leaned upon Agricola. At sight of Dagobert, the
+      pale and flabby eyelids of Rodin were suddenly distended, as if all the
+      blood in his body had flowed towards the head. Then the socius threw
+      himself upon the casket, with the haste of ferocious rage and avidity, as
+      if he were resolved to cover it with his body, and defend it at the peril
+      of his life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (20) This term is sanctioned by legal usage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0078" id="link2HCH0078">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV. THE DEED OF GIFT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">F</span>ather d&rsquo;Aigrigny did not recognize Dagobert, and had never seen Agricola.
+      He could not therefore, at first explain the kind of angry alarm exhibited
+      by Rodin. But the reverend father understood it all, when he heard Gabriel
+      utter a cry of joy, and saw him rush into the arms of the smith,
+      exclaiming: &ldquo;My brother! my second father&mdash;oh! it is heaven that
+      sends you to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having pressed Gabriel&rsquo;s hand, Dagobert advanced towards Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with a rapid but unsteady step. As he remarked the soldier&rsquo;s
+      threatening countenance, the reverend father, strong in his acquired
+      rights, and feeling that, since noon, he was at home here; drew back a
+      little, and said imperiously to the veteran: &ldquo;Who are you, sir!&mdash;What
+      do you want here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering, the soldier continued to advance, then, stopping
+      just facing Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, he looked at him for a second with such an
+      astounding mixture of curiosity, disdain, aversion, and audacity, that the
+      ex-colonel of hussars quailed before the pale face and glowing eye of the
+      veteran. The notary and Samuel, struck with surprise, remained mute
+      spectators of this scene, while Agricola and Gabriel followed with anxiety
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s least movements. As for Rodin, he pretended to be leaning on
+      the casket, in order still to cover it with his body.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Surmounting at length the embarrassment caused by the steadfast look of
+      the soldier, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny raised his head, and repeated. &ldquo;I ask you,
+      sir, who you are, and what you want?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not recognize me?&rdquo; said Dagobert, hardly able to restrain himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In truth,&rdquo; returned the soldier, with profound contempt, &ldquo;You cast down
+      your eyes for shame when, at Leipsic, you fought for the Russians against
+      the French, and when General Simon, covered with wounds, answered you,
+      renegade that you were, when you asked him for his sword, &lsquo;I do not
+      surrender to a traitor!&rsquo;&mdash;and dragged himself along to one of the
+      Russian grenadiers, to whom he yielded up his weapon. Well! there was then
+      a wounded soldier by the side of General Simon&mdash;I am he.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In brief, sir, what do you want?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, hardly, able to
+      control himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have come to unmask you&mdash;you, that are as false and hateful a
+      priest, as Gabriel is admirable and beloved by all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir!&rdquo; cried the marquis, becoming livid with rage and emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, that you are infamous,&rdquo; resumed the soldier, with still
+      greater force. &ldquo;To rob Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters, and Gabriel, and Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville of their inheritance, you have had recourse to the most
+      shameful means.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say?&rdquo; cried Gabriel. &ldquo;The daughters of Marshal Simon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are your relations, my dear boy, as is also that worthy Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, the benefactress of Agricola. Now, this priest,&rdquo; he added,
+      pointing to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;has had them shut up&mdash;the one as mad,
+      in a lunatic asylum&mdash;the others in a convent. As for you, my dear
+      boy, I did not hope to find you here, believing that they would have
+      prevented you, like the others, from coming hither this morning. But,
+      thank God, you are here, and I arrive in time. I should have been sooner,
+      but for my wound. I have lost so much blood, that I have done nothing but
+      faint all the morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Truly!&rdquo; cried Gabriel, with uneasiness. &ldquo;I had not remarked your arm in a
+      sling. What is the wound?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At a sign from Agricola, Dagobert answered: &ldquo;Nothing; the consequence of a
+      fall. But here I am, to unveil many infamies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to paint the curiosity, anguish, surprise, or fear, of
+      the different actors in this scene, as they listened to Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      threatening words. But the most overcome was Gabriel. His angelic
+      countenance was distorted, his knees trembled under him. Struck by the
+      communication of Dagobert which revealed the existence of other heirs, he
+      was unable to speak for some time; at length, he cried out, in a tone of
+      despair: &ldquo;And it is I&mdash;oh, God! I&mdash;who am the cause of the
+      spoliation of this family!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, brother?&rdquo; exclaimed Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did they not wish to rob you also?&rdquo; added Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The will,&rdquo; cried Gabriel, with increasing agony, &ldquo;gave the property to
+      those of the heirs that should appear before noon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; said Dagobert, alarmed at the emotion of the young priest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Twelve o&rsquo;clock has struck,&rdquo; resumed the latter. &ldquo;Of all the family, I
+      alone was present. Do you understand it now? The term is expired. The
+      heirs have been thrust aside by me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By you!&rdquo; said Dagobert, stammering with joy. &ldquo;By you, my brave boy! then
+      all is well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All is well,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, radiant with delight. &ldquo;You will share
+      with the others&mdash;I know you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But all this property I have irrevocably, made over to another,&rdquo; cried
+      Gabriel, in despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Made over the property!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, quite petrified. &ldquo;To whom, then?&mdash;to
+      whom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To this gentleman,&rdquo; said Gabriel, pointing to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To him!&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert, overwhelmed by the news; &ldquo;to him&mdash;the
+      renegade&mdash;who has always been the evil genius of this family!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, brother,&rdquo; cried Agricola, &ldquo;did you then know your claim to this
+      inheritance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; answered the young priest, with deep dejection; &ldquo;no&mdash;I only
+      learned it this morning, from Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. He told me, that he had
+      only recently been informed of my rights, by family papers long ago found
+      upon me, and sent by our mother to her confessor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A sudden light seemed to dawn upon the mind of the smith, as he exclaimed:
+      &ldquo;I understand it all now. They discovered in these papers, that you would
+      one day have a chance of becoming rich. Therefore, they interested
+      themselves about you&mdash;therefore, they took you into their college,
+      where we could never see you&mdash;therefore, they deceived you in your
+      vocation by shameful falsehoods, to force you to become a priest, and to
+      lead you to make this deed of gift. Oh, sir!&rdquo; resumed Agricola, turning
+      towards Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with indignation, &ldquo;my father is right&mdash;such
+      machinations are indeed infamous!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      During this scene, the reverend father and his socius, at first alarmed
+      and shaken in their audacity, had by degrees recovered all their coolness.
+      Rodin, still leaning upon the casket, had said a few words in a low voice
+      to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. So that when Agricola, carried away by his
+      indignation, reproached the latter with his infamous machinations, he
+      bowed his head humbly, and answered: &ldquo;We are bound to forgive injuries,
+      and offer them to the Lord as a mark of our humility.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, confounded at all he had just heard, felt his reason begin to
+      wander. After so much anxiety, his strength failed beneath this new and
+      terrible blow. Agricola&rsquo;s just and sensible words, in connection with
+      certain passages of the testament, at once enlightened Gabriel as to the
+      views of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in taking charge of his education, and leading
+      him to join the Society of Jesus. For the first time in his life, Gabriel
+      was able to take in at a glance all the secret springs of the dark
+      intrigue, of which he had been the victim. Then, indignation and despair
+      surmounting his natural timidity, the missionary, with flashing eye, and
+      cheeks inflamed with noble wrath, exclaimed, as he addressed Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;So, father, when you placed me in one of your colleges, it
+      was not from any feeling of kindness or commiseration, but only in the
+      hope of bringing me one day to renounce in favor of your Order my share in
+      this inheritance; and it did not even suffice you to sacrifice me to your
+      cupidity, but I must also be rendered the involuntary instrument of a
+      shameful spoliation! If only I were concerned&mdash;if you only coveted my
+      claim to all this wealth, I should not complain. I am the minister of a
+      religion which honors and sanctifies poverty; I have consented to the
+      donation in your favor, and I have not, I could never have any claim upon
+      it. But property is concerned which belong to poor orphans, brought from a
+      distant exile by my adopted father, and I will not see them wronged. But
+      the benefactress of my adopted brother is concerned, and I will not see
+      her wronged. But the last will of a dying man is concerned, who, in his
+      ardent love of humanity, bequeathed to his descendants an evangelic
+      mission&mdash;an admirable mission of progress, love, union, liberty&mdash;and
+      I will not see this mission blighted in its bud. No, no; I tell you, that
+      this his mission shall be accomplished, though I have to cancel the
+      donation I have made.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin looked at each other with a
+      slight shrug of the shoulders. At a sign from the socius, the reverend
+      father began to speak with immovable calmness, in a slow and sanctified
+      voice, keeping eyes constantly cast down: &ldquo;There are many incidents
+      connected with this inheritance of M. de Rennepont, which appear very
+      complicated&mdash;many phantoms, which seem un usually menacing&mdash;and
+      yet, nothing could be really more simple and natural. Let us proceed in
+      regular order. Let us put aside all these calumnious imputations; we will
+      return to them afterwards. M. Gabriel de Rennepont&mdash;and I humbly beg
+      him to contradict me, if I depart in the least instance from the exact
+      truth&mdash;M. Gabriel de Rennepont, in acknowledgment of the care
+      formerly bestowed on him by the society to which I have the honor to
+      belong, made over to me, as its representative, freely and voluntarily,
+      all the property that might come to him one day, the value of which was
+      unknown to him, as well as to myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny here looked at Gabriel, as if appealing to him for the
+      truth of this statement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; said the young priest: &ldquo;I made this donation freely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning, in consequence of a private conversation, which I will not
+      repeat&mdash;and in this, I am certain beforehand, of the Abbe Gabriel&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; replied Gabriel, generously; &ldquo;the subject of this conversation is
+      of little importance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was then, in consequence of this conversation that the Abbe Gabriel
+      manifested the desire to confirm this donation&mdash;not in my favor, for
+      I have little to do with earthly wealth&mdash;but in favor of the sacred
+      and charitable works of which our Company is the trustee. I appeal to the
+      honor of M. Gabriel to declare if he have not engaged himself towards us,
+      not only by a solemn oath, but by a perfectly legal act, executed in
+      presence of M. Dumesnil, here present?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is all true,&rdquo; answered Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The deed was prepared by me,&rdquo; added the notary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But Gabriel could only give you what belonged to him,&rdquo; cried Dagobert.
+      &ldquo;The dear boy never supposed that you were making use of him to rob other
+      people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do me the favor, sir, to allow me to explain myself,&rdquo; replied Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, courteously; &ldquo;you can afterwards make answer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert repressed with difficulty his painful impatience. The reverend
+      father continued: &ldquo;The Abbe Gabriel has therefore, by the double
+      engagement of an oath and a legal act, confirmed his donation. Much more,&rdquo;
+       resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;when to his great astonishment and to ours,
+      the enormous amount of the inheritance became known, the Abbe Gabriel,
+      faithful to his own admirable generosity, far from repenting of his gifts,
+      consecrated them once more by a pious movement of gratitude to Providence&mdash;for
+      M. Notary will doubtless remember, that, after embracing the Abbe Gabriel
+      with transport, and telling him that he was a second Vincent de Paul in
+      charity, I took him by the hand, and we both knelt down together to thank
+      heaven for having inspired him with the thought too offer these immense
+      riches to the Greater Glory of the Lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true, also,&rdquo; said Gabriel, honestly; &ldquo;so long as myself was
+      concerned, though I might be astounded for a moment by the revelation of
+      so enormous a fortune, I did not think for an instant of cancelling the
+      donation I had freely made.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Under these circumstances,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;the hour fixed
+      for the settlement of the inheritance having struck, and Abbe Gabriel
+      being the only heir that presented himself, he became necessarily the only
+      legitimate possessor of this immense wealth&mdash;enormous, no doubt&mdash;and
+      charity makes me rejoice that it is enormous, for, thanks to it, many
+      miseries will be relieved and many tears wiped away. But, all on a sudden,
+      here comes this gentleman,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, pointing to Dagobert;
+      &ldquo;and, under some delusion, which I forgive from the bottom of my soul, and
+      which I am sure he will himself regret, accuses me, with insults and
+      threats, with having carried off (I know not where) some persons (I know
+      not whom), in order to prevent their being here at the proper time&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I accuse you of this infamy!&rdquo; cried the soldier exasperated by the
+      calmness and audacity of the reverend father: &ldquo;yes&mdash;and I will&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once again, sir, I conjure you to be so good as to let me finish; you can
+      reply afterwards,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, humbly, in the softest and most
+      honeyed accents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I will reply, and confound you!&rdquo; cried Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let him finish, father. You can speak presently,&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier was silent as Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny continued with new assurance:
+      &ldquo;Doubtless, if there should really be any other heirs, besides the Abbe
+      Gabriel, it is unfortunate for them that they have not appeared in proper
+      time. And if, instead of defending the cause of the poor and needy, I had
+      only to look to my own interest, I should be far from availing myself of
+      this advantage, due only to chance; but, as a trustee for the great family
+      of the poor, I am obliged to maintain my absolute right to this
+      inheritance; and I do not doubt that M. Notary will acknowledge the
+      validity of my claim, and deliver to me these securities, which are now my
+      legitimate property.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My only mission,&rdquo; replied the notary, in an agitated voice, &ldquo;is
+      faithfully to execute the will of the testator. The Abbe Gabriel de
+      Rennepont alone presented himself, within the term fixed by the testament.
+      The deed of gift is in due form; I cannot refuse, therefore, to deliver to
+      the person named in the deed the amount of the heritage&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words Samuel hid his face in his hands, and heaved a deep sigh;
+      he was obliged to acknowledge the rigorous justice of the notary&rsquo;s
+      observations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, addressing the man of law, &ldquo;this cannot be.
+      You will not allow two poor orphans to be despoiled. It is in the name of
+      their father and mother that I speak to you. I give you my honor&mdash;the
+      honor of a soldier!&mdash;that they took advantage of the weakness of my
+      wife to carry the daughters of Marshal Simon to a convent, and thus
+      prevent me bringing them here this morning. It is so true, that I have
+      already laid my charge before a magistrate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what answer did you receive?&rdquo; said the notary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That my deposition was not sufficient for the law to remove these young
+      girls from the convent in which they were, and that inquiries would be
+      made&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; added Agricola, &ldquo;and it was the same with regard to Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, detained as mad in a lunatic asylum, though in the full
+      enjoyment of her reason. Like Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters, she too has a
+      claim to this inheritance. I took the same steps for her, as my father
+      took for Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; asked the notary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, sir,&rdquo; answered Agricola, &ldquo;they told me; as they did my
+      father, that my deposition would not suffice, and that they must make
+      inquiries.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, Bathsheba, having heard the street-bell ring, left the Red
+      Room at a sign from Samuel. The notary resumed, addressing Agricola and
+      his father: &ldquo;Far be it from me, gentlemen, to call in question your good
+      faith; but I cannot, to my great regret, attach such importance to your
+      accusations, which are not supported by proof, as to suspend the regular
+      legal course. According to your own confession, gentlemen, the
+      authorities, to whom you addressed yourselves, did not see fit to
+      interfere on your depositions, and told you they would inquire further.
+      Now, really, gentlemen, I appeal to you: how can I, in so serious a
+      matter, take upon myself a responsibility, which the magistrates
+      themselves have refused to take?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you should do so, in the name of justice and honor?&rdquo; cried Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It may be so, sir, in your opinion; but in my view of the case, I remain
+      faithful to justice and honor, by executing with exactness the last will
+      of the dead. For the rest you have no occasion to despair. If the persons,
+      whose interests you represent, consider themselves injured, they may
+      hereafter have recourse to an action at law, against the person receiving
+      as donee of the Abbe Gabriel&mdash;but in the meanwhile, it is my duty to
+      put him in immediate possession of the securities. I should be gravely
+      injured, were I to act in any, other manner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The notary&rsquo;s observations seemed so reasonable, that Samuel, Dagobert and
+      Agricola were quite confounded. After a moment&rsquo;s thought, Gabriel appeared
+      to take a desperate resolution, and said to the notary, in a firm voice&mdash;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since, under these circumstances, the law is powerless to obtain the
+      right, I must adopt, sir, an extreme course. Before doing so, I will ask
+      M. l&rsquo;Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, for the last time, if he will content himself with
+      that portion of the property which falls justly to me, on condition that
+      the rest shall be placed in safe hands, till the heirs, whose names have
+      been brought forward, shall prove their claim.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To this proposition I must answer as I have done already,&rdquo; replied Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;it is not I who am concerned, but an immense work of charity.
+      I am, therefore, obliged to refuse the part-offer of the Abbe Gabriel, and
+      to remind him of his engagements of every kind.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you refuse this arrangement?&rdquo; asked Gabriel, in an agitated voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Charity commands me to do so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You refuse it&mdash;absolutely?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think of all the good and pious institutions that these treasures will
+      enable us to establish for the Greater Glory of the Lord, and I have
+      neither the courage nor the desire to make the least concession.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, sir,&rdquo; resumed the good priest, in a still more agitated manner,
+      &ldquo;since you force me to do it, I revoke my donation. I only intended to
+      dispose of my own property, and not of that which did not belong to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take care M. l&rsquo;Abbe,&rdquo; said rather d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;I would observe that I
+      hold in my hand a written, formal promise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it, sir; you have a written paper, in which I take an oath never
+      to revoke this donation, upon any pretext whatever, and on pain of
+      incurring the aversion and contempt of all honest men. Well, sir! be it
+      so,&rdquo; said Gabriel, with deep bitterness; &ldquo;I will expose myself to all the
+      consequences of perjury; you may proclaim it everywhere. I may be hated
+      and despised by all&mdash;but God will judge me!&rdquo; The young priest dried a
+      tear, which trickled from his eye.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! do not be afraid, my dear boy!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, with reviving hope.
+      &ldquo;All honest men will be on your side!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well done, brother!&rdquo; said Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Notary,&rdquo; said Rodin, in his little sharp voice, &ldquo;please to explain to
+      Abbe Gabriel, that he may perjure himself as much as he thinks fit, but
+      that the Civil Code is much less easy to violate than a mere promise,
+      which is only&mdash;sacred!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, sir,&rdquo; said Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Please to inform Abbe Gabriel,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;that a deed of gift, like
+      that made in favor of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, can only be cancelled for one of
+      three reasons&mdash;is it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, for three reasons,&rdquo; said the notary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The first is in case of the birth of a child,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;and I should
+      blush to mention such a contingency to the Abbe Gabriel. The second is the
+      ingratitude of the donee&mdash;and the Abbe Gabriel may be certain of our
+      deep and lasting gratitude. The last case is the non-fulfilment of the
+      wishes of the donor, with regard to the employment of his gifts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, although the Abbe Gabriel may have suddenly conceived a very bad
+      opinion of us, he will at least give us some time to show that his gifts
+      have been disposed of according to his wishes, and applied to the Greater
+      Glory of the Lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, M. Notary,&rdquo; added Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;it is for you to decide and
+      say, if Abbe Gabriel can revoke the donation he has made.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Just as the notary was going to answer, Bathsheba reentered the room,
+      followed by two more personages, who appeared in the Red Room at a little
+      distance from each other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0090" id="link2H_4_0090">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK VI.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_PART2B" id="link2H_PART2B">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PART SECOND.&mdash;THE CHASTISEMENT. (Concluded.)
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     XXVI. A Good Genius XXVII. The First Last, And the Last
+     First XXVIII. The Stranger XXIX. The Den XXX. An Unexpected
+     Visit XXXI. Friendly Services XXXII. The Advice XXXIII. The
+     Accuser XXXIV. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s Secretary XXXV. Sympathy
+     XXXVI. Suspicions XXXVII. Excuses XXXVIII. Revelations
+     XXXIX. Pierre Simon
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0079" id="link2HCH0079">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI. A GOOD GENIUS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he first of the two, whose arrival had interrupted the answer of the
+      notary, was Faringhea. At sight of this man&rsquo;s forbidding countenance,
+      Samuel approached, and said to him: &ldquo;Who are you, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After casting a piercing glance at Rodin, who started but soon recovered
+      his habitual coolness, Faringhea replied to Samuel: &ldquo;Prince Djalma arrived
+      lately from India, in order to be present here this day, as it was
+      recommended to him by an inscription on a medal, which he wore about his
+      neck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He, also!&rdquo; cried Gabriel, who had been the shipmate of the Indian Prince
+      from the Azores, where the vessel in which he came from Alexandria had
+      been driven into port: &ldquo;he also one of the heirs! In fact, the prince told
+      me during the voyage that his mother was of French origin. But, doubtless,
+      he thought it right to conceal from me the object of his journey. Oh! that
+      Indian is a noble and courageous young man. Where is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Strangler again looked at Rodin, and said, laying strong emphasis upon
+      his words: &ldquo;I left the prince yesterday evening. He informed me that,
+      although he had a great interest to be here, he might possibly sacrifice
+      that interest to other motives. I passed the night in the same hotel, and
+      this morning, when I went to call on him, they told me he was already gone
+      out. My friendship for him led me to come hither, hoping the information I
+      should be able to give might be of use to the prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In making no mention of the snare into which he had fallen the day before,
+      in concealing Rodin&rsquo;s machinations with regard to Djalma, and in
+      attributing the absence of this latter to a voluntary cause, the Strangler
+      evidently wished to serve the socius, trusting that Rodin would know how
+      to recompense his discretion. It is useless to observe, that all this
+      story was impudently false. Having succeeded that morning in escaping from
+      his prison by a prodigious effort of cunning, audacity, and skill, he had
+      run to the hotel where he had left Djalma; there he had learned that a man
+      and woman, of an advanced age, and most respectable appearance, calling
+      themselves relations of the young Indian, had asked to see him&mdash;and
+      that, alarmed at the dangerous state of somnolency in which he seemed to
+      be plunged, they had taken him home in their carriage, in order to pay him
+      the necessary attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is unfortunate,&rdquo; said the notary, &ldquo;that this heir also did not make
+      his appearance&mdash;but he has, unhappily, forfeited his right to the
+      immense inheritance that is in question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! an immense inheritance is in question,&rdquo; said Faringhea, looking
+      fixedly at Rodin, who prudently turned away his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The second of the two personages we have mentioned entered at this moment.
+      It was the father of Marshal Simon, an old man of tall stature, still
+      active and vigorous for his age. His hair was white and thin. His
+      countenance, rather fresh-colored, was expressive at once of quickness,
+      mildness and energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola advanced hastily to meet him. &ldquo;You here, M. Simon!&rdquo; he exclaimed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my boy,&rdquo; said the marshal&rsquo;s father, cordially pressing Agricola&rsquo;s
+      hand &ldquo;I have just arrived from my journey. M. Hardy was to have been here,
+      about some matter of inheritance, as he supposed: but, as he will still be
+      absent from Paris for some time, he has charged me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He also an heir!&mdash;M. Francis Hardy!&rdquo; cried Agricola, interrupting
+      the old workman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how pale and agitated you are, my boy!&rdquo; said the marshal&rsquo;s father,
+      looking round with astonishment. &ldquo;What is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in despair, as he approached the
+      foreman. &ldquo;The matter is that they would rob your granddaughters, and that
+      I have brought them from the depths of Siberia only to witness this
+      shameful deed!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eh?&rdquo; cried the old workman, trying to recognize the soldiers face, &ldquo;you
+      are then&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You&mdash;the generous, devoted friend of my son!&rdquo; cried the marshal&rsquo;s
+      father, pressing the hands of Dagobert in his own with strong emotion;
+      &ldquo;but did you not speak of Simon&rsquo;s daughter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of his daughters; for he is more fortunate than he imagines,&rdquo; said
+      Dagobert. &ldquo;The poor children are twins.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where are they?&rdquo; asked the old man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In a convent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In a convent?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; by the treachery of this man, who keeps them there in order to
+      disinherit them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20255m.jpg" alt="20255m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20255.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What man?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Marquis d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My son&rsquo;s mortal enemy!&rdquo; cried the old workman, as he threw a glance of
+      aversion at Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whose audacity did not fail him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that is not all,&rdquo; added Agricola. &ldquo;M. Hardy, my worthy and excellent
+      master, has also lost his right to this immense inheritance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What?&rdquo; cried Marshal Simon&rsquo;s father; &ldquo;but M. Hardy did not know that such
+      important interests were concerned. He set out hastily to join one of his
+      friends who was in want of him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20335m.jpg" alt="20335m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20335.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      At each of these successive revelations, Samuel felt his trouble increase:
+      but he could only sigh over it, for the will of the testator was couched,
+      unhappily, in precise and positive terms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, impatient to end this scene, which caused him cruel
+      embarrassment, in spite of his apparent calmness, said to the notary, in a
+      grave and expressive voice: &ldquo;It is necessary, sir, that all this should
+      have an end. If calumny could reach me, I would answer victoriously by the
+      facts that have just come to light. Why attribute to odious conspiracies
+      the absence of the heirs, in whose names this soldier and his son have so
+      uncourteously urged their demands? Why should such absence be less
+      explicable than the young Indian&rsquo;s, or than M. Hardy&rsquo;s, who, as his
+      confidential man has just told us, did not even know the importance of the
+      interests that called him hither? Is it not probable, that the daughters
+      of Marshal Simon, and Mdlle. de Cardoville have been prevented from coming
+      here to-day by some very natural reasons? But, once again, this has lasted
+      too long. I think M. Notary will agree with me, that this discovery of new
+      heirs does not at all affect the question, which I had the honor to
+      propose to him just now; namely whether, as trustee for the poor, to whom
+      Abbe Gabriel made a free gift of all he possessed, I remain
+      notwithstanding his tardy and illegal opposition, the only possessor of
+      this property, which I have promised, and which I now again promise, in
+      presence of all here assembled, to employ for the Greater Glory of the
+      Lord? Please to answer me plainly, M. Notary; and thus terminate the scene
+      which must needs be painful to us all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; replied the notary, in a solemn tone, &ldquo;on my soul and conscience,
+      and in the name of law and justice&mdash;as a faithful and impartial
+      executor of the last will of M. Marius de Rennepont, I declare that, by
+      virtue of the deed of gift of Abbe Gabriel de Rennepont, you, M. l&rsquo;Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, are the only possessor of this property, which I place at your
+      immediate disposal, that you may employ the same according to the
+      intention of the donor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words pronounced with conviction and gravity, destroyed the last
+      vague hopes that the representatives of the heirs might till then have
+      entertained. Samuel became paler than usual, and pressed convulsively the
+      hand of Bathsheba, who had drawn near to him. Large tears rolled down the
+      cheeks of the two old people. Dagobert and Agricola were plunged into the
+      deepest dejection. Struck with the reasoning of the notary, who refused to
+      give more credence and authority to their remonstrances than the
+      magistrates had done before him, they saw themselves forced to abandon
+      every hope. But Gabriel suffered more than any one; he felt the most
+      terrible remorse, in reflecting that, by his blindness, he had been the
+      involuntary cause and instrument of this abominable theft.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So, when the notary, after having examined and verified the amount of
+      securities contained in the cedar box, said to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;Take
+      possession, sir, of this casket&mdash;&rdquo; Gabriel exclaimed, with bitter
+      disappointment and profound despair: &ldquo;Alas! one would fancy, under these
+      circumstances, that an inexorable fatality pursues all those who are
+      worthy of interest, affection or respect. Oh, my God!&rdquo; added the young
+      priest, clasping his hands with fervor, &ldquo;Thy sovereign justice will never
+      permit the triumph of such iniquity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was as if heaven had listened to the prayer of the missionary. Hardly
+      had he spoken, when a strange event took place.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without waiting for the end of Gabriel&rsquo;s invocation, Rodin, profiting by
+      the decision of the notary, had seized the casket in his arms, unable to
+      repress a deep aspiration of joy and triumph. At the very moment when
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and his socius thought themselves at last in safe
+      possession of the treasure, the door of the apartment in which the clock
+      had been heard striking was suddenly opened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A woman appeared upon the threshold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of her, Gabriel uttered a loud cry, and remained as if
+      thunderstruck. Samuel and Bathsheba fell on their knees together, and
+      raised their clasped hands. The Jew and Jewess felt inexplicable hopes
+      reviving within them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All the other actors in this scene appeared struck with stupor. Rodin&mdash;Rodin
+      himself&mdash;recoiled two steps, and replaced the casket on the table
+      with a trembling hand. Though the incident might appear natural enough&mdash;a
+      woman appearing on the threshold of a door, which she had just thrown open&mdash;there
+      was a pause of deep and solemn silence. Every bosom seemed oppressed, and
+      as if struggling for breath. All experienced, at sight of this woman,
+      surprise mingled with fear, and indefinable anxiety&mdash;for this woman
+      was the living original of the portrait, which had been placed in the room
+      a hundred and fifty years ago. The same head-dress, the same flowing robe,
+      the same countenance, so full of poignant and resigned grief! She advanced
+      slowly, and without appearing to perceive the deep impression she had
+      caused. She approached one of the pieces of furniture, inlaid with brass,
+      touched a spring concealed in the moulding of gilded bronze, so that an
+      upper drawer flew open, and taking from it a sealed parchment envelope,
+      she walked up to the table, and placed this packet before the notary, who,
+      hitherto silent and motionless, received it mechanically from her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, casting upon Gabriel, who seemed fascinated by her presence, a long,
+      mild, melancholy look, this woman directed her steps towards the hall, the
+      door of which had remained open. As she passed near Samuel and Bathsheba,
+      who were still kneeling, she stopped an instant, bowed her fair head
+      towards them, and looked at them with tender solicitude. Then, giving them
+      her hands to kiss, she glided away as slowly as she had entered&mdash;throwing
+      a last glance upon Gabriel. The departure of this woman seemed to break
+      the spell under which all present had remained for the last few minutes.
+      Gabriel was the first to speak, exclaiming, in an agitated voice. &ldquo;It is
+      she&mdash;again&mdash;here&mdash;in this house!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who, brother?&rdquo; said Agricola, uneasy at the pale and almost wild looks of
+      the missionary; for the smith had not yet remarked the strange resemblance
+      of the woman to the portrait, though he shared in the general feeling of
+      amazement, without being able to explain it to himself. Dagobert and
+      Faringhea were in a similar state of mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is this woman?&rdquo; resumed Agricola, as he took the hand of Gabriel,
+      which felt damp and icy cold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look!&rdquo; said the young priest. &ldquo;Those portraits have been there for more
+      than a century and a half.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He pointed to the paintings before which he was now seated, and Agricola,
+      Dagobert, and Faringhea raised their eyes to either side of the fireplace.
+      Three exclamations were now heard at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is she&mdash;it is the same woman!&rdquo; cried the smith, in amazement,
+      &ldquo;and her portrait has been here for a hundred and fifty years!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do I see?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, as he gazed at the portrait of the man.
+      &ldquo;The friend and emissary of Marshal Simon. Yes! it is the same face that I
+      saw last year in Siberia. Oh, yes! I recognize that wild and sorrowful air&mdash;those
+      black eyebrows, which make only one!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My eyes do not deceive me,&rdquo; muttered Faringhea to himself, shuddering
+      with horror. &ldquo;It is the same man, with the black mark on his forehead,
+      that we strangled and buried on the banks of the Ganges&mdash;the same
+      man, that one of the sons of Bowanee told me, in the ruins of Tchandi, had
+      been met by him afterwards at one of the gates of Bombay&mdash;the man of
+      the fatal curse, who scatters death upon his passage&mdash;and his picture
+      has existed for a hundred and fifty years!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, like Dagobert and Agricola, the stranger could not withdraw his eyes
+      from that strange portrait.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a mysterious resemblance!&rdquo; thought Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. Then, as if
+      struck with a sudden idea, he said to Gabriel: &ldquo;But this woman is the same
+      that saved your life in America?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the same,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, with emotion; &ldquo;and yet she told me she
+      was going towards the North,&rdquo; added the young priest, speaking to himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how came she in this house?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, addressing
+      Samuel. &ldquo;Answer me! did this woman come in with you, or before you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I came in first, and alone, when this door was first opened since a
+      century and half,&rdquo; said Samuel, gravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then how can you explain the presence of this woman here?&rdquo; said Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not try to explain it,&rdquo; said the Jew. &ldquo;I see, I believe, and now I
+      hope.&rdquo; added he, looking at Bathsheba with an indefinable expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you ought to explain the presence of this woman!&rdquo; said Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with vague uneasiness. &ldquo;Who is she? How came she hither?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All I know is, sir, that my father has often told me; there are
+      subterraneous communications between this house and distant parts of the
+      quarter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! then nothing can be clearer,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;it only
+      remains to be known what this woman intends by coming hither. As for her
+      singular resemblance to this portrait, it is one of the freaks of nature.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin had shared in the general emotion, at the apparition of this
+      mysterious woman. But when he saw that she had delivered a sealed packet
+      to the notary, the socius, instead of thinking of the strangeness of this
+      unexpected vision, was only occupied with a violent desire to quit the
+      house with the treasure which had just fallen to the Company. He felt a
+      vague anxiety at sight of the envelope with the black seal, which the
+      protectress of Gabriel had delivered to the notary, and was still held
+      mechanically in his hands. The socius, therefore, judging this a very good
+      opportunity to walk off with the casket, during the general silence and
+      stupor which still continued, slightly touched Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s elbow,
+      made him a sign of intelligence, and, tucking the cedar-wood chest under
+      his arm, was hastening towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One moment, sir,&rdquo; said Samuel, rising, and standing in his path; &ldquo;I
+      request M. Notary to examine the envelope, that has just been delivered to
+      him. You may then go out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, trying to force a passage, &ldquo;the question is
+      definitively decided in favor of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. Therefore, with your
+      permission&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, sir,&rdquo; answered the old man, in a loud voice, &ldquo;that this
+      casket shall not leave the house, until M. Notary has examined the
+      envelope just delivered to him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words drew the attention of all, Rodin was forced to retrace his
+      steps. Notwithstanding the firmness of his character, the Jew shuddered at
+      the look of implacable hate which Rodin turned upon him at this moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yielding to the wish of Samuel, the notary examined the envelope with
+      attention. &ldquo;Good Heaven!&rdquo; he cried suddenly; &ldquo;what do I see?&mdash;Ah! so
+      much the better!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this exclamation all eyes turned upon the notary. &ldquo;Oh! read, read,
+      sir!&rdquo; cried Samuel, clasping his hands together. &ldquo;My presentiments have
+      not then deceived me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to the notary, for he began to share in
+      the anxiety of Rodin, &ldquo;what is this paper?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A codicil,&rdquo; answered the notary; &ldquo;a codicil, which reopens the whole
+      question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20247m.jpg" alt="20247m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20247.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How, sir?&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in a fury, as he hastily drew nearer
+      to the notary, &ldquo;reopens the whole question! By what right?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is impossible,&rdquo; added Rodin. &ldquo;We protest against it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel! father! listen,&rdquo; cried Agricola, &ldquo;all is not lost. There is yet
+      hope. Do you hear, Gabriel? There is yet hope.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say?&rdquo; exclaimed the young priest, rising, and hardly
+      believing the words of his adopted brother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; said the notary; &ldquo;I will read to you the superscription of
+      this envelope. It changes, or rather, it adjourns, the whole of the
+      testamentary provisions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel!&rdquo; cried Agricola, throwing himself on the neck of the missionary,
+      &ldquo;all is adjourned, nothing is lost!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen, gentlemen,&rdquo; said the notary; and he read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;This is a Codicil, which for reasons herein stated, adjourns and
+      prorogues to the 1st day of June, 1832, though without any other change,
+      all the provisions contained in the testament made by me, at one o&rsquo;clock
+      this afternoon. The house shall be reclosed, and the funds left in the
+      hands of the same trustee, to be distributed to the rightful claimants on
+      the 1st of June, 1832.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Villetaneuse, this 13th of February, 1682, eleven o&rsquo;clock at night.
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;MARIUS DE RENNEPONT.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I protest against this codicil as a forgery!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      livid with rage and despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The woman who delivered it to the notary is a suspicious character,&rdquo;
+       added Rodin. &ldquo;The codicil has been forged.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; said the notary, severely; &ldquo;I have just compared the two
+      signatures, and they are absolutely alike. For the rest&mdash;what I said
+      this morning, with regard to the absent heirs, is now applicable to you&mdash;the
+      law is open; you may dispute the authenticity of this codicil. Meanwhile,
+      everything will remain suspended&mdash;since the term for the adjustment
+      of the inheritance is prolonged for three months and a half.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When the notary had uttered these last words, Rodin&rsquo;s nails dripped blood;
+      for the first time, his wan lips became red.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, God! Thou hast heard and granted my prayer!&rdquo; cried Gabriel, kneeling
+      down with religious fervor, and turning his angelic face towards heaven.
+      &ldquo;Thy sovereign justice has not let iniquity triumph!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say, my brave boy?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, who, in the first tumult
+      of joy, had not exactly understood the meaning of the codicil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All is put off, father!&rdquo; exclaimed the smith; &ldquo;the heirs will have three
+      months and a half more to make their claim. And now that these people are
+      unmasked,&rdquo; added Agricola, pointing to Rodin and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;we
+      have nothing more to fear from them. We shall be on our guard; and the
+      orphans, Mdlle. de Cardoville, my worthy master, M. Hardy, and this young
+      Indian, will all recover their own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We must renounce the attempt to paint the delight, the transport of
+      Gabriel and Agricola, of Dagobert, and Marshal Simon&rsquo;s father, of Samuel
+      and Bathsheba. Faringhea alone remained in gloomy silence, before the
+      portrait of the man with the black-barred forehead. As for the fury of
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin, when they saw Samuel retake possession of the
+      casket, we must also renounce any attempt to describe it. On the notary&rsquo;s
+      suggestion, who took with him the codicil, to have it opened according to
+      the formalities of the law, Samuel agreed that it would be more prudent to
+      deposit in the Bank of France the securities of immense value that were
+      now known to be in his possession.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While all the generous hearts, which had for a moment suffered so much,
+      were overflowing with happiness, hope, and joy, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and
+      Rodin quitted the house with rage and death in their souls. The reverend
+      father got into his carriage, and said to his servants: &ldquo;To Saint-Dizier
+      House!&rdquo;&mdash;Then, worn out and crushed, he fell back upon the seat, and
+      hid his face in his hands, while he uttered a deep groan. Rodin sat next
+      to him, and looked with a mixture of anger and disdain at this so dejected
+      and broken-spirited man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The coward!&rdquo; said he to himself. &ldquo;He despairs&mdash;and yet&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped in the Rue de Babylone,
+      in the court-yard of Saint-Dizier House.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0080" id="link2HCH0080">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII. THE FIRST LAST, AND THE LAST FIRST.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he carriage had travelled rapidly to Saint-Dizier House. During all the
+      way, Rodin remained mute, contenting himself with observing Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and listening to him, as he poured forth his grief and fury in
+      a long monologue, interrupted by exclamations, lamentations, and bursts of
+      rage, directed against the strokes of that inexorable destiny, which had
+      ruined in a moment the best founded hopes. When the carriage entered the
+      courtyard, and stopped before the portico, the princess&rsquo;s face could be
+      seen through one of the windows, half hidden by the folds of a curtain; in
+      her burning anxiety, she came to see if it was really Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      who arrived at the house. Still more, in defiance of all ordinary rules,
+      this great lady, generally so scrupulous as to appearances, hurried from
+      her apartment, and descended several steps of the staircase, to meet
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who was coming up with a dejected air. At sight of the
+      livid and agitated countenance of the reverend father, the princess
+      stopped suddenly, and grew pale. She suspected that all was lost. A look
+      rapidly exchanged with her old lover left her no doubt of the issue she so
+      much feared. Rodin humbly followed the reverend father, and both, preceded
+      by the princess, entered the room. The door once closed, the princess,
+      addressing Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, exclaimed with unspeakable anguish: &ldquo;What
+      has happened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering this question, the reverend father, his eyes
+      sparkling with rage, his lips white, his features contracted, looked
+      fixedly at the princess, and said to her: &ldquo;Do you know the amount of this
+      inheritance, that we estimated at forty millions?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand,&rdquo; cried the princess; &ldquo;we have been deceived. The
+      inheritance amounts to nothing, and all you have dare has been in vain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it has indeed been in vain,&rdquo; answered the reverend father, grinding
+      his teeth with rage; &ldquo;it was no question of forty millions, but of two
+      hundred and twelve millions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two hundred and twelve millions!&rdquo; repeated the princess in amazement, as
+      she drew back a step. &ldquo;It is impossible!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you I saw the vouchers, which were examined by the notary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20263m.jpg" alt="20263m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20263.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two hundred and twelve millions?&rdquo; resumed the princess, with deep
+      dejection. &ldquo;It is an immense and sovereign power&mdash;and you have
+      renounced&mdash;you have not struggled for it, by every possible means,
+      and till the last moment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, I have done all that I could!&mdash;notwithstanding the treachery
+      of Gabriel, who this very morning declared that he renounced us, and
+      separated from the Society.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ungrateful!&rdquo; said the princess, unaffectedly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The deed of gift, which I had the precaution to have prepared by the
+      notary, was in such good, legal form, that in spite of the objections of
+      that accursed soldier and his son, the notary had put me in possession of
+      the treasure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two hundred and twelve millions!&rdquo; repeated the princess clasping her
+      hands. &ldquo;Verily it is like a dream!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, bitterly, &ldquo;for us, this possession is
+      indeed a dream, for a codicil has been discovered, which puts off for
+      three months and a half all the testamentary provisions. Now that our very
+      precautions have roused the suspicion of all these heirs&mdash;now that
+      they know the enormous amount at stake&mdash;they will be upon their
+      guard; and all is lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But who is the wretch that produced this codicil?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A woman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What woman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some wandering creature, that Gabriel says he met in America, where she
+      saved his life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how could this woman be there&mdash;how could she know the existence
+      of this codicil?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think it was all arranged with a miserable Jew, the guardian of the
+      house, whose family has had charge of the funds for three generations; he
+      had no doubt some secret instructions, in case he suspected the detention
+      of any of the heirs, for this Marius de Rennepont had foreseen that our
+      Company would keep their eyes upon his race.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But can you not dispute the validity of this codicil?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, go to law in these times&mdash;litigate about a will&mdash;incur
+      the certainty of a thousand clamors, with no security for success?&mdash;It
+      is bad enough, that even this should get wind. Alas! it is terrible. So
+      near the goal! after so much care and trouble. An affair that had been
+      followed up with so much perseverance during a century and a half!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two hundred and twelve millions!&rdquo; said the princess. &ldquo;The Order would
+      have had no need to look for establishments in foreign countries; with
+      such resources, it would have been able to impose itself upon France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with bitterness; &ldquo;by means of education,
+      we might have possessed ourselves of the rising generation. The power is
+      altogether incalculable.&rdquo; Then, stamping with his foot, he resumed: &ldquo;I
+      tell you, that it is enough to drive one mad with rage! an affair so
+      wisely, ably, patiently conducted!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is there no hope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only that Gabriel may not revoke his donation, in as far as concerns
+      himself. That alone would be a considerable sum&mdash;not less than thirty
+      millions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is enormous&mdash;it is almost what you hoped,&rdquo; said the princess;
+      &ldquo;then why despair?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because it is evident that Gabriel will dispute this donation. However
+      legal it may be, he will find means to annul it, now that he is free,
+      informed as to our designs, and surrounded by his adopted family. I tell
+      you, that all is lost. There is no hope left. I think it will be even
+      prudent to write to Rome, to obtain permission to leave Paris for a while.
+      This town is odious to me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! I see that no hope is left&mdash;since you, my friend, have
+      decided almost to fly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny was completely discouraged and broken down; this
+      terrible blow had destroyed all life and energy within him. He threw
+      himself back in an arm-chair, quite overcome. During the preceding
+      dialogue, Rodin was standing humbly near the door, with his old hat in his
+      hand. Two or three times, at certain passages in the conversation between
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the princess, the cadaverous face of the socius,
+      whose wrath appeared to be concentrated, was slightly flushed, and his
+      flappy eyelids were tinged with red, as if the blood mounted in
+      consequence of an interior struggle; but, immediately after, his dull
+      countenance resumed its pallid blue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must write instantly to Rome, to announce this defeat, which has become
+      an event of the first importance, because it overthrows immense hopes,&rdquo;
+       said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, much depressed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The reverend father had remained seated; pointing to a table, he said to
+      Rodin, with an abrupt and haughty air:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Write!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The socius placed his hat on the ground, answered with a respectful bow
+      the command, and with stooping head and slanting walk, went to seat
+      himself on a chair, that stood before a desk. Then, taking pen and paper,
+      he waited, silent and motionless, for the dictation of his superior.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With your permission, princess?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to Madame de
+      Saint-Dizier. The latter answered by an impatient wave of the hand, as if
+      she reproached him for the formal demand at such a time. The reverend
+      father bowed, and dictated these words in a hoarse and hollow voice: &ldquo;All
+      our hopes, which of late had become almost certainties, have been suddenly
+      defeated. The affair of the Rennepont inheritance, in spite of all the
+      care and skill employed upon it, has completely and finally failed. At the
+      point to which matters had been brought, it is unfortunately worse than a
+      failure; it is a most disastrous event for the Society, which was clearly
+      entitled to this property, fraudulently withdrawn from a confiscation made
+      in our favor. My conscience at least bears witness, that, to the last
+      moment, I did all that was possible to defend and secure our rights. But I
+      repeat, we must consider this important affair as lost absolutely and
+      forever, and think no more about it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus dictating, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s back was turned towards Rodin. At a
+      sudden movement made by the socius, in rising and throwing his pen upon
+      the table, instead of continuing to write, the reverend father turned
+      round, and, looking at Rodin with profound astonishment, said to him:
+      &ldquo;Well! what are you doing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is time to end this&mdash;the man is mad!&rdquo; said Rodin to himself, as
+      he advanced slowly towards the fireplace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! you quit your place&mdash;you cease writing?&rdquo; said the reverend
+      father, in amazement. Then, addressing the princess, who shared in his
+      astonishment, he added, as he glanced contemptuously at the socius, &ldquo;He is
+      losing his senses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive him,&rdquo; replied Mme. de Saint-Dizier; &ldquo;it is, no doubt, the emotion
+      caused by the ruin of this affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank the princess, return to your place, and continue to write,&rdquo; said
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to Rodin, in a tone of disdainful compassion, as, with
+      imperious finger, he pointed to the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The socius, perfectly indifferent to this new order, approached the
+      fireplace, drew himself up to his full height as he turned his arched
+      back, planted himself firmly on his legs, stamped on the carpet with the
+      heel of his clumsy, greasy shoes, crossed his hands beneath the flaps of
+      his old, spotted coat, and, lifting his head, looked fixedly at Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The socius had not spoken a word, but his hideous countenance,
+      now flushed, suddenly revealed such a sense of his superiority, and such
+      sovereign contempt for Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, mingled with so calm and serene
+      a daring, that the reverend father and the princess were quite confounded
+      by it. They felt themselves overawed by this little old man, so sordid and
+      so ugly. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny knew too well the customs of the Company, to
+      believe his humble secretary capable of assuming so suddenly these airs of
+      transcendent superiority without a motive, or rather, without a positive
+      right. Late, too late, the reverend father perceived, that this
+      subordinate agent might be partly a spy, partly an experienced assistant,
+      who, according to the constitutions of the Order, had the power and
+      mission to depose and provisionally replace, in certain urgent cases, the
+      incapable person over whom he was stationed as a guard. The reverend
+      father was not deceived. From the general to the provincials, and to the
+      rectors of the colleges, all the superior members of the Order have
+      stationed near them, often without their knowledge, and in apparently the
+      lowest capacities, men able to assume their functions at any given moment,
+      and who, with this view, constantly keep up a direct correspondence with
+      Rome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From the moment Rodin had assumed this position, the manners of Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, generally so haughty, underwent a change. Though it cost him a
+      good deal, he said with hesitation, mingled with deference: &ldquo;You have, no
+      doubt, the right to command me&mdash;who hitherto have commanded.&rdquo; Rodin,
+      without answering, drew from his well-rubbed and greasy pocket-book a slip
+      of paper, stamped upon both sides, on which were written several lines in
+      Latin. When he had read it, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny pressed this paper
+      respectfully, even religiously, to his lips: then returned it to Rodin,
+      with a low bow. When he again raised his head, he was purple with shame
+      and vexation. Notwithstanding his habits of passive obedience and
+      immutable respect for the will of the Order, he felt a bitter and violent
+      rage at seeing himself thus abruptly deposed from power. That was not all.
+      Though, for a long time past, all relations in gallantry had ceased
+      between him and Mme. de Saint-Dizier, the latter was not the less a woman;
+      and for him to suffer this humiliation in presence of a woman was,
+      undoubtedly, cruel, as, notwithstanding his entrance into the Order, he
+      had not wholly laid aside the character of man of the world. Moreover, the
+      princess, instead of appearing hurt and offended by this sudden
+      transformation of the superior into a subaltern, and of the subaltern into
+      a superior, looked at Rodin with a sort of curiosity mingled with
+      interest. As a woman&mdash;as a woman, intensely ambitious, seeking to
+      connect herself with every powerful influence&mdash;the princess loved
+      this strange species of contrast. She found it curious and interesting to
+      see this man, almost in rags, mean in appearance, and ignobly ugly, and
+      but lately the most humble of subordinates look down from the height of
+      his superior intelligence upon the nobleman by birth, distinguished for
+      the elegance of his manners, and just before so considerable a personage
+      in the Society. From that moment, as the more important personage of the
+      two, Rodin completely took the place of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny in the
+      princess&rsquo;s mind. The first pang of humiliation over, the reverend father,
+      though his pride bled inwardly, applied all his knowledge of the world to
+      behave with redoubled courtesy towards Rodin, who had become his superior
+      by this abrupt change of fortune. But the ex-socius, incapable of
+      appreciating, or rather of acknowledging, such delicate shades of manner,
+      established himself at once, firmly, imperiously, brutally, in his new
+      position, not from any reaction of offended pride, but from a
+      consciousness of what he was really worth. A long acquaintance with Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny had revealed to him the inferiority of the latter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You threw away your pen,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to Rodin with extreme
+      deference, &ldquo;while I was dictating a note for Rome. Will you do me the
+      favor to tell me how I have acted wrong?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Directly,&rdquo; replied Rodin, in his sharp, cutting voice. &ldquo;For a long time
+      this affair appeared to me above your strength; but I abstained from
+      interfering. And yet what mistakes! what poverty of invention; what
+      coarseness in the means employed to bring it to bear!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can hardly understand your reproaches,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      mildly, though a secret bitterness made its way through his apparent
+      submission. &ldquo;Was not the success certain, had it not been for this
+      codicil? Did you not yourself assist in the measures that you now blame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You commanded, then, and it was my duty to obey. Besides, you were just
+      on the point of succeeding&mdash;not because of the means you had taken&mdash;but
+      in spite of those means, with all their awkward and revolting brutality.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir&mdash;you are severe,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am just. One has to be prodigiously clever, truly, to shut up any one
+      in a room, and then lock the door! And yet, what else have you done? The
+      daughters of General Simon?&mdash;imprisoned at Leipsic, shut up in a
+      convent at Paris! Adrienne de Cardoville?&mdash;placed in confinement.
+      Sleepinbuff&mdash;put in prison. Djalma?&mdash;quieted by a narcotic. One
+      only ingenious method, and a thousand times safer, because it acted
+      morally, not materially, was employed to remove M. Hardy. As for your
+      other proceedings&mdash;they were all bad, uncertain, dangerous. Why?
+      Because they were violent, and violence provokes violence. Then it is no
+      longer a struggle of keen, skillful, persevering men, seeing through the
+      darkness in which they walk, but a match of fisticuffs in broad day.
+      Though we should be always in action, we should always shrink from view;
+      and yet you could find no better plan than to draw universal attention to
+      us by proceedings at once open and deplorably notorious. To make them more
+      secret, you call in the guard, the commissary of police, the jailers, for
+      your accomplices. It is pitiable, sir; nothing but the most brilliant
+      success could cover such wretched folly; and this success has been
+      wanting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, deeply hurt, for the Princess de Saint
+      Dizier, unable to conceal the sort of admiration caused in her by the
+      plain, decisive words of Rodin, looked at her old lover, with an air that
+      seemed to say, &ldquo;He is right;&rdquo;&mdash;&ldquo;sir, you are more than severe in your
+      judgment; and, notwithstanding the deference I owe to you, I must observe,
+      that I am not accustomed&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are many other things to which you are not accustomed,&rdquo; said Rodin,
+      harshly interrupting the reverend father; &ldquo;but you will accustom yourself
+      to them. You have hitherto had a false idea of your own value. There is
+      the old leaven of the soldier and the worlding fermenting within you,
+      which deprives your reason of the coolness, lucidity, and penetration that
+      it ought to possess. You have been a fine military officer, brisk and gay,
+      foremost in wars and festivals, with pleasures and women. These things
+      have half worn you out. You will never be anything but a subaltern; you
+      have been thoroughly tested. You will always want that vigor and
+      concentration of mind which governs men and events. That vigor and
+      concentration of mind I have&mdash;and do you know why? It is because,
+      solely devoted to the service of the Company, I have always been ugly,
+      dirty, unloved, unloving&mdash;I have all my manhood about me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In pronouncing these words, full of cynical pride, Rodin was truly
+      fearful. The princess de Saint-Dizier thought him almost handsome by his
+      energy and audacity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, feeling himself overawed, invincibly and inexorably, by
+      this diabolical being, made a last effort to resist and exclaimed, &ldquo;Oh!
+      sir, these boastings are no proofs of valor and power. We must see you at
+      work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Rodin, coldly; &ldquo;do you know at what work?&rdquo; Rodin was fond
+      of this interrogative mode of expression. &ldquo;Why, at the work that you so
+      basely abandon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; cried the Princess de Saint-Dizier; for Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      stupefied at Rodin&rsquo;s audacity, was unable to utter a word.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, slowly, &ldquo;that I undertake to bring to a good issue
+      this affair of the Rennepont inheritance, which appears to you so
+      desperate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You?&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;You?&rdquo; &ldquo;I.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But they have unmasked our maneuvers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better; we shall be obliged to invent others.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But they; will suspect us in everything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the better; the success that is difficult is the most certain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! do you hope to make Gabriel consent not to revoke his donation,
+      which is perhaps illegal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I mean to bring in to the coffers of the Company the whole of the two
+      hundred and twelve millions, of which they wish to cheat us. Is that
+      clear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is clear&mdash;but impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I tell you that it is, and must be possible. Do you not understand,
+      short-sighted as you are!&rdquo; cried Rodin, animated to such a degree that his
+      cadaverous face became slightly flushed; &ldquo;do you not understand that it is
+      no longer in our choice to hesitate? Either these two hundred and twelve
+      millions must be ours&mdash;and then the re-establishment of our sovereign
+      influence in France is sure&mdash;for, in these venal times, with such a
+      sum at command, you may bribe or overthrow a government, or light up the
+      flame of civil war, and restore legitimacy, which is our natural ally,
+      and, owing all to us, would give us all in return&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is clear,&rdquo; cried the princess, clasping her hands in admiration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If, on the contrary,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;these two hundred and twelve
+      millions fall into the hands of the family of the Renneponts, it will be
+      our ruin and our destruction. We shall create a stock of bitter and
+      implacable enemies. Have you not heard the execrable designs of that
+      Rennepont, with regard to the association he recommends, and which, by an
+      accursed fatality, his race are just in a condition to realize? Think of
+      the forces that would rally round these millions. There would be Marshal
+      Simon, acting in the name of his daughters&mdash;that is, the man of the
+      people become a duke, without being the vainer for it, which secures his
+      influence with the mob, because military spirit and Bonapartism still
+      represent, in the eyes of the French populace, the traditions of national
+      honor and glory. There would be Francis Hardy, the liberal, independent,
+      enlightened citizen, the type of the great manufacturer, the friend of
+      progress, the benefactor of his workmen. There would be Gabriel&mdash;the
+      good priest, as they say!&mdash;the apostle of the primitive gospel, the
+      representative of the democracy of the church, of the poor country curate
+      as opposed to the rich bishop, the tiller of the vine as opposed to him
+      who sits in the shade of it; the propagator of all the ideas of
+      fraternity, emancipation, progress&mdash;to use their own jargon&mdash;and
+      that, not in the name of revolutionary and incendiary politics, but in the
+      name of a religion of charity, love, and peace&mdash;to speak as they
+      speak. There, too, would be Adrienne de Cardoville, the type of elegance,
+      grace, and beauty, the priestess of the senses, which she deifies by
+      refining and cultivating them. I need not tell you of her wit and
+      audacity; you know them but too well. No one could be more dangerous to us
+      than this creature, a patrician in blood, a plebeian in heart, a poet in
+      imagination. Then, too, there would be Prince Djalma, chivalrous, bold,
+      ready for adventure, knowing nothing of civilized life, implacable in his
+      hate as in his affection, a terrible instrument for whoever can make use
+      of him. In this detestable family, even such a wretch as Sleepinbuff, who
+      in himself is of no value, raised and purified by the contact of these
+      generous and far from narrow natures (as they call them), might represent
+      the working class, and take a large share in the influence of that
+      association. Now do you not think that if all these people, already
+      exasperated against us, because (as they say) we have wished to rob them,
+      should follow the detestable counsels of this Rennepont&mdash;should unite
+      their forces around this immense fortune, which would strengthen them a
+      hundred-fold&mdash;do you not think that, if they declare a deadly war
+      against us, they will be the most dangerous enemies that we have ever had?
+      I tell you that the Company has never been in such serious peril; yes, it
+      is now a question of life and death. We must no longer defend ourselves,
+      but lead the attack, so as to annihilate this accursed race of Rennepont,
+      and obtain possession of these millions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this picture, drawn by Rodin with a feverish animation, which had only
+      the more influence from its unexpectedness, the princess and Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny looked at each other in confusion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I confess,&rdquo; said the reverend father to Rodin, &ldquo;I had not considered all
+      the dangerous consequences of this association, recommended by M. de
+      Rennepont. I believe that the heir, from the characters we know them to be
+      possessed of, would wish to realize this Utopia. The peril is great and
+      pressing; what is to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir? You have to act upon ignorant, heroic, enthusiastic natures
+      like Djalma&rsquo;s&mdash;sensual and eccentric characters like Adrienne de
+      Cardoville&rsquo;s&mdash;simple and ingenuous minds like Rose and Blanche
+      Simon&rsquo;s&mdash;honest and frank dispositions like Francis Hardy&rsquo;s&mdash;angelic
+      and pure souls like Gabriel&rsquo;s&mdash;brutal and stupid instincts like
+      Jacques&mdash;and can you ask, &lsquo;What is to be done?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In truth, I do not understand you,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe it. Your past conduct shows as much,&rdquo; replied Rodin,
+      contemptuously. &ldquo;You have had recourse to the lowest and most mechanical
+      contrivances, instead of acting upon the noble and generous passions,
+      which, once united, would constitute so formidable a bond; but which, now
+      divided and isolated, are open to every surprise, every seduction, every
+      attack! Do you, at length understand me? Not yet?&rdquo; added Rodin, shrugging
+      his shoulders. &ldquo;Answer me&mdash;do people die of despair?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May not the gratitude of successful love reach the last limits of insane
+      generosity?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May there not be such horrible deceptions, that suicide is the only
+      refuge from frightful realities?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May not the excess of sensuality lead to the grave by a slow and
+      voluptuous agony?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are there not in life such terrible circumstances that the most worldly,
+      the firmest, the most impious characters, throw themselves blindly,
+      overwhelmed with despair, into the arms of religion, and abandon all
+      earthly greatness for sackcloth, and prayers, and solitude?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are there not a thousand occasions in which the reaction of the passions
+      works the most extraordinary changes, and brings about the most tragic
+      catastrophes in the life of man and woman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then! why ask me, &lsquo;What is to be done?&rsquo; What would you say, for
+      example, if before three months are over, the most dangerous members of
+      this family of the Renneponts should come to implore, upon their knees,
+      admission to that very Society which they now hold in horror, and from
+      which Gabriel has just separated?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Such a conversion is impossible,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Impossible? What were you, sir, fifteen years ago?&rdquo; said Rodin. &ldquo;An
+      impious and debauched man of the world. And yet you came to us, and your
+      wealth became ours. What! we have conquered princes, kings, popes; we have
+      absorbed and extinguished in our unity magnificent intelligences, which,
+      from afar, shone with too dazzling a light; we have all but governed two
+      worlds; we have perpetuated our Society, full of life, rich and
+      formidable, even to this day, through all the hate, and all the
+      persecutions that have assailed us; and yet we shall not be able to get
+      the better of a single family, which threatens our Company, and has
+      despoiled us of a large fortune? What! we are not skillful enough to
+      obtain this result without having recourse to awkward and dangerous
+      violence? You do not know, then, the immense field that is thrown open by
+      the mutually destructive power of human passions, skillfully combined,
+      opposed, restrained, excited?&mdash;particularly,&rdquo; added Rodin, with a
+      strange smile, &ldquo;when, thanks to a powerful ally, these passions are sure
+      to be redoubled in ardor and energy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What ally?&rdquo; asked Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who, as well as the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier, felt a sort of admiration mixed with terror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, without answering the reverend father; &ldquo;this
+      formidable ally, who comes to our assistance, may bring about the most
+      astonishing transformations&mdash;make the coward brave, and the impious
+      credulous, and the gentle ferocious&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But this ally!&rdquo; cried the Princess, oppressed with a vague sense of fear.
+      &ldquo;This great and formidable ally&mdash;who is he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he comes,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, still impassible, &ldquo;the youngest and most
+      vigorous, every moment in danger of death, will have no advantage over the
+      sick man at his last gasp.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But who is this ally?&rdquo; exclaimed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, more and more
+      alarmed, for as the picture became darker, Rodin&rsquo;s face become more
+      cadaverous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This ally, who can decimate a population, may carry away with him in the
+      shroud that he drags at his heels, the whole of an accursed race; but even
+      he must respect the life of that great intangible body, which does not
+      perish with the death of its members&mdash;for the spirit of the Society
+      of Jesus is immortal!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this ally?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, this ally,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;who advances with slow steps, and whose
+      terrible coming is announced by mournful presentiments&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Cholera!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, pronounced by Rodin in an abrupt voice, made the Princess and
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny grow pale and tremble. Rodin&rsquo;s look was gloomy and
+      chilling, like a spectre&rsquo;s. For some moments, the silence of the tomb
+      reigned in the saloon. Rodin was the first to break it. Still impassible,
+      he pointed with imperious gesture to the table, where a few minutes before
+      he had himself been humbly seated, and said in a sharp voice to Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;Write!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The reverend father started at first with surprise; then, remembering that
+      from a superior he had become an inferior, he rose, bowed lowly to Rodin,
+      as he passed before him, seated himself at the table, took the pen, and
+      said, &ldquo;I am ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin dictated, and the reverend Father wrote as follows: &ldquo;By the
+      mismanagement of the Reverend Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, the affair of the
+      inheritance of the Rennepont family has been seriously compromised. The
+      sum amounts to two hundred and twelve millions. Notwithstanding the check
+      we have received, we believe we may safely promise to prevent these
+      Renneponts from injuring the Society, and to restore the two hundred and
+      twelve millions to their legitimate possessors. We only ask for the most
+      complete and extensive powers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A quarter of an hour after this scene, Rodin left Saint Dizier House,
+      brushing with his sleeve the old greasy hat, I which he had pulled off to
+      return the salute of the porter by a very low bow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0081" id="link2HCH0081">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVIII. THE STRANGER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he following scene took place on the morrow of the day in which Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny had been so rudely degraded by Rodin to the subaltern position
+      formerly occupied by the socius.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is well known that the Rue Clovis is one of the most solitary streets
+      in the Montagne St. Genevieve district. At the epoch of this narrative,
+      the house No. 4, in this street, was composed of one principal building,
+      through which ran a dark passage, leading to a little, gloomy court, at
+      the end of which was a second building, in a singularly miserable and
+      dilapidated condition. On the ground-floor, in front of the house, was a
+      half-subterraneous shop, in which was sold charcoal, fagots, vegetables,
+      and milk. Nine o&rsquo;clock in the morning had just struck. The mistress of the
+      shop, one Mother Arsene, an old woman of a mild, sickly countenance, clad
+      in a brown stuff dress, with a red bandanna round her head, was mounted on
+      the top step of the stairs which led down to her door, and was employed in
+      setting out her goods&mdash;that is, on one side of her door she placed a
+      tin milk-can, and on the other some bunches of stale vegetables, flanked
+      with yellowed cabbages. At the bottom of the steps, in the shadowy depths
+      of the cellar, one could see the light of the burning charcoal in a little
+      stove. This shop situated at the side of the passage, served as a porter&rsquo;s
+      lodge, and the old woman acted as portress. On a sudden, a pretty little
+      creature, coming from the house, entered lightly and merrily the shop.
+      This young girl was Rose-Pompon, the intimate friend of the Bacchanal
+      Queen.&mdash;Rose-Pompon, a widow for the moment, whose bacchanalian
+      cicisbeo was Ninny Moulin, the orthodox scapegrace, who, on occasion,
+      after drinking his fill, could transform himself into Jacques Dumoulin,
+      the religious writer, and pass gayly from dishevelled dances to
+      ultramontane polemics, from Storm-blown Tulips to Catholic pamphlets.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose-Pompon had just quitted her bed, as appeared by the negligence of her
+      strange morning costume; no doubt, for want of any other head-dress, on
+      her beautiful light hair, smooth and well-combed, was stuck jauntily a
+      foraging-cap, borrowed from her masquerading costume. Nothing could be
+      more sprightly than that face, seventeen years old, rosy, fresh, dimpled,
+      and brilliantly lighted up by a pair of gay, sparkling blue eyes. Rose
+      Pompon was so closely enveloped from the neck to the feet in a red and
+      green plaid cloak, rather faded, that one could guess the cause of her
+      modest embarrassment. Her naked feet, so white that one could not tell if
+      she wore stockings or not, were slipped into little morocco shoes, with
+      plated buckles. It was easy to perceive that her cloak concealed some
+      article which she held in her hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-day, Rose-Pompon,&rdquo; said Mother Arsene with a kindly air; &ldquo;you are
+      early this morning. Had you no dance last night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t talk of it, Mother Arsene; I had no heart to dance. Poor Cephyse&mdash;the
+      Bacchanal Queen&mdash;has done nothing but cry all night. She cannot
+      console herself, that her lover should be in prison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, look here, my girl,&rdquo; said the old woman, &ldquo;I must speak to you about
+      your friend Cephyse. You won&rsquo;t be angry?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Am I ever angry?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, shrugging her shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you think that M. Philemon will scold me on his return?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Scold you! what for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because of his rooms, that you occupy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, Mother Arsene, did not Philemon tell you, that, in his absence, I
+      was to be as much mistress of his two rooms as I am of himself?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not speak of you, but of your friend Cephyse, whom you have also
+      brought to occupy M. Philemon&rsquo;s lodgings.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where would she have gone without me, my good Mother Arsene? Since
+      her lover was arrested, she has not dared to return home, because she owes
+      ever so many quarters. Seeing her troubles. I said to her: &lsquo;Come, lodge at
+      Philemon&rsquo;s. When he returns, we must find another place for you.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, little lovey&mdash;if you only assure me that M. Philemon will not
+      be angry&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Angry! for what? That we spoil his things? A fine set of things he has to
+      spoil! I broke his last cup yesterday&mdash;and am forced to fetch the
+      milk in this comic concern.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20277m.jpg" alt="20277m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20277.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      So saying, laughing with all her might, Rose-Pompon drew her pretty little
+      white arm from under her cloak, and presented to Mother Arsene one of
+      those champagne glasses of colossal capacity, which hold about a bottle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, dear!&rdquo; said the greengrocer in amazement; &ldquo;it is like a glass
+      trumpet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is Philemon&rsquo;s grand gala-glass, which they gave him when he took his
+      degrees in boating,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, gravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to think you must put your milk in it&mdash;I am really ashamed,&rdquo;
+       said Mother Arsene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So am I! If I were to meet any one on the stairs, holding this glass in
+      my hand like a Roman candlestick, I should burst out laughing, and break
+      the last remnant of Philemon&rsquo;s bazaar, and he would give me his
+      malediction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no danger that you will meet any one. The first-floor is gone
+      out, and the second gets up very late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Talking of lodgers,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, &ldquo;is there not a room to let on the
+      second-floor in the rear house? It might do for Cephyse, when Philemon
+      comes back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, there is a little closet in the roof&mdash;just over the two rooms
+      of the mysterious old fellow,&rdquo; said Mother Arsene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! Father Charlemagne. Have you found out anything more about him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me, no, my girl! only that he came this morning at break of day, and
+      knocked at my shutters. &lsquo;Have you received a letter for me, my good lady?&rsquo;
+      said he&mdash;for he is always so polite, the dear man!&mdash;&lsquo;No, sir,&rsquo;
+      said I.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Well, then, pray don&rsquo;t disturb yourself, my good lady!&rsquo;
+      said he; &lsquo;I will call again.&rsquo; And so he went away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does he never sleep in the house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never. No doubt, he lodges somewhere else&mdash;but he passes some hours
+      here, once every four or five days.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And always comes alone?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you quite sure? Does he never manage to slip in some little puss of a
+      woman? Take care, or Philemon will give you notice to quit,&rdquo; said
+      Rose-Pompon, with an air of mock-modesty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Charlemagne with a woman! Oh, poor dear man!&rdquo; said the greengrocer,
+      raising her hands to heaven; &ldquo;if you saw him, with his greasy hat, his old
+      gray coat, his patched umbrella, and his simple face, he looks more like a
+      saint than anything else.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But then, Mother Arsene, what does the saint do here, all alone for
+      hours, in that hole at the bottom of the court, where one can hardly see
+      at noon-day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I ask myself, my dovey, what can he be doing? It can&rsquo;t be
+      that he comes to look at his furniture, for he has nothing but a flock
+      bed, a table, a stove, a chair, and an old trunk.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Somewhat in the style of Philemon&rsquo;s establishment,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, notwithstanding that, Rosey, he is as much afraid that any one
+      should come into his room, as if we were all thieves, and his furniture
+      was made of massy gold. He has had a patent lock put on the door, at his
+      own expense; he never leaves me his key; and he lights his fire himself,
+      rather than let anybody into his room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you say he is old?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, fifty or sixty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And ugly?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just fancy, little viper&rsquo;s eyes, looking as if they had been bored with a
+      gimlet, in a face as pale as death&mdash;so pale, that the lips are white.
+      That&rsquo;s for his appearance. As for his character, the good old man&rsquo;s so
+      polite!&mdash;he pulls off his hat so often, and makes you such low bows,
+      that it is quite embarrassing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, to come back to the point,&rdquo; resumed Rose-Pompon, &ldquo;what can he do all
+      alone in those two rooms? If Cephyse should take the closet, on Philemon&rsquo;s
+      return, we may amuse ourselves by finding out something about it. How much
+      do they want for the little room?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, it is in such bad condition, that I think the landlord would let it
+      go for fifty or fifty-five francs a-year, for there is no room for a
+      stove, and the only light comes through a small pane in the roof.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor Cephyse!&rdquo; said Rose, sighing, and shaking her head sorrowfully.
+      &ldquo;After having amused herself so well, and flung away so much money with
+      Jacques Rennepont, to live in such a place, and support herself by hard
+      work! She must have courage!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, indeed, there is a great difference between that closet and the
+      coach-and-four in which Cephyse came to fetch you the other day, with all
+      the fine masks, that looked so gay&mdash;particularly the fat man in the
+      silver paper helmet, with the plume and the top boots. What a jolly
+      fellow!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Ninny Moulin. There is no one like him to dance the forbidden fruit.
+      You should see him with Cephyse, the Bacchanal Queen. Poor laughing, noisy
+      thing!&mdash;the only noise she makes now is crying.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! these young people&mdash;these young people!&rdquo; said the greengrocer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Easy, Mother Arsene; you were young once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hardly know. I have always thought myself much the same as I am now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your lovers, Mother Arsene?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lovers! Oh, yes! I was too ugly for that&mdash;and too well taken care
+      of.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your mother looked after you, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my girl; but I was harnessed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Harnessed!&rdquo; cried Rose-Pompon, in amazement, interrupting the dealer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&mdash;harnessed to a water-cart, along with my brother. So, you see,
+      when we had drawn like a pair of horses for eight or ten hours a day, I
+      had no heart to think of nonsense.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor Mother Arsene, what a hard life,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon with interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the winter, when it froze, it was hard enough. I and my brother were
+      obliged to be rough-shod, for fear of slipping.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a trade for a woman! It breaks one&rsquo;s heart. And they forbid people
+      to harness dogs!&rdquo; added Rose-Pompon, sententiously.(21)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, &lsquo;tis true,&rdquo; resumed Mother Arsene. &ldquo;Animals are sometimes better off
+      than people. But what would you have? One must live, you know. As you make
+      your bed, you must lie. It was hard enough, and I got a disease of the
+      lungs by it&mdash;which was not my fault. The strap, with which I was
+      harnessed, pressed so hard against my chest, that I could scarcely
+      breathe: so I left the trade, and took to a shop, which is just to tell
+      you, that if I had had a pretty face and opportunity, I might have done
+      like so many other young people, who begin with laughter and finish&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With a laugh t&rsquo;other side of the mouth&mdash;you would say; it is true,
+      Mother Arsene. But, you see, every one has not the courage to go into
+      harness, in order to remain virtuous. A body says to herself, you must
+      have some amusement while you are young and pretty&mdash;you will not
+      always be seventeen years old&mdash;and then&mdash;and then&mdash;the
+      world will end, or you will get married.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, perhaps, it would have been better to begin by that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, but one is too stupid; one does not know how to catch the men, or to
+      frighten them. One is simple, confiding, and they only laugh at us. Why,
+      Mother Arsene, I am myself an example that would make you shudder; but
+      &lsquo;tis quite enough to have had one&rsquo;s sorrows, without fretting one&rsquo;s self
+      at the remembrance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, my beauty! you, so young and gay, have had sorrows?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, Mother Arsene! I believe you. At fifteen and a half I began to cry,
+      and never left off till I was sixteen. That was enough, I think.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They deceived you, mademoiselle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They did worse. They treated me as they have treated many a poor girl,
+      who had no more wish to go wrong than I had. My story is not a three
+      volume one. My father and mother are peasants near Saint-Valery, but so
+      poor&mdash;so poor, that having five children to provide for, they were
+      obliged to send me, at eight years old, to my aunt, who was a charwoman
+      here in Paris. The good woman took me out of charity, and very kind it was
+      of her, for I earned but little. At eleven years of age she sent me to
+      work in one of the factories of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. I don&rsquo;t wish
+      to speak, ill of the masters of these factories; but what do they care, if
+      little boys and girls are mixed up pell-mell with young men and women of
+      eighteen to twenty? Now you see, there, as everywhere, some are no better
+      than they should be; they are not particular in word or deed, and I ask
+      you, what art example for the children, who hear and see more than you
+      think for. Then, what happens? They get accustomed as they grow older, to
+      hear and see things, that afterwards will not shock them at all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What you say there is true, Rose-Pompon. Poor children! who takes any
+      trouble about them?&mdash;not their father or mother, for they are at
+      their daily work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, Mother Arsene, it is all very well; it is easy to cry down a
+      young girl that has gone wrong; but if they knew all the ins and outs,
+      they would perhaps pity rather than blame her. To come back to myself&mdash;at
+      fifteen years old I was tolerably pretty. One day I had something to ask
+      of the head clerk. I went to him in his private room. He told me he would
+      grant what I wanted, and even take me under his patronage, if I would
+      listen to him; and he began by trying to kiss me. I resisted. Then he said
+      to me:&mdash;&lsquo;You refuse my offer? You shall have no more work; I
+      discharge you from the factory.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, the wicked man!&rdquo; said Mother Arsene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I went home all in tears, and my poor aunt encouraged me not to yield,
+      and she would try to place me elsewhere. Yes&mdash;but it was impossible;
+      the factories were all full. Misfortunes never come single; my aunt fell
+      ill, and there was not a sou in the house; I plucked up my courage, and
+      returned to entreat the mercy of the clerk at the factory. Nothing would
+      do. &lsquo;So much the worse,&rsquo; said he; &lsquo;you are throwing away your luck. If you
+      had been more complying, I should perhaps have married you.&rsquo; What could I
+      do, Mother Arsene?&mdash;misery was staring me in the face; I had no work;
+      my aunt was ill; the clerk said he would marry me&mdash;I did like so many
+      others.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And when, afterwards, you spoke to him about marriage?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course he laughed at me, and in six months left me. Then I wept all
+      the tears in my body, till none remained&mdash;then I was very ill&mdash;and
+      then&mdash;I console myself, as one may console one&rsquo;s self for anything.
+      After some changes, I met with Philemon. It is upon him that I revenge
+      myself for what others have done to me. I am his tyrant,&rdquo; added
+      Rose-Pompon, with a tragic air, as the cloud passed away which had
+      darkened her pretty face during her recital to Mother Arsene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; said the latter thoughtfully. &ldquo;They deceive a poor girl&mdash;who
+      is there to protect or defend her? Oh! the evil we do does not always come
+      from ourselves, and then&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I spy Ninny Moulin!&rdquo; cried Rose-Pompon, interrupting the greengrocer, and
+      pointing to the other side of the street. &ldquo;How early abroad! What can he
+      want with me?&rdquo; and Rose wrapped herself still more closely and modestly in
+      her cloak.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was indeed Jacques Dumoulin, who advanced with his hat stuck on one
+      side, with rubicund nose and sparkling eye, dressed in a loose coat, which
+      displayed the rotundity of his abdomen. His hands, one of which held a
+      huge cane shouldered like a musket, were plunged into the vast pockets of
+      his outer garment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just as he reached the threshold of the door, no doubt with the intention
+      of speaking to the portress, he perceived Rose-Pompon. &ldquo;What!&rdquo; he
+      exclaimed, &ldquo;my pupil already stirring? That is fortunate. I came on
+      purpose to bless her at the rise of morn!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Ninny Moulin advanced with open arms towards Rose-Pompon who
+      drew back a step.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, ungrateful child!&rdquo; resumed the writer on divinity. &ldquo;Will you refuse
+      me the morning&rsquo;s paternal kiss?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I accept paternal kisses from none but Philemon. I had a letter from him
+      yesterday, with a jar of preserves, two geese, a bottle of home-made
+      brandy, and an eel. What ridiculous presents! I kept the drink, and
+      changed the rest for two darling live pigeons, which I have installed in
+      Philemon&rsquo;s cabinet, and a very pretty dove-cote it makes me. For the rest,
+      my husband is coming back with seven hundred francs, which he got from his
+      respectable family, under pretence of learning the bass viol, the
+      cornet-a-piston, and the speaking trumpet, so as to make his way in
+      society, and a slap-up marriage&mdash;to use your expression&mdash;my good
+      child.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear pupil, we will taste the family brandy, and enjoy ourselves
+      in expectation of Philemon and his seven hundred francs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Ninny Moulin slapped the pockets of his waistcoat, which gave
+      forth a metallic sound, and added: &ldquo;I come to propose to you to embellish
+      my life, to-day and to-morrow, and even the day after, if your heart is
+      willing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the announcements are decent and fraternal, my heart does not say no.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied; I will act by you as your grandfather, your great
+      grandfather, your family portrait. We will have a ride, a dinner, the
+      play, a fancy dress ball, and a supper afterwards. Will that suit you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On condition that poor Cephyse is to go with us. It will raise her
+      spirits.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Cephyse shall be of the party.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you come into a fortune, great apostle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Better than that, most rosy and pompous of all Rose-Pom, pons! I am head
+      editor of a religious journal; and as I must make some appearance in so
+      respectable a concern, I ask every month for four weeks in advance, and
+      three days of liberty. On this condition, I consent to play the saint for
+      twenty-seven days out of thirty, and to be always as grave and heavy as
+      the paper itself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A journal! that will be something droll, and dance forbidden steps all
+      alone on the tables of the cafes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it will be droll enough; but not for everybody. They are rich
+      sacristans, who pay the expenses. They don&rsquo;t look to money, provided the
+      journal bites, tears, burns, pounds, exterminates and destroys. On my word
+      of honor, I shall never have been in such a fury!&rdquo; added Ninny Moulin,
+      with a loud, hoarse laugh. &ldquo;I shall wash the wounds of my adversaries with
+      venom of the finest vintage, and gall of the first quality.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For his peroration, Ninny Moulin imitated the pop of uncorking a bottle of
+      champagne&mdash;which made Rose-Pompon laugh heartily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what,&rdquo; resumed she, &ldquo;will be the name of your journal of sacristans?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will be called &lsquo;Neighborly Love.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come! that is a very pretty name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait a little! there is a second title.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us hear it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Neighborly Love; or, the Exterminator of the Incredulous, the
+      Indifferent, the Lukewarm, and Others,&rsquo; with this motto from the great
+      Bossuet: &lsquo;Those who are not for us are against us.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what Philemon says in the battles at the Chaumiere, when he
+      shakes his cane.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which proves, that the genius of the Eagle of Meaux is universal. I only
+      reproach him for having been jealous of Moliere.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bah! actor&rsquo;s jealousy,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Naughty girl!&rdquo; cried Ninny Moulin, threatening her with his finger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if you are going to exterminate Madame de la Sainte-Colombo, who is
+      somewhat lukewarm&mdash;how about your marriage?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My journal will advance it, on the contrary. Only think! editor-In chief
+      is a superb position; the sacristans will praise, and push, and support,
+      and bless me; I shall get La-Sainte-Colombe&mdash;and then, what a life
+      I&rsquo;ll lead!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, a postman entered the shop, and delivered a letter to the
+      greengrocer, saying: &ldquo;For M. Charlemagne, post-paid!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon; &ldquo;it is for the little mysterious old man, who has
+      such extraordinary ways. Does it come from far?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you; it comes from Italy, from Rome,&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin,
+      looking in his turn at the letter, which the greengrocer held in her hand.
+      &ldquo;Who is the astonishing little old man of whom you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just imagine to yourself, my great apostle,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, &ldquo;a little
+      old man, who has two rooms at the bottom of that court. He never sleeps
+      there, but comes from time to time, and shuts himself up for hours,
+      without ever allowing any one to enter his lodging, and without any one
+      knowing what he does there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is a conspirator,&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, laughing, &ldquo;or else a comer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor dear man,&rdquo; said Mother Arsene, &ldquo;what has he done with his false
+      money? He pays me always in sous for the bit of bread and the radish I
+      furnish him for his breakfast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what is the name of this mysterious chap?&rdquo; asked Dumoulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Charlemagne,&rdquo; said the greengrocer. &ldquo;But look, surely one speaks of
+      the devil, one is sure to see his horns.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where&rsquo;s the horns?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There, by the side of the house&mdash;that little old man, who walks with
+      his neck awry, and his umbrella under his arm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin!&rdquo; ejaculated Ninny Moulin, retreating hastily, and descending
+      three steps into the shop, in order not to be seen. Then he added. &ldquo;You
+      say, that this gentleman calls himself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Charlemagne&mdash;do you know him?&rdquo; asked the greengrocer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What the devil does he do here, under a false name?&rdquo; said Jacques
+      Dumoulin to himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know him?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, with impatience. &ldquo;You are quite
+      confused.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this gentleman has two rooms in this house, and comes here
+      mysteriously,&rdquo; said Jacques Dumoulin, more and more surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Rose-Pompon; &ldquo;you can see his windows from Philemon&rsquo;s
+      dove-cote.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quick! quick! let me go into the passage, that I may not meet him,&rdquo; said
+      Dumoulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And, without having been perceived by Rodin, he glided from the shop into
+      the passage, and thence mounted to the stairs, which led to the apartment
+      occupied by Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-morning, M. Charlemagne,&rdquo; said Mother Arsene to Rodin, who made his
+      appearance on the threshold. &ldquo;You come twice in a day; that is right, for
+      your visits are extremely rare.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are too polite, my good lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, with a very courteous bow;
+      and he entered the shop of the greengrocer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (21) There are, really, ordinances, full of a touching interest for the
+      canine race, which forbid the harnessing of dogs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0082" id="link2HCH0082">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIX. THE DEN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">R</span>odin&rsquo;s countenance, when he entered Mother Arsene&rsquo;s shop, was expressive
+      of the most simple candor. He leaned his hands on the knob of his
+      umbrella, and said: &ldquo;I much regret, my good lady, that I roused you so
+      early this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not come often enough, my dear sir, for me to find fault with
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How can I help it, my good lady? I live in the country, and only come
+      hither from time to time to settle my little affairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Talking of that sir, the letter you expected yesterday has arrived this
+      morning. It is large, and comes from far. Here it is,&rdquo; said the
+      greengrocer, drawing it from her pocket; &ldquo;it cost nothing for postage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, my dear lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, taking the letter with apparent
+      indifference, and putting it into the side-pocket of his great-coat, which
+      he carefully buttoned over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you going up to your rooms, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my good, lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I will get ready your little provisions,&rdquo; said Mother Arsene; &ldquo;as
+      usual, I suppose, my dear sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just as usual.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It shall be ready in the twinkling of an eye, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the greengrocer took down an old basket; after throwing into it
+      three or four pieces of turf, a little bundle of wood, and some charcoal,
+      she covered all this fuel with a cabbage leaf; then, going to the further
+      end of the shop, she took from a chest a large round loaf, cut off a
+      slice, and selecting a magnificent radish with the eye of a connoisseur,
+      divided it in two, made a hole in it, which she filled with gray salt
+      joined the two pieces together again, and placed it carefully by the side
+      of the bread, on the cabbage leaf which separated the eatables from the
+      combustibles. Finally, taking some embers from the stove, she put them
+      into a little earthen pot, containing ashes, which she placed also in the
+      basket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, reascending to her top step, Mother Arsene said to Rodin: &ldquo;Here is
+      your basket, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand thanks, my good lady,&rdquo; answered Rodin, and plunging his hand
+      into the pocket of his trousers, he drew forth eight sous, which he
+      counted out only one by one to the greengrocer, and said to her, as he
+      carried off his store: &ldquo;Presently, when I come down again, I will return
+      your basket as usual.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite at your service, my dear sir, quite at your service,&rdquo; said Mother
+      Arsene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin tucked his umbrella under his left arm, took up the greengrocer&rsquo;s
+      basket with his right hand, entered the dark passage, crossed the little
+      court and mounted with light step to the second story of a dilapidated
+      building; there, drawing a key from his pocket, he opened a door, which he
+      locked carefully after him. The first of the two rooms which he occupied
+      was completely unfurnished, as for the second, it is impossible to imagine
+      a more gloomy and miserable den. Papering so much worn, torn and faded,
+      that no one could recognize its primitive color, bedecked the walls. A
+      wretched flock-bed, covered with a moth-fretted blanket; a stool, and a
+      little table of worm-eaten wood; an earthenware stove, as cracked as old
+      china; a trunk with a padlock, placed under the bed&mdash;such was the
+      furniture of this desolate hole. A narrow window, with dirty panes, hardly
+      gave any light to this room, which was almost deprived of air by the
+      height of the building in front; two old cotton pocket handkerchiefs,
+      fastened together with pins, and made to slide upon a string stretched
+      across the window, served for curtains. The plaster of the roof, coming
+      through the broken and disjointed tiles, showed the extreme neglect of the
+      inhabitant of this abode. After locking his door, Rodin threw his hat and
+      umbrella on the bed, placed his basket on the ground, set the radish and
+      bread on the table, and kneeling down before his stove, stuffed it with
+      fuel, and lighted it by blowing with vigorous lungs on the embers
+      contained in his earthen pot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When, to use the consecrated expression, the stove began to draw, Rodin
+      spread out the handkerchiefs, which served him for curtains; then,
+      thinking himself quite safe from every eye, he took from the side-pocket
+      of his great-coat the letter that Mother Arsene had given him. In doing
+      so, he brought out several papers and different articles; one of these
+      papers, folded into a thick and rumpled packet, fell upon the table, and
+      flew open. It contained a silver cross of the Legion of Honor, black with
+      time. The red ribbon of this cross had almost entirely lost its original
+      color. At sight of this cross, which he replaced in his pocket with the
+      medal of which Faringhea had despoiled Djalma, Rodin shrugged his
+      shoulders with a contemptuous and sardonic air; then, producing his large
+      silver watch, he laid it on the table by the side of the letter from Rome.
+      He looked at this letter with a singular mixture of suspicion and hope, of
+      fear, and impatient curiosity. After a moment&rsquo;s reflection, he prepared to
+      unseal the envelope; but suddenly he threw it down again upon the table,
+      as if, by a strange caprice, he had wished to prolong for a few minutes
+      that agony of uncertainty, as poignant and irritating as the emotion of
+      the gambler.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20287m.jpg" alt="20287m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20287.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Looking at his watch, Rodin resolved not to open the letter, until the
+      hand should mark half-past nine, of which it still wanted seven minutes.
+      In one of those whims of puerile fatalism, from which great minds have not
+      been exempt, Rodin said to himself: &ldquo;I burn with impatience to open this
+      letter. If I do not open it till half-past nine, the news will be
+      favorable.&rdquo; To employ these minutes, Rodin took several turns up and down
+      the room, and stood in admiring contemplation before two old prints,
+      stained with damp and age, and fastened to the wall by rusty nails. The
+      first of these works of art&mdash;the only ornaments with which Rodin had
+      decorated this hole&mdash;was one of those coarse pictures, illuminated
+      with red, yellow, green, and blue, such as are sold at fairs; an Italian
+      inscription announced that this print had been manufactured at Rome. It
+      represented a woman covered with rags, bearing a wallet, and having a
+      little child upon her knees; a horrible hag of a fortune-teller held in
+      her hands the hand of the little child, and seemed to read there his
+      future fate, for these words in large blue letters issued from her mouth:
+      &ldquo;Sara Papa&rdquo; (he shall be Pope).
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The second of these works of art, which appeared to inspire Rodin with
+      deep meditations, was an excellent etching, whose careful finish and bold,
+      correct drawing, contrasted singularly with the coarse coloring of the
+      other picture. This rare and splendid engraving, which had cost Rodin six
+      louis (an enormous expense for him), represented a young boy dressed in
+      rags. The ugliness of his features was compensated by the intellectual
+      expression of his strongly marked countenance. Seated on a stone,
+      surrounded by a herd of swine, that he seemed employed in keeping, he was
+      seen in front, with his elbow resting on his knee, and his chin in the
+      palm of his hand. The pensive and reflective attitude of this young man,
+      dressed as a beggar, the power expressed in his large forehead, the
+      acuteness of his penetrating glance, and the firm lines of the mouth,
+      seemed to reveal indomitable resolution, combined with superior
+      intelligence and ready craft. Beneath this figure, the emblems of the
+      papacy encircled a medallion, in the centre of which was the head of an
+      old man, the lines of which, strongly marked, recalled in a striking
+      manner, notwithstanding their look of advanced age, the features of the
+      young swineherd. This engraving was entitled THE YOUTH of SIXTUS V.; the
+      color print was entitled The Prediction.(22)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In contemplating these prints more and more nearly, with ardent and
+      inquiring eye, as though he had asked for hopes or inspirations from them,
+      Rodin had come so close that, still standing, with his right arm bent
+      behind his head, he rested, as it were, against the wall, whilst, hiding
+      his left hand in the pocket of his black trousers, he thus held back one
+      of the flaps of his olive great-coat. For some minutes, he remained in
+      this meditative attitude.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, as we have said, came seldom to this lodging; according to the
+      rules of his Order, he had till now lived with Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whom he
+      was specially charged to watch. No member of the Society, particularly in
+      the subaltern position which Rodin had hitherto held, could either shut
+      himself in, or possess an article of furniture made to lock. By this means
+      nothing interferes with the mutual spy-system, incessantly carried on,
+      which forms one of the most powerful resources of the Company of Jesus. It
+      was on account of certain combinations, purely personal to himself, though
+      connected on some points with the interests of the Order, that Rodin,
+      unknown to all, had taken these rooms in the Rue Clovis. And it was from
+      the depths of this obscure den that the socius corresponded directly with
+      the most eminent and influential personages of the sacred college. On one
+      occasion, when Rodin wrote to Rome, that Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, having
+      received orders to quit France without seeing his dying mother, had
+      hesitated to set out, the socius had added, in form of postscriptum, at
+      the bottom of the letter denouncing to the General of the Order the
+      hesitation of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell the Prince Cardinal that he may rely upon me, but I hope for his
+      active aid in return.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This familiar manner of corresponding with the most powerful dignitary of
+      the Order, the almost patronizing tone of the recommendation that Rodin
+      addressed to the Prince Cardinal, proved that the socius, notwithstanding
+      his apparently subaltern position, was looked upon, at that epoch, as a
+      very important personage, by many of the Princes of the Church, who wrote
+      to him at Paris under a false name, making use of a cipher and other
+      customary precautions. After some moments passed in contemplation, before
+      the portrait of Sixtus V., Rodin returned slowly to the table, on which
+      lay the letter, which, by a sort of superstitious delay, he had deferred
+      opening, notwithstanding his extreme curiosity. As it still wanted some
+      minutes of half-past nine, Rodin, in order not to lose time, set about
+      making preparations for his frugal breakfast. He placed on the table, by
+      the side of an inkstand, furnished with pens, the slice of bread and the
+      radish; then seating himself on his stool, with the stove, as it were,
+      between his legs, he drew a horn-handled knife from his pocket, and
+      cutting alternately a morsel of bread and a morsel of radish, with a
+      sharp, well-worn blade, he began his temperate repast with a vigorous
+      appetite, keeping his eye fixed on the hand of his watch. When it reached
+      the momentous hour, he unsealed the envelope with a trembling hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It contained two letters. The first appeared to give him little
+      satisfaction; for, after some minutes, he shrugged his shoulders, struck
+      the table impatiently with the handle of his knife, disdainfully pushed
+      aside the letter with the back of his dirty hand, and perused the second
+      epistle, holding his bread in one hand, and with the other mechanically
+      dipping a slice of radish into the gray salt spilt on a corner of the
+      table. Suddenly, Rodin&rsquo;s hand remained motionless. As he progressed in his
+      reading, he appeared more and more interested, surprised, and struck.
+      Rising abruptly, he ran to the window, as if to assure himself, by a
+      second examination of the cipher, that he was not deceived. The news
+      announced to him in the letter seemed to be unexpected. No doubt, Rodin
+      found that he had deciphered correctly, for, letting fall his arms, not in
+      dejection, but with the stupor of a satisfaction as unforeseen as
+      extraordinary, he remained for some time with his head down, and his eyes
+      fixed&mdash;the only mark of joy that he gave being manifested by a loud,
+      frequent, and prolonged respiration. Men who are as audacious in their
+      ambition, as they are patient and obstinate in their mining and
+      countermining, are surprised at their own success, when this latter
+      precedes and surpasses their wise and prudent expectations. Rodin was now
+      in this case. Thanks to prodigies of craft, address, and dissimulation,
+      thanks to mighty promises of corruption, thanks to the singular mixture of
+      admiration, fear, and confidence, with which his genius inspired many
+      influential persons, Rodin now learned from members of the pontifical
+      government, that, in case of a possible and probable occurrence, he might,
+      within a given time, aspire, with a good chance of success, to a position
+      which has too often excited the fear, the hate, or the envy of many
+      sovereigns, and which has in turn, been occupied by great, good men, by
+      abominable scoundrels, and by persons risen from the lowest grades of
+      society. But for Rodin to attain this end with certainty, it was
+      absolutely necessary for him to succeed in that project, which he had
+      undertaken to accomplish without violence, and only by the play and the
+      rebound of passions skillfully managed. The project was: To secure for the
+      Society of Jesus the fortune of the Rennepont family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This possession would thus have a double and immense result; for Rodin,
+      acting in accordance with his personal views, intended to make of his
+      Order (whose chief was at his discretion) a stepping-stone and a means of
+      intimidation. When his first impression of surprise had passed away&mdash;an
+      impression that was only a sort of modesty of ambition and self
+      diffidence, not uncommon with men of really superior powers&mdash;Rodin
+      looked more coldly and logically on the matter, and almost reproached
+      himself for his surprise. But soon after, by a singular contradiction,
+      yielding to one of those puerile and absurd ideas, by which men are often
+      carried away when they think themselves alone and unobserved, Rodin rose
+      abruptly, took the letter which had caused him such glad surprise, and
+      went to display it, as it were, before the eyes of the young swineherd in
+      the picture: then, shaking his head proudly and triumphantly, casting his
+      reptile-glance on the portrait, he muttered between his teeth, as he
+      placed his dirty finger on the pontifical emblem: &ldquo;Eh, brother? and I also&mdash;perhaps!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After this ridiculous interpolation, Rodin returned to his seat, and, as
+      if the happy news he had just received had increased his appetite, he
+      placed the letter before him, to read it once more, whilst he exercised
+      his teeth, with a sort of joyous fury, on his hard bread and radish,
+      chanting an old Litany.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was something strange, great, and, above all, frightful, in the
+      contrast afforded by this immense ambition, already almost justified by
+      events, and contained, as it were, in so miserable an abode. Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny (who, if not a very superior man, had at least some real value,
+      was a person of high birth, very haughty, and placed in the best society)
+      would never have ventured to aspire to what Rodin thus looked to from the
+      first. The only aim of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and even this he thought
+      presumptuous, was to be one day elected General of his Order&mdash;that
+      Order which embraced the world. The difference of the ambitious aptitudes
+      of these two personages is conceivable. When a man of eminent abilities,
+      of a healthy and vivacious nature, concentrates all the strength of his
+      mind and body upon a single point, remaining, like Rodin, obstinately
+      chaste and frugal, and renouncing every gratification of the heart and the
+      senses&mdash;the man, who revolts against the sacred designs of his
+      Creator, does so almost always in favor of some monstrous and devouring
+      passion&mdash;some infernal divinity, which, by a sacrilegious pact, asks
+      of him, in return for the bestowal of formidable power, the destruction of
+      every noble sentiment, and of all those ineffable attractions and tender
+      instincts with which the Maker, in His eternal wisdom and inexhaustible
+      munificence, has so paternally endowed His creatures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During the scene that we have just described, Rodin had not perceived that
+      the curtain of a window on the third story of the building opposite had
+      been partially drawn aside, and had half-revealed the sprightly face of
+      Rose-Pompon, and the Silenus-like countenance of Ninny Moulin. It ensued
+      that Rodin, notwithstanding his barricade of cotton handkerchiefs, had not
+      been completely sheltered from the indiscreet and curious examination of
+      the two dancers of the Storm-blown Tulip.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (22) According to the tradition, it was predicted to the mother of Sixtus
+      V., that he would be pope; and, in his youth, he is said to have kept
+      swine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0083" id="link2HCH0083">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXX. AN UNEXPECTED VISIT.
+    </h2>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20295m.jpg" alt="20295m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20295.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Though Rodin had experienced much surprise on reading the second letter
+      from Rome, he did not choose that his answer should betray any such
+      amazement. Having finished his frugal breakfast, he took a sheet of paper,
+      and rapidly wrote in cipher the following note, in the short, abrupt style
+      that was natural to him when not obliged to restrain himself:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The information does not surprise me. I had foreseen it all. Indecision
+      and cowardice always bear such fruit. This is not enough. Heretical Russia
+      murders Catholic Poland. Rome blesses the murderers, and curses the
+      victims.(23)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let it pass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In return, Russia guarantees to Rome, by Austria, the bloody suppression
+      of the patriots of Romagna.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That, too, is well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The cut-throat band of good Cardinal Albani is not sufficient for the
+      massacre of the impious liberals. They are weary of the task.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not so well. They must go on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When Rodin had written these last words, his attention was suddenly
+      attracted by the clear and sonorous voice of Rose-Pompon, who, knowing her
+      Beranger by heart, had opened Philemon&rsquo;s window, and, seated on the sill,
+      sang with much grace and prettiness this verse of the immortal
+      song-writer:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+   &ldquo;How wrong you are! Is&rsquo;t you dare say
+   That heaven ever scowls on earth?
+   The earth that laughs up to its blue,
+   The earth that owes it joy and birth?
+   Oh, may the wine from vines it warms,
+   May holy love thence fluttering down,
+   Lend my philosophy their charms,
+   To drive away care&rsquo;s direful frown!
+   So, firm let&rsquo;s stand,
+   Full glass in hand,
+   And all evoke
+   The God of honest folk!&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      This song, in its divine gentleness, contrasted so strangely with the cold
+      cruelty of the few lines written by Rodin, that he started and bit his
+      lips with rage, as he recognized the words of the great poet, truly
+      Christian, who had dealt such rude blows to the false Church. Rodin waited
+      for some moments with angry impatience, thinking the voice would continue;
+      but Rose-Pompon was silent, or only continued to hum, and soon changed to
+      another air, that of the Good Pope, which she entoned, but without words.
+      Rodin, not venturing to look out of his window to see who was this
+      troublesome warbler, shrugged his shoulders, resumed his pen, and
+      continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To it again. We must exasperate the independent spirits in all countries&mdash;excite
+      philosophic rage all over Europe make liberalism foam at the mouth&mdash;raise
+      all that is wild and noisy against Rome. To effect this, we must proclaim
+      in the face of the world these three propositions. 1. It is abominable to
+      assert that a man may be saved in any faith whatever, provided his morals
+      be pure. 2. It is odious and absurd to grant liberty of conscience to the
+      people. 3. The liberty of the press cannot be held in too much horror.24
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must bring the Pap-fed man to declare these propositions in every
+      respect orthodox&mdash;show him their good effect upon despotic
+      governments&mdash;upon true Catholics, the muzzlers of the people. He will
+      fall into the snare. The propositions once published, the storm will burst
+      forth. A general rising against Rome&mdash;a wide schism&mdash;the sacred
+      college divided into three parties. One approves&mdash;the other blames&mdash;the
+      third trembles. The Sick Man, still more frightened than he is now at
+      having allowed the destruction of Poland, will shrink from the clamors,
+      reproaches, threats, and violent ruptures that he has occasioned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is well&mdash;and goes far.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, set the Pope to shaking the conscience of the Sick Man, to disturb
+      his mind, and terrify his soul.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To sum up. Make everything bitter to him&mdash;divide his council&mdash;isolate
+      him&mdash;frighten him&mdash;redouble the ferocious ardor of good Albini&mdash;revive
+      the appetite of the Sanfedists(25)&mdash;give them a gulf of liberals&mdash;let
+      there be pillage, rape, massacre, as at Cesena&mdash;a downright river of
+      Carbonaro blood&mdash;the Sick Man will have a surfeit of it. So many
+      butcheries in his name&mdash;he will shrink, be sure he will shrink&mdash;every
+      day will have its remorse, every night its terror, every minute its
+      anguish; and the abdication he already threatens will come at last&mdash;perhaps
+      too soon. That is now the only danger; you must provide against it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In case of an abdication, the grand penitentiary has understood me.
+      Instead of confiding to a general the direction of our Order, the best
+      militia of the Holy See, I should command it myself. Thenceforward this
+      militia would give me no uneasiness. For instance: the Janissaries and the
+      Praetorian Guards were always fatal to authority&mdash;why?&mdash;because
+      they were able to organize themselves as defenders of the government,
+      independently of the government; hence their power of intimidation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Clement XIV. was a fool. To brand and abolish our Company was an absurd
+      fault. To protect and make it harmless, by declaring himself the General
+      of the Order, is what he should have done. The Company, then at his mercy,
+      would have consented to anything. He would have absorbed us, made us
+      vassals of the Holy See, and would no longer have had to fear our
+      services. Clement XIV. died of the cholic. Let him heed who hears. In a
+      similar case, I should not die the same death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then, the clear and liquid voice of Rose-Pompon was again heard.
+      Rodin bounded with rage upon his seat; but soon, as he listened to the
+      following verse, new to him (for, unlike Philemon&rsquo;s widow, he had not his
+      Beranger at his fingers&rsquo; ends), the Jesuit, accessible to certain odd,
+      superstitious notions, was confused and almost frightened at so singular a
+      coincidence. It is Beranger&rsquo;s Good Pope who speaks&mdash;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+   &ldquo;What are monarchs? sheepish sots!
+   Or they&rsquo;re robbers, puffed with pride,
+   Wearing badges of crime blots,
+   Till their certain graves gape wide.
+   If they&rsquo;ll pour out coin for me,
+   I&rsquo;ll absolve them&mdash;skin and bone!
+   If they haggle&mdash;they shall see,
+   My nieces dancing on their throne!
+   So laugh away!
+   Leap, my fay!
+   Only watch one hurt the thunder
+   First of all by Zeus under,
+   I&rsquo;m the Pope, the whole world&rsquo;s wonder!&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, half-risen from his chair, with outstretched neck and attentive
+      eye, was still listening, when Rose-Pompon, flitting like a bee from
+      flower to flower of her repertoire, had already begun the delightful air
+      of Colibri. Hearing no more, the Jesuit reseated himself, in a sort of
+      stupor; but, after some minutes&rsquo; reflection, his countenance again
+      brightened up, and he seemed to see a lucky omen in this singular
+      incident. He resumed his pen, and the first words he wrote partook, as it
+      were, of this strange confidence in fate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have never had more hope of success than at this moment. Another reason
+      to neglect nothing. Every presentiment demands redoubled zeal. A new
+      thought occurred to me yesterday.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall act here in concert. I have founded an ultra-Catholic paper
+      called Neighborly Love. From its ultramontane, tyrannical, liberticidal
+      fury, it will be thought the organ of Rome. I will confirm these reports.
+      They will cause new terrors.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That will be well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall raise the question of the liberty of instruction. The raw
+      liberals will support us. Like fools, they admit us to equal rights; when
+      our privileges, our influence of the confessional, our obedience to Rome,
+      all place us beyond the circle of equal rights, by the advantages which we
+      enjoy. Double fools! they think us disarmed, because they have disarmed
+      themselves towards us.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A burning question&mdash;irritating clamors&mdash;new cause of disgust
+      for the Weak Man. Every little makes a mickle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That also is very well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To sum up all in two words. The end is abdication&mdash;the means,
+      vexation, incessant torture. The Rennepont inheritance wilt pay for the
+      election. The price agreed, the merchandise will be sold.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin here paused abruptly, thinking he had heard some noise at that door
+      of his, which opened on the staircase; therefore he listened with
+      suspended breath; but all remaining silent, he thought he must have been
+      deceived, and took up his pen:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will take care of the Rennepont business&mdash;the hinge on which will
+      turn our temporal operations. We must begin from the foundation&mdash;substitute
+      the play of interests, and the springs of passion, for the stupid club law
+      of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. He nearly compromised everything&mdash;and yet he
+      has good parts, knows the world, has powers of seduction, quick insight&mdash;but
+      plays ever in a single key, and is not great enough to make himself
+      little. In his stead, I shall know how to make use of him. There is good
+      stuff in the man. I availed myself in time of the full powers given by the
+      R. F. G.; I may inform Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in case of need, of the secret
+      engagements taken by the General towards myself. Until now, I have let him
+      invent for this inheritance the destination that you know of. A good
+      thought, but unseasonable. The same end, by other means.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The information was false. There are over two hundred millions. Should
+      the eventuality occur, what was doubtful must become certain. An immense
+      latitude is left us. The Rennepont business is now doubly mine, and within
+      three months, the two hundred millions will be ours, by the free will of
+      the heirs themselves. It must be so; for this failing, the temporal part
+      would escape me, and my chances be diminished by one half. I have asked
+      for full powers; time presses, and I act as if I had them. One piece of
+      information is indispensable for the success of my projects. I expect it
+      from you, and I must have it; do you understand me? The powerful influence
+      of your brother at the Court of Vienna will serve you in this. I wish to
+      have the most precise details as to the present position of the Duke de
+      Reichstadt&mdash;the Napoleon II. of the Imperialists. Is it possible, by
+      means of your brother, to open a secret correspondence with the prince,
+      unknown to his attendants?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look to this promptly. It is urgent. This note will be sent off to day. I
+      shall complete it to-morrow. It will reach you, as usual, by the hands of
+      the petty shopkeeper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the moment when Rodin was sealing this letter within a double envelope,
+      he thought that he again heard a noise at the door. He listened. After
+      some silence, several knocks were distinctly audible. Rodin started. It
+      was the first time any one had knocked at his door, since nearly a
+      twelve-month that he occupied this room. Hastily placing the letter in his
+      great-coat pocket, the Jesuit opened the old trunk under his bed, took
+      from it a packet of papers wrapped in a tattered cotton handkerchief,
+      added to them the two letters in cipher he had just received, and
+      carefully relocked the trunk. The knocking continued without, and seemed
+      to show more and more impatience. Rodin took the greengrocer&rsquo;s basket in
+      his hand, tucked his umbrella under his arm, and went with some uneasiness
+      to ascertain who was this unexpected visitor. He opened the door, and
+      found himself face to face with Rose-Pompon, the troublesome singer, and
+      who now, with a light and pretty courtesy, said to him in the most
+      guileless manner in the world, &ldquo;M. Rodin, if you please?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (23) On page 110 of Lamennais&rsquo; Affaires de Rome, will be seen the
+      following admirable scathing of Rome by the most truly evangelical spirit
+      of our age: &ldquo;So long as the issue of the conflict between Poland and her
+      oppressors remained in the balances, the papal official organ contained
+      not one word to offend the so long victorious nation; but hardly had she
+      gone down under the Czar&rsquo;s atrocious vengeance, and the long torture of a
+      whole land doomed to rack, and exile, and servitude began, than this same
+      journal found no language black enough to stain those whom fortune had
+      fled. Yet it is wrong to charge this unworthy insult to papal power; it
+      only cringes to the law which Russia lays down to it, when it says:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;If you want to keep your own bones unbroken, bide where you are, beside
+      the scaffold, and, as the victims pass, hoot at them!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (24) See Pope Gregory XVI.&lsquo;s Encyclical Letter to the Bishops in France,
+      1832.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (25) Hardly had the Sixteenth Gregory ascended the pontifical throne, than
+      news came of the rising in Bologna. His first idea was to call the
+      Austrians, and incite the Sanfedist volunteer bands of fanatics. Cardinal
+      Albini defeated the liberals at Cesena, where his followers pillaged
+      churches, sacked the town, and ill-treated women. At Forli, cold-blooded
+      murders were committed. In 1832 the Sanfedists (Holy Faithites) openly
+      paraded their medals, bearing the heads of the Duke of Modena and the
+      Pope; letters issued by the apostolic confederation; privileges and
+      indulgences. They took the following oath: &ldquo;I. A. B., vow to rear the
+      throne and altar over the bones of infamous freedom shriekers, and
+      exterminate these latter without pity for children&rsquo;s cries and women&rsquo;s
+      tears.&rdquo; The disorders perpetrated by these marauders went beyond all
+      bounds; the Romish Court regularized anarchy and organized the Sanfedists
+      into volunteer corps, to which fresh privileges were granted. (Revue deux
+      Mondes, Nov. 15th, 1844.&mdash;&ldquo;La Revolution en Italie.&rdquo;)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0084" id="link2HCH0084">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXI. FRIENDLY SERVICES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">N</span>otwithstanding his surprise and uneasiness, Rodin did not frown. He began
+      by locking his door after him, as he noticed the young girl&rsquo;s inquisitive
+      glance. Then he said to her good-naturedly, &ldquo;Who do you want, my dear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin,&rdquo; repeated Rose-Pompon, stoutly, opening her bright blue eyes to
+      their full extent, and looking Rodin full in the face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not here,&rdquo; said he, moving towards the stairs. &ldquo;I do not know him.
+      Inquire above or below.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, you don&rsquo;t! giving yourself airs at your age!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon,
+      shrugging her shoulders. &ldquo;As if we did not know that you are M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Charlemagne,&rdquo; said the socius, bowing; &ldquo;Charlemagne, to serve you&mdash;if
+      I am able.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are not able,&rdquo; answered Rose-Pompon, majestically; then she added
+      with a mocking air, &ldquo;So, we have our little pussy-cat hiding-places; we
+      change our name; we are afraid Mamma Rodin will find us out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my dear child,&rdquo; said the socius, with a paternal smile; &ldquo;you have
+      come to the right quarter. I am an old man, but I love youth&mdash;happy,
+      joyous youth! Amuse yourself, pray, at my expense. Only let me pass, for I
+      am in a hurry.&rdquo; And Rodin again advanced towards the stairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, in a solemn voice, &ldquo;I have very important
+      things to say to you, and advice to ask about a love affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, little madcap that you are! have you nobody to tease in your own
+      house, that you must come here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I lodge in this house, M. Rodin,&rdquo; answered Rose-Pompon, laying a
+      malicious stress on the name of her victim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You? Oh, dear, only to think I did not know I had such a pretty
+      neighbor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I have lodged here six months, M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really! where?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the third story, front, M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was you, then, that sang so well just now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rather.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You gave me great pleasure, I must say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are very polite, M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You lodge, I suppose, with your respectable family?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you, M. Rodin,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, casting down her eyes with a
+      timid air. &ldquo;I lodge with Grandpapa Philemon, and Grandmamma Bacchanal&mdash;who
+      is a queen and no mistake.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin had hitherto been seriously uneasy, not knowing in what manner Rose
+      had discovered his real name. But on hearing her mention the Bacchanal
+      queen, with the information that she lodged in the house, he found
+      something to compensate for the disagreeable incident of Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s
+      appearance. It was, indeed, important to Rodin to find out the Bacchanal
+      Queen, the mistress of Sleepinbuff, and the sister of Mother Bunch, who
+      had been noted as dangerous since her interview with the superior of the
+      convent, and the part she had taken in the projected escape of Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville. Moreover, Rodin hoped&mdash;thanks to what he had just heard&mdash;to
+      bring Rose-Pompon to confess to him the name of the person from whom she
+      had learned that &ldquo;Charlemagne&rdquo; masked &ldquo;Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had the young girl pronounced the name of the Bacchanal queen, than
+      Rodin clasped his hands, and appeared as much surprised as interested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear child,&rdquo; he exclaimed, &ldquo;I conjure you not to jest on this
+      subject. Are you speaking of a young girl who bears that nickname, the
+      sister of a deformed needlewoman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, the Bacchanal Queen is her nickname,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon,
+      astonished in her turn; &ldquo;she is really Cephyse Soliveau, and she is my
+      friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! she is your friend?&rdquo; said Rodin, reflecting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, my bosom friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So you love her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like a sister. Poor girl! I do what I can for her, and that&rsquo;s not much.
+      But how comes it that a respectable man of your age should know the
+      Bacchanal Queen?&mdash;Ah! that shows you have a false name!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear child, I am no longer inclined to laugh,&rdquo; said Rodin, with so
+      sorrowful an air, that Rose-Pompon, reproaching herself with her
+      pleasantry, said to him: &ldquo;But how comes it that you know Cephyse?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! I do not know her&mdash;but a young fellow, that I like excessively&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jacques Rennepont?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Otherwise called Sleepinbuff. He is now in prison for debt,&rdquo; sighed
+      Rodin. &ldquo;I saw him yesterday.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You saw him yesterday?&mdash;how strange!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, clapping her
+      hands. &ldquo;Quick! quick!&mdash;come over to Philemon&rsquo;s, to give Cephyse news
+      of her lover. She is so uneasy about him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear child, I should like to give her good news of that worthy fellow,
+      whom I like in spite of his follies, for who has not been guilty of
+      follies?&rdquo; added Rodin, with indulgent good-nature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, twisting about as if she still wore the
+      costume of a debardeur.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will say more,&rdquo; added Rodin: &ldquo;I love him because of his follies; for,
+      talk as we may, my dear child, there is always something good at bottom, a
+      good heart, or something, in those who spend generously their money for
+      other people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, come! you are a very good sort of a man,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon,
+      enchanted with Rodin&rsquo;s philosophy. &ldquo;But why will you not come and see
+      Cephyse, and talk to her of Jacques?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what use would it be to tell her what she knows already&mdash;that
+      Jacques is in prison? What I should like, would be to get the worthy
+      fellow out of his scrape.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! only do that, only get Jacques out of prison,&rdquo; cried Rose
+      Pompon, warmly, &ldquo;and we will both give you a kiss&mdash;me and Cephyse!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would be throwing kisses away, dear little madcap!&rdquo; said Rodin,
+      smiling. &ldquo;But be satisfied, I want no reward to induce me to do good when
+      I can.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you hope to get Jacques out of prison?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin shook his head, and answered with a grieved and disappointed air. &ldquo;I
+      did hope it. Certainly, I did hope it; but now all is changed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How&rsquo;s that?&rdquo; asked Rose-Pompon, with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That foolish joke of calling me M. Rodin may appear very amusing to you,
+      my dear child. I understand it, you being only an echo. Some one has said
+      to you: &lsquo;Go and tell M. Charlemagne that he is one M. Rodin. That will be
+      very funny.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, I should never myself have thought of calling you M. Rodin.
+      One does not invent such names,&rdquo; answered Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! that person with his foolish jokes, has done, without knowing it, a
+      great injury to Jacques Rennepont.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! because I called you Rodin instead of Charlemagne?&rdquo; cried Rose
+      Pompon, much regretting the pleasantry which she had carried on at the
+      instigation of Ninny Moulin. &ldquo;But really, sir,&rdquo; she added, &ldquo;what can this
+      joke have to do with the service that you were, about to render Jacques?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not at liberty to tell you, my child. In truth, I am very sorry for
+      poor Jacques. Believe me, I am; but do let me pass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, sir, I beg,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon; &ldquo;if I told you the name of
+      the person who told me to call you Rodin, would you interest yourself
+      again for Jacques?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not wish to know any one&rsquo;s secrets, my dear child. In all this, you
+      have been the echo of persons who are, perhaps, very dangerous; and,
+      notwithstanding the interest I feel for Jacques Rennepont, I do not wish,
+      you understand, to make myself enemies. Heaven forbid!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose-Pompon did not at all comprehend Rodin&rsquo;s fears, and upon this he had
+      counted; for after a second&rsquo;s reflection, the young girl resumed: &ldquo;Well,
+      sir&mdash;this is too deep for me; I do not understand it. All I know is,
+      that I am truly sorry if I have injured a good young man by a mere joke. I
+      will tell you exactly how it happened. My frankness may be of some use.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Frankness will often clear up the most obscure matters,&rdquo; said Rodin,
+      sententiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After all,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s Ninny&rsquo;s fault. Why does he tell me
+      nonsense, that might injure poor Cephyse&rsquo;s lover? You see, sir, it
+      happened in this way. Ninny Moulin who is fond of a joke, saw you just now
+      in the street. The portress told him that your name was Charlemagne. He
+      said to me: &lsquo;No; his name is Rodin. We must play him a trick. Go to his
+      room, Rose-Pompon, knock at the door, and call him M. Rodin. You will see
+      what a rum face he will make.&rsquo; I promised Ninny Moulin not to name him;
+      but I do it, rather than run the risk of injuring Jacques.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At Ninny Moulin&rsquo;s name Rodin had not been able to repress a movement of
+      surprise. This pamphleteer, whom he had employed to edit the &ldquo;Neighborly
+      Love,&rdquo; was not personally formidable; but, being fond of talking in his
+      drink, he might become troublesome, particularly if Rodin, as was
+      probable, had often to visit this house, to execute his project upon
+      Sleepinbuff, through the medium of the Bacchanal Queen. The socius
+      resolved, therefore, to provide against this inconvenience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, my dear child,&rdquo; said he to Rose-Pompon, &ldquo;it is a M. Desmoulins that
+      persuaded you to play off this silly joke?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not Desmoulins, but Dumoulin,&rdquo; corrected Rose. &ldquo;He writes in the
+      pewholders&rsquo; papers, and defends the saints for money; for, if Ninny Moulin
+      is a saint, his patrons are Saint Drinkard and Saint Flashette, as he
+      himself declares.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This gentleman appears to be very gay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! a very good fellow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But stop,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, appearing to recollect himself; &ldquo;ain&rsquo;t he a man
+      about thirty-six or forty, fat, with a ruddy complexion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20303m.jpg" alt="20303m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20303.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ruddy as a glass of red wine,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, &ldquo;and with a pimpled nose
+      like a mulberry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the man&mdash;M. Dumoulin. Oh! in that case, I am quite satisfied,
+      my dear child. The jest no longer makes me uneasy; for M. Dumoulin is a
+      very worthy man&mdash;only perhaps a little too fond of his joke.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, sir, you will try to be useful to Jacques? The stupid pleasantry of
+      Ninny Moulin will not prevent you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I must not tell Ninny Moulin that you know it was he who sent me to
+      call you M. Rodin&mdash;eh, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not? In every case, my dear child, it is always better to speak
+      frankly the truth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir, Ninny Moulin so strongly recommended me not to name him to you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you have named him, it is from a very good motive; why not avow it?
+      However, my dear child, this concerns you, not me. Do as you think best.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And may I tell Cephyse of your good intentions towards Jacques?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The truth, my dear child, always the truth. One need never hesitate to
+      say what is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor Cephyse! how happy she will be!&rdquo; cried Rose-Pompon, cheerfully; &ldquo;and
+      the news will come just in time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only you must not exaggerate; I do not promise positively to get this
+      good fellow out of prison; I say, that I will do what I can. But what I
+      promise positively is&mdash;for, since the imprisonment of poor Jacques,
+      your friend must be very much straitened&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, sir!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I promise positively is some little assistance which your friend
+      will receive to-day, to enable her to live honestly; and if she behaves
+      well&mdash;hereafter&mdash;why, hereafter, we shall see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! you do not know how welcome will be your assistance to poor
+      Cephyse! One might fancy you were her actual good angel. Faith! you may
+      call yourself Rodin, or Charlemagne; all I know is, that you are a nice,
+      sweet&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, do not exaggerate,&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;say a good sort of old
+      fellow; nothing more, my dear child. But see how things fall out,
+      sometimes! Who could have told me, when I heard you knock at my door&mdash;which,
+      I must say, vexed me a great deal&mdash;that it was a pretty little
+      neighbor of mine, who under the pretext of playing off a joke, was to put
+      me in the way of doing a good action? Go and comfort your friend; this
+      evening she will receive some assistance; and let us have hope and
+      confidence. Thanks be, there are still some good people in the world!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! you prove it yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not at all! The happiness of the old is to see the young happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was said by Rodin with so much apparent kindness, that Rose-Pompon
+      felt the tears well up to her eyes, and answered with much emotion: &ldquo;Sir,
+      Cephyse and me are only poor girls; there are many more virtuous in the
+      world; but I venture to say, we have good hearts. Now, if ever you should
+      be ill, only send for us; there are no Sisters of Charity that will take
+      better care of you. It is all that we can offer you, without reckoning
+      Philemon, who shall go through fire and water for you, I give you my word
+      for it&mdash;and Cephyse, I am sure, will answer for Jacques also, that he
+      will be yours in life and death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, my dear child, that I was right in saying&mdash;a fitful head
+      and a good heart. Adieu, till we meet again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereupon Rodin, taking up the basket, which he had placed on the ground
+      by the side of his umbrella, prepared to descend the stairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all, you must give me this basket; it will be in your way going
+      down,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, taking the basket from the hands of Rodin,
+      notwithstanding his resistance. Then she added: &ldquo;Lean upon my arm. The
+      stairs are so dark. You might slip.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will accept your offer, my dear child, for I am not very courageous.&rdquo;
+       Leaning paternally on the right arm of Rose-Pompon, who held the basket in
+      her left hand, Rodin descended the stairs, and crossed the court-yard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Up there, on the third story, do you see that big face close to the
+      window-frame?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon suddenly to Rodin, stopping in the centre
+      of the little court. &ldquo;That is my Ninny Moulin. Do you know him? Is he the
+      same as yours?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The same as mine,&rdquo; said Rodin, raising his head, and waving his hand very
+      affectionately to Jacques Dumoulin, who, stupefied thereat, retired
+      abruptly from the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The poor fellow! I am sure he is afraid of me since his foolish joke,&rdquo;
+       said Rodin, smiling. &ldquo;He is very wrong.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And he accompanied these last words with a sinister nipping of the lips,
+      not perceived by Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now, my dear child,&rdquo; said he, as they both entered the passage, &ldquo;I no
+      longer need you assistance; return to your friend, and tell her the good
+      news you have heard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, you are right. I burn with impatience to tell her what a good
+      man you are.&rdquo; And Rose-Pompon sprung towards the stairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stop, stop! how about my basket that the little madcap carries off with
+      her?&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh true! I beg your pardon, sir. Poor Cephyse! how pleased she will be.
+      Adieu, sir!&rdquo; And Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s pretty figure disappeared in the darkness
+      of the staircase, which she mounted with an alert and impatient step.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin issued from the entry. &ldquo;Here is your basket, my good lady,&rdquo; said he,
+      stopping at the threshold of Mother Arsene&rsquo;s shop. &ldquo;I give you my humble
+      thanks for your kindness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For nothing, my dear sir, for nothing. It is all at your service. Well,
+      was the radish good?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Succulent, my dear madame, and excellent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I am glad of it. Shall we soon see you again?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so. But could you tell me where is the nearest post-office?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Turn to the left, the third house, at the grocer&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand thanks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wager it&rsquo;s a love letter for your sweetheart,&rdquo; said Mother Arsene,
+      enlivened probably by Rose Pompon&rsquo;s and Ninny Moulin&rsquo;s proximity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! ha! ha! the good lady!&rdquo; said Rodin, with a titter. Then, suddenly
+      resuming his serious aspect, he made a low bow to the greengrocer, adding:
+      &ldquo;Your most obedient humble servant!&rdquo; and walked out into the street.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We now usher the reader into Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s asylum, in which Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville was confined.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0085" id="link2HCH0085">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXII. THE ADVICE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>drienne de Cardoville had been still more strictly confined in Dr.
+      Baleinier&rsquo;s house, since the double nocturnal attempt of Agricola and
+      Dagobert, in which the soldier, though severely wounded, had succeeded,
+      thanks to the intrepid devotion of his son, seconded by the heroic Spoil
+      sport, in gaining the little garden gate of the convent, and escaping by
+      way of the boulevard, along with the young smith. Four o&rsquo;clock had just
+      struck. Adrienne, since the previous day, had been removed to a chamber on
+      the second story of the asylum. The grated window, with closed shutters,
+      only admitted a faint light to this apartment. The young lady, since her
+      interview with Mother Bunch, expected to be delivered any day by the
+      intervention of her friends. But she felt painful uneasiness on the
+      subject of Agricola and Dagobert, being absolutely ignorant of the issue
+      of the struggle in which her intended liberators had been engaged with the
+      people of the asylum and convent. She had in vain questioned her keepers
+      on the subject; they had remained perfectly mute. These new incidents had
+      augmented the bitter resentment of Adrienne against the Princess de Saint
+      Dizier, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and their creatures. The slight paleness of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s charming face, and her fine eyes a little drooping,
+      betrayed her recent sufferings; seated before a little table, with her
+      forehead resting upon one of her hands, half veiled by the long curls of
+      her golden hair, she was turning over the leaves of a book. Suddenly, the
+      door opened, and M. Baleinier entered. The doctor, a Jesuit, in lay
+      attire, a docile and passive instrument of the will of his Order, was only
+      half in the confidence of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier. He was ignorant of the object of the imprisonment of Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville; he was ignorant also of the sudden change which had taken
+      place in the relative position of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin, after the
+      reading of the testament of Marius de Rennepont. The doctor had, only the
+      day before, received orders from Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny (now acting under the
+      directions of Rodin) to confine Mdlle. de Cardoville still more strictly,
+      to act towards her with redoubled severity, and to endeavor to force her,
+      it will be seen by what expedients, to renounce the judicial proceedings,
+      which she promised herself to take hereafter against her persecutors. At
+      sight of the doctor, Mdlle. de Cardoville could not hide the aversion and
+      disdain with which this man inspired her. M. Baleinier, on the contrary,
+      always smiling, always courteous, approached Adrienne with perfect ease
+      and confidence, stopped a few steps from her, as if to study her features
+      more attentively, and then added like a man who is satisfied with the
+      observations he had made: &ldquo;Come! the unfortunate events of the night
+      before last have had a less injurious influence than I feared. There is
+      some improvement; the complexion is less flushed, the look calmer, the
+      eyes still somewhat too bright, but no longer shining with such unnatural
+      fire. You are getting on so well! Now the cure must be prolonged&mdash;for
+      this unfortunate night affair threw you into a state of excitement, that
+      was only the more dangerous from your not being conscious of it. Happily,
+      with care, your recovery will not, I hope, be very much delayed.&rdquo;
+       Accustomed though she was to the audacity of this tool of the
+      Congregation, Mdlle. de Cardoville could not forbear saying to him, with a
+      smile of bitter disdain: &ldquo;What impudence, sir, there is in your probity!
+      What effrontery in your zeal to earn your hire! Never for a moment do you
+      lay aside your mask; craft and falsehood are ever on your lips. Really, if
+      this shameful comedy causes you as much fatigue as it does me disgust and
+      contempt, they can never pay you enough.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; said the doctor, in a sorrowful tone; &ldquo;always this unfortunate
+      delusion, that you are not in want of our care!&mdash;that I am playing a
+      part, when I talk to you of the sad state in which you were when we were
+      obliged to bring you hither by stratagem. Still, with the exception of
+      this little sign of rebellious insanity, your condition has marvellously
+      improved. You are on the high-road to a complete cure. By-and-by, your
+      excellent heart will render me the justice that is due to me; and, one
+      day, I shall be judged as I deserve.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, believe it, sir; the day approaches, in which you will be judged as
+      you deserve,&rdquo; said Adrienne, laying great stress upon the two words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always that other fixed idea,&rdquo; said the doctor with a sort of
+      commiseration. &ldquo;Come, be reasonable. Do not think of this childishness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! renounce my intention to demand at the hands of justice reparation
+      for myself, and disgrace for you and your accomplices? Never, sir&mdash;never!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well!&rdquo; said the doctor, shrugging his shoulders; &ldquo;once at liberty, thank
+      heaven, you will have many other things to think of, my fair enemy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You forget piously the evil that you do; but I, sir, have a better
+      memory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us talk seriously. Have you really the intention of applying to the
+      courts?&rdquo; inquired Dr. Baleinier, in a grave tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, and you know that what I intend, I firmly carry out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! I can only conjure you not to follow out this idea,&rdquo; replied the
+      doctor, in a still more solemn tone; &ldquo;I ask it as a favor, in the name of
+      your own interest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think, sir, that you are a little too ready to confound your interest
+      with mine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now come,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, with a feigned impatience, as if quite
+      certain of convincing Mdlle. de Cardoville on the instant; &ldquo;would you have
+      the melancholy courage to plunge into despair two persons full of goodness
+      and generosity?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only two? The jest would be complete, if you were to reckon three: you,
+      sir, and my aunt, and Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny; for these are no doubt the generous
+      persons in whose name you implore my pity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, madame; I speak neither of myself, nor of your aunt, nor of Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of whom, then, sir?&rdquo; asked Mdlle. de Cardoville with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of two poor fellows, who, no doubt sent by those whom you call your
+      friends, got into the neighboring convent the other night, and thence into
+      this garden. The guns which you heard go off were fired at them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! I thought so. They refused to tell me if either of them was
+      wounded,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with painful emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of them received a wound, but not very serious, since he was able to
+      fly and escape pursuit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank God!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, clasping her hands with fervor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is quite natural that you should rejoice at their escape, but by what
+      strange contradiction do you now wish to put the officers of justice on
+      their track? A singular manner, truly, of rewarding their devotion!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say, sir?&rdquo; asked Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For if they should be arrested,&rdquo; resumed Dr. Baleinier, without answering
+      her, &ldquo;as they have been guilty of housebreaking and attempted burglary,
+      they would be sent to the galleys.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heavens! and for my sake!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; it would be for you, and what is worse, by you, that they would be
+      condemned.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By me, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly; that is, if you follow up your vengeance against your aunt and
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&mdash;I do not speak of myself, for I am quite safe; in a
+      word, if you persist in laying your complaint before the magistrates, that
+      you have been unjustly confined in this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand you, sir. Explain yourself,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      growing uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Child that you are!&rdquo; cried the Jesuit of the short robe, with an air of
+      conviction; &ldquo;do you think that if the law once takes cognizance of this
+      affair, you can stop short its action where and when you please? When you
+      leave this house, you lodge a complaint against me and against your
+      family; well, what happens? The law interferes, inquires, calls witnesses,
+      enters into the most minute investigations. Then, what follows? Why, that
+      this nocturnal escalade, which the superior of the convent has some
+      interest in hushing up, for fear of scandal&mdash;that this nocturnal
+      attempt, I say, which I also would keep quiet, is necessarily divulged,
+      and as it involves a serious crime, to which a heavy penalty is attached,
+      the law will ferret into it, and find out these unfortunate men, and if,
+      as is probable, they are detained in Paris by their duties or occupations,
+      or even by a false security, arising from the honorable motives which they
+      know to have actuated them, they will be arrested. And who will be the
+      cause of this arrest? You, by your deposition against us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! that would be horrible; but it is impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very possible, on the contrary,&rdquo; returned M. Baleinier: &ldquo;so that,
+      while I and the superior of the convent, who alone are really entitled to
+      complain, only wish to keep quiet this unpleasant affair, it is you&mdash;you,
+      for whom these unfortunate men have risked the galleys&mdash;that will
+      deliver them up to justice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Though Mdlle. de Cardoville was not completely duped by the lay Jesuit,
+      she guessed that the merciful intentions which he expressed with regard to
+      Dagobert and his son, would be absolutely subordinate to the course she
+      might take in pressing or abandoning the legitimate vengeance which she
+      meant to claim of authority. Indeed, Rodin, whose instructions the doctor
+      was following without knowing it, was too cunning to have it said to
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville: &ldquo;If you attempt any proceedings, we denounce
+      Dagobert and his son;&rdquo; but he attained the same end, by inspiring Adrienne
+      with fears on the subject of her two liberators, so as to prevent her
+      taking any hostile measures. Without knowing the exact law on the subject,
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville had too much good sense not to understand that
+      Dagobert and Agricola might be very seriously involved in consequence of
+      their nocturnal adventure, and might even find themselves in a terrible
+      position. And yet, when she thought of all she had suffered in that house,
+      and of all the just resentment she entertained in the bottom of her heart,
+      Adrienne felt unwilling to renounce the stern pleasure of exposing such
+      odious machinations to the light of day. Dr. Baleinier watched with sullen
+      attention her whom he considered his dupe, for he thought he could divine
+      the cause of the silence and hesitation of Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20311m.jpg" alt="20311m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20311.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; resumed the latter, unable to conceal her anxiety, &ldquo;if I were
+      disposed, for whatever reason, to make no complaint, and to forget the
+      wrongs I have suffered, when should I leave this place?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell; for I do not know when you will be radically cured,&rdquo; said
+      the doctor, benignantly. &ldquo;You are in a very good way, but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Still this insolent and stupid acting!&rdquo; broke forth Mdlle. de Cardoville,
+      interrupting the doctor with indignation. &ldquo;I ask, and if it must be, I
+      entreat you to tell me how long I am to be shut up in this dreadful house,
+      for I shall leave it some day, I suppose?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so, certainly,&rdquo; said the Jesuit of the short robe, with unction;
+      &ldquo;but when, I am unable to say. Moreover, I must tell you frankly, that
+      every precaution is taken against such attempts as those of the other
+      night; and the most vigorous watch will be maintained, to prevent your
+      communicating with any one. And all this in your own interest, that your
+      poor head may not again be dangerously excited.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, almost terrified, &ldquo;compared with what awaits me,
+      the last few days have been days of liberty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your interest before everything,&rdquo; answered the doctor, in a fervent tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, feeling the impotence of her indignation and
+      despair, heaved a deep sigh, and hid her face in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, quick footsteps were heard in the passage, and one of the
+      nurses entered, after having knocked at the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said she to the doctor, with a frightened air, &ldquo;there are two
+      gentlemen below, who wish to see you instantly, and the lady also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne raised her head hastily; her eyes were bathed in tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What are the names of these persons?&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, much astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of them said to me,&rdquo; answered the nurse: &ldquo;&lsquo;Go and inform Dr.
+      Baleinier that I am a magistrate, and that I come on a duty regarding
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A magistrate!&rdquo; exclaimed the Jesuit of the short robe, growing purple in
+      the face, and unable to hide his surprise and uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heaven be praised!&rdquo; cried Adrienne, rising with vivacity, her countenance
+      beaming through her tears with hope and joy; &ldquo;my friends have been
+      informed in time, and the hour of justice is arrived!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ask these persons to walk up,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      reflection. Then, with a still more agitated expression of countenance, he
+      approached Adrienne with a harsh, and almost menacing air, which
+      contrasted with the habitual placidity of his hypocritical smile, and said
+      to her in a low voice: &ldquo;Take care, madame! do not rejoice too soon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I no longer fear you,&rdquo; answered Mdlle. de Cardoville, with a bright,
+      flashing eye. &ldquo;M. de Montbron is no doubt returned to Paris, and has been
+      informed in time. He accompanies the magistrate, and comes to deliver me.
+      I pity you, sir&mdash;both you and yours,&rdquo; added Adrienne, with an accent
+      of bitter irony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; cried M. Baleinier, no longer able to dissemble his growing
+      alarm, &ldquo;I repeat to you, take care! Remember what I have told you. Your
+      accusations would necessarily involve the discovery of what took place the
+      other night. Beware! the fate of the soldier and his son is in your hands.
+      Recollect they are in danger of the convict&rsquo;s chains.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I am not your dupe, sir. You are holding out a covert menace. Have at
+      least the courage to say to me, that, if I complain to the magistrates,
+      you will denounce the soldier and his son.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I repeat, that, if you make any complaint, those two people are lost,&rdquo;
+       answered the doctor, ambiguously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Startled by what was really dangerous in the doctor&rsquo;s threats, Adrienne
+      asked: &ldquo;Sir, if this magistrate questions me, do you think I will tell him
+      a falsehood?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will answer what is true,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, hastily, in the hope of
+      still attaining his end. &ldquo;You will answer that you were in so excited a
+      state of mind a few days ago, that it was thought advisable, for your own
+      sake, to bring you hither, without your knowing it. But you are now so
+      much better, that you acknowledge the utility of the measures taken with
+      regard to you. I will confirm these words for, after all, it is the
+      truth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, with indignation, &ldquo;never will I be
+      the accomplice of so infamous a falsehood; never will I be base enough to
+      justify the indignities that I have suffered!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the magistrate,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, as he caught the sound of
+      approaching footsteps. &ldquo;Beware!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The door opened, and, to the indescribable amazement of the doctor, Rodin
+      appeared on the threshold, accompanied by a man dressed in black, with a
+      dignified and severe countenance. In the interest of his projects, and
+      from motives of craft and prudence that will hereafter be known, Rodin had
+      not informed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and consequently the doctor, of the
+      unexpected visit he intended to pay to the asylum, accompanied by a
+      magistrate. On the contrary, he had only the day before given orders to M.
+      Baleinier to confine Mdlle. de Cardoville still more strictly. Therefore,
+      imagine the stupor of the doctor when he saw the judicial officer, whose
+      unexpected presence and imposing aspect were otherwise sufficiently
+      alarming, enter the room, accompanied by Rodin, Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s humble
+      and obscure secretary. From the door, Rodin, who was very shabbily
+      dressed, as usual, pointed out Mdlle. de Cardoville to the magistrate, by
+      a gesture at once respectful and compassionate. Then, while the latter,
+      who had not been able to repress a movement of admiration at sight of the
+      rare beauty of Adrienne, seemed to examine her with as much surprise as
+      interest, the Jesuit modestly receded several steps.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dr. Baleinier in his extreme astonishment, hoping to be understood by
+      Rodin, made suddenly several private signals, as if to interrogate him on
+      the cause of the magistrate&rsquo;s visit. But this was only productive of fresh
+      amazement to M. Baleinier; for Rodin did not appear to recognize him, or
+      to understand his expressive pantomime, and looked at him with affected
+      bewilderment. At length, as the doctor, growing impatient, redoubled his
+      mute questionings, Rodin advanced with a stride, stretched forward his
+      crooked neck, and said, in a loud voice: &ldquo;What is your pleasure, doctor?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, which completely disconcerted Baleinier, broke the silence
+      which had reigned for some seconds, and the magistrate turned round. Rodin
+      added, with imperturbable coolness: &ldquo;Since our arrival, the doctor has
+      been making all sorts of mysterious signs to me. I suppose he has
+      something private to communicate, but, as I have no secrets, I must beg
+      him to speak out loud.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This reply, so embarrassing for M. Baleinier, uttered in a tone of
+      aggression, and with an air of icy coldness, plunged the doctor into such
+      new and deep amazement, that he remained for some moments without
+      answering. No doubt the magistrate was struck with this incident, and with
+      the silence which followed it, for he cast a look of great severity on the
+      doctor. Mdlle. de Cardoville, who had expected to have seen M. de
+      Montbron, was also singularly surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0086" id="link2HCH0086">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIII. THE ACCUSER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">B</span>aleinier, disconcerted for a moment by the unexpected presence of a
+      magistrate, and by Rodin&rsquo;s inexplicable attitude, soon recovered his
+      presence of mind, and addressing his colleague of the longer robe, said to
+      him: &ldquo;If I make signs to you, sir, it was that, while I wished to respect
+      the silence which this gentleman&rdquo;&mdash;glancing at the magistrate&mdash;&ldquo;has
+      preserved since his entrance, I desired to express my surprise at the
+      unexpected honor of this visit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is to the lady that I will explain the reason for my silence, and beg
+      her to excuse it,&rdquo; replied the magistrate, as he made a half-bow to
+      Adrienne, whom he thus continued to address: &ldquo;I have just received so
+      serious a declaration with regard to you, madame, that I could not forbear
+      looking at you for a moment in silence, to see if I could read in your
+      countenance or in your attitude, the truth or falsehood of the accusation
+      that has been placed in my hands; and I have every reason to believe that
+      it is but too well founded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I at length be informed, sir,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, in a polite but
+      firm tone, &ldquo;to whom I have the honor of speaking?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir, I am juge d&rsquo;instruction, and I have come to inform myself as to a
+      fact which has been pointed out to me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you do me the honor to explain yourself, sir?&rdquo; said the doctor,
+      bowing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; resumed the magistrate, M. de Gernande, a man of about fifty years
+      of age, full of firmness and straightforwardness, and knowing how to unite
+      the austere duties of his position with benevolent politeness, &ldquo;you are
+      accused of having committed&mdash;a very great error, not to use a harsher
+      expression. As for the nature of that error, I prefer believing, sir, that
+      you (a first rate man of science) may have been deceived in the
+      calculation of a medical case, rather than suspect you of having forgotten
+      all that is sacred in the exercise of a profession that is almost a
+      priesthood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When you specify the facts, sir,&rdquo; answered the Jesuit of the short robe,
+      with a degree of haughtiness, &ldquo;it will be easy for me to prove that my
+      reputation as a man of science is no less free from reproach, than my
+      conscience as a man of honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said M. de Gernande, addressing Adrienne, &ldquo;is it true that you
+      were conveyed to this house by stratagem?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; cried M. Baleinier, &ldquo;permit me to observe, that the manner in which
+      you open this question is an insult to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir, it is to the lady that I have the honor of addressing myself,&rdquo;
+       replied M. de Gernande, sternly; &ldquo;and I am the sole judge of the propriety
+      of my questions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne was about to answer affirmatively to the magistrate, when an
+      expressive took from Dr. Baleinier reminded her that she would perhaps
+      expose Dagobert and his son to cruel dangers. It was no base and vulgar
+      feeling of vengeance by which Adrienne was animated, but a legitimate
+      indignation, inspired by odious hypocrisy. She would have thought it
+      cowardly not to unmask the criminals; but wishing to avoid compromising
+      others, she said to the magistrate, with an accent full of mildness and
+      dignity: &ldquo;Permit me, sir, in my turn, rather to ask you a question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will the answer I make be considered a formal accusation?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have come hither, madame, to ascertain the truth, and no consideration
+      should induce you to dissemble it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So be it, sir,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne; &ldquo;but suppose, having just causes of
+      complaint, I lay them before you, in order to be allowed to leave this
+      house, shall I afterwards be at liberty not to press the accusations I
+      have made?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may abandon proceedings, madame, but the law will take up your case
+      in the name of society, if its rights have been inured in your person.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I then not be allowed to pardon? Should I not be sufficiently
+      avenged by a contemptuous forgetfulness of the wrongs I have suffered?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Personally, madame, you may forgive and forget; but I have the honor to
+      repeat to you, that society cannot show the same indulgence, if it should
+      turn out that you have been the victim of a criminal machination&mdash;and
+      I have every reason to fear it is so. The manner in which you express
+      yourself, the generosity of your sentiments, the calmness and dignity of
+      your attitude, convince me that I have been well informed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope, sir,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, recovering his coolness, &ldquo;that you will
+      at least communicate the declaration that has been made to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It has been declared to me, sir,&rdquo; said the magistrate, in a stern voice,
+      &ldquo;that Mdlle. de Cardoville was brought here by stratagem.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By stratagem?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true. The lady was brought here by stratagem,&rdquo; answered the Jesuit
+      of the short robe, after a moment&rsquo;s silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You confess it, then?&rdquo; said M. de Gernande.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly I do, sir. I admit that I had recourse to means which we are
+      unfortunately too often obliged to employ, when persons who most need our
+      assistance are unconscious of their own sad state.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; replied the magistrate, &ldquo;it has also been declared to me, that
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville never required such aid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That, sir, is a question of medical jurisprudence, which has to be
+      examined and discussed,&rdquo; said M. Baleinier, recovering his assurance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will, indeed, sir, be seriously discussed; for you are accused of
+      confining Mdlle. De Cardoville, while in the full possession of all her
+      faculties.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And may I ask you for what purpose?&rdquo; said M. de Baleinier, with a slight
+      shrug of the shoulders, and in a tone of irony. &ldquo;What interest had I to
+      commit such a crime, even admitting that my reputation did not place me
+      above so odious and absurd a charge?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are said to have acted, sir, in furtherance of a family plot, devised
+      against Mdlle. de Cardoville for a pecuniary motive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who has dared, sir, to make so calumnious a charge?&rdquo; cried Dr.
+      Baleinier, with indignant warmth. &ldquo;Who has had the audacity to accuse a
+      respectable, and I dare to say, respected man, of having been the
+      accomplice in such infamy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I,&rdquo; said Rodin, coldly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You!&rdquo; cried Dr. Baleinier, falling back two steps, as if thunderstruck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I accuse you,&rdquo; repeated Rodin, in a clear sharp voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it was this gentleman who came to me this morning, with ample
+      proofs, to demand my interference in favor of Mdlle. de Cardoville,&rdquo; said
+      the magistrate, drawing back a little, to give Adrienne the opportunity of
+      seeing her defender.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20343m.jpg" alt="20343m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20343.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Throughout this scene, Rodin&rsquo;s name had not hitherto been mentioned.
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville had often heard speak of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s
+      secretary in no very favorable terms; but, never having seen him, she did
+      not know that her liberator was this very Jesuit. She therefore looked
+      towards him, with a glance in which were mingled curiosity, interest,
+      surprise and gratitude. Rodin&rsquo;s cadaverous countenance, his repulsive
+      ugliness, his sordid dress, would a few days before have occasioned
+      Adrienne a perhaps invincible feeling of disgust. But the young lady,
+      remembering how the sempstress, poor, feeble, deformed, and dressed almost
+      in rags was endowed notwithstanding her wretched exterior, with one of the
+      noblest and most admirable hearts, recalled this recollection in favor of
+      the Jesuit. She forgot that he was ugly and sordid, only to remember that
+      he was old, that he seemed poor, and that he had come to her assistance.
+      Dr. Baleinier, notwithstanding his craft, notwithstanding his audacious
+      hypocrisy, in spite even of his presence of mind, could not conceal how
+      much he was disturbed by Rodin&rsquo;s denunciation. His head became troubled as
+      he remembered how, on the first day of Adrienne&rsquo;s confinement in this
+      house, the implacable appeal of Rodin, through the hole in the door, had
+      prevented him (Baleinier) from yielding to emotions of pity, inspired by
+      the despair of this unfortunate young girl, driven almost to doubt of her
+      own reason. And yet it was this very Rodin, so cruel, so inexorable, the
+      devoted agent of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who denounced him (Baleinier), and
+      brought a magistrate to set Adrienne at liberty&mdash;when, only the day
+      before, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had ordered an increase of severity towards her!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lay Jesuit felt persuaded that Rodin was betraying Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      in the most shameful manner, and that Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s friends had
+      bribed and bought over this scoundrelly secretary. Exasperated by what he
+      considered a monstrous piece of treachery, the doctor exclaimed, in a
+      voice broken with rage: &ldquo;And it is you, sir, that have the impudence to
+      accuse me&mdash;you, who only a few days ago&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, reflecting that the retort upon Rodin would be self-accusation, he
+      appeared to give way to an excess of emotion, and resumed with bitterness:
+      &ldquo;Ah, sir, you are the last person that I should have thought capable of
+      this odious denunciation. It is shameful!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who had a better right than I to denounce this infamy?&rdquo; answered
+      Rodin, in a rude, overbearing tone. &ldquo;Was I not in a position to learn&mdash;unfortunately,
+      too late&mdash;the nature of the conspiracy of which Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      and others have been the victims? Then, what was my duty as an honest man?
+      Why, to inform the magistrate, to prove what I set forth, and to accompany
+      him hither. That is what I have done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, sir,&rdquo; said the doctor, addressing the magistrate, &ldquo;it is not only
+      myself that this man accuses, but he dares also&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I accuse the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, in a still louder and more
+      imperative tone, interrupting the doctor, &ldquo;I accuse the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier, I accuse you, sir&mdash;of having, from a vile motive of
+      self interest, confined Mdlle. de Cardoville in this house, and the two
+      daughters of Marshal Simon in the neighboring convent. Is that clear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! it is only too true,&rdquo; said Adrienne, hastily. &ldquo;I have seen those
+      poor children all in tears, making signs of distress to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20319m.jpg" alt="20319m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20319.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The accusation of Rodin, with regard to the orphans, was a new and fearful
+      blow for Dr. Baleinier. He felt perfectly convinced that the traitor had
+      passed clear over to the enemy&rsquo;s camp. Wishing therefore to put an end to
+      this embarrassing scene, he tried to put a good face on the matter, in
+      spite of his emotion, and said to the magistrate:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I might confine myself, sir, to silence&mdash;disdaining to answer such
+      accusations, till a judicial decision had given them some kind of
+      authority. But, strong in a good conscience I address myself to Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, and I beg her to say if this very morning I did not inform
+      her, that her health would soon be sufficiently restored to allow her to
+      leave this house. I conjure her, in the name of her well-known love of
+      truth to state if such was not my language, when I was alone with her&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sir!&rdquo; said Rodin, interrupting Baleinier with an insolent air;
+      &ldquo;suppose that, from pure generosity, this dear young lady were to admit as
+      much&mdash;what will it prove in your favor?&mdash;why, nothing at all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir,&rdquo; cried the doctor, &ldquo;do you presume&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I presume to unmask you, without asking your leave. What have you just
+      told us? Why, that being alone with Mdlle. de Cardoville, you talked to
+      her as if she were really mad. How very conclusive!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir&mdash;&rdquo; cried the doctor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, without allowing him to continue, &ldquo;it is
+      evident that, foreseeing the possibility of what has occurred to-day, and,
+      to provide yourself with a hole to creep out at, you have pretended to
+      believe your own execrable falsehood, in presence of this poor young lady,
+      that you might afterwards call in aid the evidence of your own assumed
+      conviction. Come, sir! such stories will not go down with people of common
+      sense or common humanity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come now, sir!&rdquo; exclaimed Baleinier, angrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sir,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, in a still louder voice, which completely
+      drowned that of the doctor; &ldquo;is it true, or is it not, that you have
+      recourse to the mean evasion of ascribing this odious imprisonment to a
+      scientific error? I affirm that you do so, and that you think yourself
+      safe, because you can now say: &lsquo;Thanks to my care, the young lady has
+      recovered her reason. What more would you have?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I do say that, sir, and I maintain it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You maintain a falsehood; for it is proven that the lady never lost her
+      reason for a moment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I, sir, maintain that she did lose it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I, sir, will prove the contrary,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You? How will you do that?&rdquo; cried the doctor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I shall take care not to tell you at present, as you may well
+      suppose,&rdquo; answered Rodin, with an ironical smile, adding with indignation:
+      &ldquo;But, really, sir, you ought to die for shame, to dare to raise such a
+      question in presence of the lady. You should at least have spared her this
+      discussion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, fie, sir! I say, fie! It is odious to maintain this argument before
+      her&mdash;odious if you speak truth, doubly odious if you lie,&rdquo; said
+      Rodin, with disgust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This violence is inconceivable!&rdquo; cried the Jesuit of the short robe,
+      exasperated; &ldquo;and I think the magistrate shows great partiality in
+      allowing such gross calumnies to be heaped upon me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; answered M. de Gernande, severely, &ldquo;I am entitled not only to hear,
+      but to provoke any contradictory discussion that may enlighten me in the
+      execution of my duty; it results from all this, that, even in your
+      opinion, sir, Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s health is sufficiently good to allow
+      her to return home immediately.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At least, I do not see any very serious inconvenience likely to arise
+      from it, sir,&rdquo; said the doctor: &ldquo;only I maintain that the cure is not so
+      complete as it might have been, and, on this subject, I decline all
+      responsibility for the future.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can do so, safely,&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;it is not likely that the young lady
+      will ever again have recourse to your honest assistance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is useless, therefore, to employ my official authority, to demand the
+      immediate liberation of Mdlle. de Cardoville,&rdquo; said the magistrate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is free,&rdquo; said Baleinier, &ldquo;perfectly free.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for the question whether you have imprisoned her on the plea of a
+      suppositious madness, the law will inquire into it, sir, and you will be
+      heard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am quite easy, sir,&rdquo; answered M. Baleinier, trying to look so; &ldquo;my
+      conscience reproaches me with nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope it may turn out well, sir,&rdquo; said M. de Gernande. &ldquo;However bad
+      appearances may be, more especially when persons of your station in
+      society are concerned, we should always wish to be convinced of their
+      innocence.&rdquo; Then, turning to Adrienne, he added: &ldquo;I understand, madame,
+      how painful this scene must be to all your feelings of delicacy and
+      generosity; hereafter, it will depend upon yourself, either to proceed for
+      damages against M. Baleinier, or to let the law take its course. One word
+      more. The bold and upright man&rdquo;&mdash;here the magistrate pointed to Rodin&mdash;&ldquo;who
+      has taken up your cause in so frank and disinterested a manner, expressed
+      a belief that you would, perhaps, take charge for the present of Marshal
+      Simon&rsquo;s daughters, whose liberation I am about to demand from the convent
+      where they also are confined by stratagem.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact is, sir,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, &ldquo;that, as soon as I learned the
+      arrival of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters in Paris, my intention was to offer
+      them apartments in my house. These young ladies are my near relations. It
+      is at once a duty and a pleasure for me to treat them as sisters. I shall,
+      therefore, be doubly grateful to you, sir, if you will trust them to my
+      care.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think that I cannot serve them better,&rdquo; answered M. de Gernande. Then,
+      addressing Baleinier, he added, &ldquo;Will you consent, sir, to my bringing
+      these two ladies hither? I will go and fetch them, while Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville prepares for her departure. They will then be able to leave
+      this house with their relation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I entreat the lady to make use of this house as her own, until she leaves
+      it,&rdquo; replied M. Baleinier. &ldquo;My carriage shall be at her orders to take her
+      home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said the magistrate, approaching Adrienne, &ldquo;without prejudging
+      the question, which must soon be decided by, a court of law, I may at
+      least regret that I was not called in sooner. Your situation must have
+      been a very cruel one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There will at least remain to me, sir, from this mournful time,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, with graceful dignity, &ldquo;one precious and touching remembrance&mdash;that
+      of the interest which you have shown me. I hope that you will one day
+      permit me to thank you, at my own home, not for the justice you have done
+      me, but for the benevolent and paternal manner in which you have done it.
+      And moreover, sir,&rdquo; added Mdlle. de Cardoville, with a sweet smile, &ldquo;I
+      should like to prove to you, that what they call my cure is complete.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Gernande bowed respectfully in reply. During the abort dialogue of
+      the magistrate with Adrienne, their backs were both turned to Baleinier
+      and Rodin. The latter, profiting by this moment&rsquo;s opportunity, hastily
+      slipped into the doctor&rsquo;s hand a note just written with a pencil in the
+      bottom of his hat. Baleinier looked at Rodin in stupefied amazement. But
+      the latter made a peculiar sign, by raising his thumb to his forehead, and
+      drawing it twice across his brow. Then he remained impassible. This had
+      passed so rapidly, that when M. de Gernande turned round, Rodin was at a
+      distance of several steps from Dr. Baleinier, and looking at Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville with respectful interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Permit me to accompany you, sir,&rdquo; said the doctor, preceding the
+      magistrate, whom Mdlle. de Cardoville saluted with much affability. Then
+      both went out, and Rodin remained alone with the young lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After conducting M. de Gernande to the outer door of the house, M.
+      Baleinier made haste to read the pencil-note written by Rodin; it ran as
+      follows: &ldquo;The magistrate is going to the convent, by way of the street.
+      Run round by the garden, and tell the Superior to obey the order I have
+      given with regard to the two young girls. It is of the utmost importance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The peculiar sign which Rodin had made, and the tenor of this note, proved
+      to Dr. Baleinier, who was passing from surprise to amazement, that the
+      secretary, far from betraying the reverend father, was still acting for
+      the Greater Glory of the Lord. However, whilst he obeyed the orders, M.
+      Baleinier sought in vain to penetrate the motives of Rodin&rsquo;s inexplicable
+      conduct, who had himself informed the authorities of an affair that was to
+      have been hushed up, and that might have the most disastrous consequences
+      for Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, Madame de Saint-Dizier, and Baleinier himself. But
+      let us return to Rodin, left alone with Mdlle, de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0087" id="link2HCH0087">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIV. FATHER D&rsquo;AIGRIGNY&rsquo;S SECRETARY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">H</span>ardly had the magistrate and Dr. Baleinier disappeared, than Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, whose countenance was beaming with joy, exclaimed, as she
+      looked at Rodin with a mixture of respect and gratitude, &ldquo;At length,
+      thanks to you, sir, I am free&mdash;free! Oh, I had never before felt how
+      much happiness, expansion, delight, there is in that adorable word&mdash;liberty!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Her bosom rose and fell, her rosy nostrils dilated, her vermilion lips
+      were half open, as if she again inhaled with rapture pure and vivifying
+      air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have been only a few days in this horrible place,&rdquo; she resumed, &ldquo;but I
+      have suffered enough from my captivity to make me resolve never to let a
+      year pass without restoring to liberty some poor prisoners for debt. This
+      vow no doubt appears to belong a little to the Middle Ages,&rdquo; added she,
+      with a smile; &ldquo;but I would fain borrow from that noble epoch something
+      more than its old windows and furniture. So, doubly thanks, sir!&mdash;for
+      I take you as a partner in that project of deliverance, which has just
+      (you see) unfolded itself in the midst of the happiness I owe to you, and
+      by which you seem so much affected. Oh! let my joy speak my gratitude, and
+      pay you for your generous aid!&rdquo; exclaimed the young girl with enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville had truly remarked a complete transfiguration in the
+      countenance of Rodin. This man, lately so harsh, severe, inflexible, with
+      regard to Dr. Baleinier, appeared now under the influence of the mildest
+      and most tender sentiments. His little, half-veiled eyes were fixed upon
+      Adrienne with an expression of ineffable interest. Then, as if he wished
+      to tear himself from these impressions, he said, speaking to himself,
+      &ldquo;Come, come, no weakness. Time is too precious; my mission is not
+      fulfilled. My dear young lady,&rdquo; added he, addressing himself to Adrienne,
+      &ldquo;believe what I say&mdash;we will talk hereafter of gratitude&mdash;but we
+      have now to talk of the present so important for you and your family. Do
+      you know what is taking place?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne looked at the Jesuit with surprise, and said, &ldquo;What is taking
+      place, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know the real motive of your imprisonment in this house? Do you
+      know what influenced the Princess de Saint-Dizier and Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the sound of those detested names, Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s face, now so
+      full of happiness, became suddenly sad, and she answered with bitterness,
+      &ldquo;It is hatred, sir, that no doubt animated Madame de Saint-Dizier against
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, hatred; and, moreover, the desire to rob you with impunity of an
+      immense fortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me, sir! how?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must be ignorant, my dear young lady, of the interest you had to be
+      in the Rue Saint-Francois on the 13th February, for an inheritance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was ignorant, sir, of the date and details: but I knew by some family
+      papers, and thanks to an extraordinary circumstance, that one of our
+      ancestors&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had left an enormous sum to be divided between his descendants; is it not
+      so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what unfortunately you did not know, my dear young lady, was that the
+      heirs were all bound to be present at a certain hour on the 13th February.
+      This day and hour once past, the absent would forfeit their claim. Do you
+      now understand why you have been imprisoned here, my dear young lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; I understand it,&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville; &ldquo;cupidity was
+      added to the hatred which my aunt felt for me. All is explained. Marshal
+      Simon&rsquo;s daughters, having the same right as I had have, like me, been
+      imprisoned.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet,&rdquo; cried Rodin, &ldquo;you and they were not the only victims.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who, then, are the others, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A young East Indian.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Prince Djalma?&rdquo; said Adrienne, hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For the same reason he has been nearly poisoned with a narcotic.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Great God!&rdquo; cried the young girl, clasping her hands in horror. &ldquo;It is
+      fearful. That young prince, who was said to have so noble and generous a
+      character! But I had sent to Cardoville Castle&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A confidential person, to fetch the prince to Paris&mdash;I know it, my
+      dear young lady; but, by means of a trick, your friend was got out of the
+      way, and the young Oriental delivered to his enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where is he now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have only vague information on the subject. I know that he is in Paris,
+      and do not despair of finding him. I shall pursue my researches with an
+      almost paternal ardor, for we cannot too much love the rare qualities of
+      that poor king&rsquo;s son. What a heart, my dear young lady! what a heart! Oh,
+      it is a heart of gold, pure and bright as the gold of his country!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must find the prince, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne with emotion; &ldquo;let me
+      entreat you to neglect nothing for that end. He is my relation&mdash;alone
+      here&mdash;without support&mdash;without assistance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; replied Rodin, with commiseration. &ldquo;Poor boy!&mdash;for he is
+      almost a boy&mdash;eighteen or nineteen years of age&mdash;thrown into the
+      heart of Paris, of this hell&mdash;with his fresh, ardent, half-savage
+      passions&mdash;with his simplicity and confidence&mdash;to what perils may
+      he not be exposed?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, we must first find him, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, hastily; &ldquo;and then we
+      will save him from these dangers. Before I was confined here, I learned
+      his arrival in France, and sent a confidential person to offer him the
+      services of an unknown friend. I now see that this mad idea, with which I
+      have been so much reproached, was a very sensible one. I am more convinced
+      of it than ever. The prince belongs to my family, and I owe him a generous
+      hospitality. I had destined for him the lodge I occupied at my aunt&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you, my dear young lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day, I shall remove to a house, which I had prepared some time ago,
+      with the determination of quitting Madame de Saint-Dizier, and living
+      alone as I pleased. Then, sir, as you seem bent upon being the good genius
+      of our family, be as generous with regard to Prince Djalma, as you have
+      been to me and Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters. I entreat you to discover the
+      hiding-place of this poor king&rsquo;s son, as you call him; keep my secret for
+      me, and conduct him to the house offered by the unknown friend. Let him
+      not disquiet himself about anything; all his wants shall be provided for;
+      he shall live&mdash;like a prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; he will indeed live like a prince, thanks to your royal munificence.
+      But never was such kind interest better deserved. It is enough to see (as
+      I have seen) his fine, melancholy countenance&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have seen him, then, sir?&rdquo; said Adrienne, interrupting Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear young lady; I was with him for about two hours. It was quite
+      enough to judge of him. His charming features are the mirror of his soul.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where did you see him, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20327m.jpg" alt="20327m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20327.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At your old Chateau de Cardoville, my dear young lady, near which he had
+      been shipwrecked in a storm, and whither I had gone to&mdash;&rdquo; Rodin
+      hesitated for a moment, and then, as if yielding to the frankness of his
+      disposition, added: &ldquo;Whither I had gone to commit a bad action&mdash;a
+      shameful, miserable action, I must confess!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, sir?&mdash;at Cardoville House&mdash;to commit a bad action?&rdquo; cried
+      Adrienne, much surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! yes, my dear young lady,&rdquo; answered Rodin with simplicity. &ldquo;In one
+      word, I had orders from Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, to place your former bailiff in
+      the alternative either of losing his situation or lending himself to a
+      mean action&mdash;something, in fact, that resembled spying and calumny;
+      but the honest, worthy man refused.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, who are you, sir?&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, more and more
+      astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am Rodin, lately secretary of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&mdash;a person of
+      very little importance, as you see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe the accent, at once humble and ingenuous, of
+      the Jesuit, as he pronounced these words, which he accompanied with a
+      respectful bow. On this revelation, Mdlle. de Cardoville drew back
+      abruptly. We have said that Adrienne had sometimes heard talk of Rodin,
+      the humble secretary of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, as a sort of obedient and
+      passive machine. That was not all; the bailiff of Cardoville Manor,
+      writing to Adrienne on the subject of Prince Djalma, had complained of the
+      perfidious and dishonest propositions of Rodin. She felt, therefore, a
+      vague suspicion, when she heard that her liberator was the man who had
+      played so odious a part. Yet this unfavorable feeling was balanced by the
+      sense of what she owed to Rodin, and by his frank denunciation of Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny before the magistrate. And then the Jesuit, by his own
+      confession, had anticipated, as it were, the reproaches that might have
+      been addressed to him. Still, it was with a kind of cold reserve that
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville resumed this dialogue, which she had commenced with
+      as much frankness as warmth and sympathy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin perceived the impression he had made. He expected it. He was not the
+      least disconcerted when Mdlle. de Cardoville said to him, as she fixed
+      upon him a piercing glance, &ldquo;Ah! you are M. Rodin&mdash;secretary to the
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Say ex-secretary, if you please, my dear young lady,&rdquo; answered the
+      Jesuit; &ldquo;for you see clearly that I can never again enter the house of the
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny. I have made of him an implacable enemy, and I am now
+      without employment&mdash;but no matter&mdash;nay, so much the better&mdash;since,
+      at this price, the wicked are unmasked, and honest people rescued.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, spoken with much simplicity, and dignity, revived a feeling
+      of pity in Adrienne&rsquo;s heart. She thought within herself that, after all,
+      the poor old man spoke the truth. Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s hate, after this
+      exposure, would be inexorable, and Rodin had braved it for the sake of a
+      generous action.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still Mdlle. de Cardoville answered coldly, &ldquo;Since you knew, sir, that the
+      propositions you were charged to make to the bailiff of Cardoville were
+      shameful and perfidious, how could you undertake the mission?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How?&rdquo; replied Rodin, with a sort of painful impatience; &ldquo;why, because I
+      was completely under Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s charm, one of the most prodigiously
+      clever men I have ever known, and, as I only discovered the day before
+      yesterday, one of the most prodigiously dangerous men there is in the
+      world. He had conquered my scruples, by persuading me that the End
+      justifies the Means. I must confess that the end he seemed to propose to
+      himself was great and beautiful; but the day before yesterday I was
+      cruelly undeceived. I was awakened, as it were, by a thunder-peal. Oh, my
+      dear young lady!&rdquo; added Rodin, with a sort of embarrassment and confusion,
+      &ldquo;let us talk no more of my fatal journey to Cardoville. Though I was only
+      an ignorant and blind instrument, I feel as ashamed and grieved at it as
+      if I had acted for myself. It weighs upon me, it oppresses me. I entreat
+      you, let us speak rather of yourself, and of what interests you&mdash;for
+      the soul expands with generous thoughts, even as the breast is dilated in
+      pure and healthful air.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin had confessed his fault so spontaneously, he explained it so
+      naturally, he appeared to regret it so sincerely, that Adrienne, whose
+      suspicions had no other grounds, felt her distrust a good deal diminished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&rdquo; she resumed, still looking attentively at Rodin, &ldquo;it was at
+      Cardoville that you saw Prince Djalma?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame; and my affection for him dates from that interview.
+      Therefore I will accomplish my task. Be satisfied, my dear young lady;
+      like you, like Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters, the prince shall avoid being the
+      victim of this detestable plot, which unhappily does not stop there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who besides, then, is threatened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Hardy, a man full of honor and probity, who is also your relation, and
+      interested in this inheritance, but kept away from Paris by infamous
+      treachery. And another heir, an unfortunate artisan, who falling into a
+      trap cleverly baited, has been thrown into a prison for debt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, suddenly, &ldquo;for whose advantage was this
+      abominable plot, which really alarms me, first devised?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For the advantage of Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny,&rdquo; answered Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How, and by what right! Was he also an heir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would take too long to explain it to you, my dear young lady. You will
+      know all one day. Only be convinced that your family has no more bitter
+      enemy that Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, giving way to one last suspicion, &ldquo;I will speak
+      frankly to you. How can I have deserved the interest that you seem to take
+      in me, and that you even extend to all the members of my family?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear young lady,&rdquo; answered Rodin, with a smile, &ldquo;were I to tell you
+      the cause, you would only laugh at, or misapprehend me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, I beg of you, sir. Do not mistrust me or yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, I became interested in you&mdash;devoted to you&mdash;because
+      your heart is generous, your mind lofty, your character independent and
+      proud. Once attached to you, those of your race, who are indeed themselves
+      worthy of interest, were no longer indifferent to me. To serve them was to
+      serve you also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir&mdash;admitting that you suppose me worthy of the too flattering
+      praises you bestow upon me&mdash;how could you judge of my heart, my mind,
+      my character?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell you, my dear young lady; but first I must make another
+      confession, that fills me with shame. If you were not even so wonderfully
+      endowed, what you have suffered in this house should suffice to command
+      the interest of every honest man&mdash;don&rsquo;t you think so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do think it should, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I might thus explain the interest I feel in you. But no&mdash;I confess
+      it&mdash;that would not have sufficed with me. Had you been only Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville&mdash;a rich, noble, beautiful young lady&mdash;I should
+      doubtless have pitied your misfortune; but I should have said to myself,
+      &lsquo;This poor young lady is certainly much to be pitied; but what can I, poor
+      man, do in it? My only resource is my post of secretary to the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and he would be the first that must be attacked. He is
+      all-powerful, and I am nothing. To engage in a struggle with him would be
+      to ruin myself, without the hope of saving this unfortunate person.&rsquo; But
+      when I learnt what you were, my dear young lady, I revolted, in spite of
+      my inferiority. &lsquo;No,&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;a thousand times, no! So fine an intellect,
+      so great a heart, shall not be the victims of an abominable plot. I may
+      perish in the struggle, but I will at least make the attempt.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No words can paint the mixture of delicacy, energy, and sensibility with
+      which Rodin uttered these sentiments. As it often happens with people
+      singularly repulsive and ill-favored, if they can once bring you to forget
+      their ugliness, their very deformity becomes a source of interest and
+      commiseration, and you say to yourself, &ldquo;What a pity that such a mind,
+      such a soul, should inhabit so poor a body!&rdquo;&mdash;and you are touched and
+      softened by the contrast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was thus that Mdlle. de Cardoville began to look upon Rodin. He had
+      shown himself as simple and affectionate towards her as he had been brutal
+      and insolent to Dr. Baleinier. One thing only excited the lively curiosity
+      of Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;she wished to know how Rodin had conceived
+      the devotion and admiration which she seemed to inspire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive my indiscreet and obstinate curiosity, sir, but I wish to know&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How you were morally revealed to me&mdash;is it not so? Oh, my dear young
+      lady! nothing is more simple. I will explain it to you in two words. The
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny saw in me nothing but a writing-machine, an obtuse, mute,
+      blind instrument&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny had more penetration.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you are right, my dear young lady; he is a man of unparalleled
+      sagacity; but I deceived him by affecting more than simplicity. Do not,
+      therefore, think me false. No; I am proud in my manner&mdash;and my pride
+      consists in never appearing above my position, however subaltern it may
+      be! Do you know why? It is that, however haughty may be my superiors, I
+      can say to myself, &lsquo;They do not know my value. It is the inferiority of my
+      condition, not me, that they humiliate.&rsquo; By this I gain doubly&mdash;my
+      self-love is spared, and I hate no one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I understand that sort of pride,&rdquo; said Adrienne, more and more
+      struck with Rodin&rsquo;s original turn of mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But let us return to what concerns you, my dear young lady. On the eve of
+      the 13th of February, the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny delivered to me a paper in
+      shorthand, and said to me, &lsquo;Transcribe this examination; you may add that
+      it is to support the decision of a family council, which has declared, in
+      accordance with the report of Dr. Baleinier, the state of mind of Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville to be sufficiently alarming to render it necessary to
+      confine her in a lunatic asylum.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with bitterness; &ldquo;it related to a long interview,
+      which I had with the Princess de Saint-Dizier, my aunt, and which was
+      taken down without my knowledge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Behold me, then, poring over my shorthand report, and beginning to
+      transcribe it. At the end of the first ten lines, I was struck with
+      stupor. I knew not if I were awake or dreaming. &lsquo;What! mad?&rsquo; They must be
+      themselves insane who dare assert so monstrous a proposition!&mdash;More
+      and more interested, I continued my reading&mdash;I finished it&mdash;Oh!
+      then, what shall I say? What I felt, my dear young lady, it is impossible
+      to express. It was sympathy, delight, enthusiasm!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear young lady, enthusiasm! Let not the words shock your
+      modesty. Know that these ideas, so new, so independent, so courageous
+      which you expressed to your aunt with so much brilliancy, are, without
+      your being aware of it, common to you and another person, for whom you
+      will one day feel the most tender and religious respect.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of whom do you speak, sir?&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, more and more
+      interested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s apparent hesitation, Rodin resumed, &ldquo;No, no&mdash;it is
+      useless now to inform you of it. All I can tell you, my dear young lady,
+      is that, when I had finished my reading, I ran to Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s, to
+      convince him of the error into which he had fallen with regard to you. It
+      was impossible then to find him; but yesterday morning I told him plainly
+      what I thought. He only appeared surprised to find that I could think at
+      all. He received my communications with contemptuous silence. I thought
+      him deceived; I continued my remonstrances, but quite in vain. He ordered
+      me to follow him to the house, where the testament of your ancestor was to
+      be opened. I was so blind with regard to the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, that it
+      required the successive arrivals of the soldier, of his son, and of
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s father, to open my eyes thoroughly. Their indignation
+      unveiled to me the extent of a conspiracy, plotted long ago, and carried
+      on with terrible ability. Then, I understood why you were confined here as
+      a lunatic; why the daughters of Marshal Simon were imprisoned in a
+      convent. Then a thousand recollections returned to my mind; fragments of
+      letters and statements, which had been given me to copy or decipher, and
+      of which I had never been able to find the explanation, put me on the
+      track of this odious machination. To express then and there the sudden
+      horror I felt at these crimes, would have been to ruin all. I did not make
+      this mistake. I opposed cunning to cunning; I appeared even more eager
+      than Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny. Had this immense inheritance been destined for me
+      alone, I could not have shown myself more grasping and merciless. Thanks
+      to this stratagem, Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny had no suspicion. A providential
+      accident having rescued the inheritance from his hands, he left the house
+      in a state of profound consternation. For my part, I felt indescribable
+      joy; for I had now the means of saving and avenging you, my dear young
+      lady. As usual, I went yesterday evening to my place of business. During
+      the absence of the abbe, it was easy for me to peruse the correspondence
+      relative to the inheritance. In this way I was able to unite all the
+      threads of this immense plot. Oh! then, my dear young lady, I remained,
+      struck with horror, in presence of the discoveries that I made, and that I
+      never should have made under any other circumstances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What discoveries, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are some secrets which are terrible to those who possess them. Do
+      not ask me to explain, my dear young lady; but, in this examination, the
+      league formed against you and your relations, from motives of insatiable
+      cupidity, appeared to me in all its dark audacity. Thereupon, the lively
+      and deep interest which I already felt for you, my dear young lady, was
+      augmented greatly, and extended itself to the other innocent victims of
+      this infernal conspiracy. In spite of my weakness, I determined to risk
+      all, to unmask the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny. I collected the necessary proofs, to
+      give my declaration before the magistrate the needful authority; and, this
+      morning, I left the abbe&rsquo;s house without revealing to him my projects. He
+      might have employed some violent method to detain me; yet it would have
+      been cowardly to attack him without warning. Once out of his house, I
+      wrote to him, that I had in my hands proof enough of his crimes, to attack
+      him openly in the face of day. I would accuse, and he must defend himself.
+      I went directly to a magistrate, and you know the rest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture, the door opened, and one of the nurses appeared, and
+      said to Rodin: &ldquo;Sir, the messenger that you and the magistrate sent to the
+      Rue Brise-Miche has just come back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has he left the letter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; and it was taken upstairs directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well. Leave us!&rdquo; The nurse went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0088" id="link2HCH0088">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXV. SYMPATHY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>f it had been possible for Mdlle. de Cardoville to harbor any suspicion
+      of the sincerity of Rodin&rsquo;s devotion, it must have given way before this
+      reasoning, unfortunately so simple and undeniable. How could she suppose
+      the faintest complicity between the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny and his secretary,
+      when it was the latter who completely unveiled the machinations of his
+      master, and exposed them to the tribunals? when in this, Rodin went even
+      further than Mdlle. de Cardoville would herself have gone? Of what secret
+      design could she suspect the Jesuit? At worst, of a desire to earn by his
+      services the profitable patronage of the young lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And then, had he not just now protested against this supposition, by
+      declaring his devotion, not to Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;not to the fair,
+      rich, noble lady&mdash;but to the high-souled and generous girl? Finally,
+      as Rodin had said himself, could any but a miserable wretch fail to be
+      interested in Adrienne&rsquo;s fate? A strange mixture of curiosity, surprise,
+      and interest, was joined with Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s feelings of gratitude
+      towards Rodin. Yet, as she recognized the superior mind under that humble
+      exterior, she was suddenly struck with a grave suspicion. &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said she
+      to Rodin, &ldquo;I always confess to the persons I esteem the doubts they may
+      have inspired, so that they may justify themselves, and excuse me, if I am
+      wrong.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked at Mdlle. de Cardoville with surprise, as if mentally
+      calculating the suspicions than she might entertain, and replied, after a
+      moment&rsquo;s silence: &ldquo;You are perhaps thinking of my journey to Cardoville,
+      of my base proposals to your good and worthy bailiff? Oh! if you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, interrupting him; &ldquo;you made that confession
+      spontaneously, and I quite understand, that, blinded with regard to M.
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, you passively executed instructions repugnant to your
+      delicacy. But how comes it, that, with your incontestable merits, you have
+      so long; occupied so mean a position in his service?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; said Rodin, with a smile; &ldquo;that must impress you
+      unfavorably, my dear young lady; for a man of any capacity, who remains
+      long in an inferior condition, has evidently some radical vice, some bad
+      or base passion&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is generally true, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And personally true&mdash;with regard to myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir! do you make this avowal?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! I confess that I have a bad passion, to which, for forty years, I
+      have sacrificed all chances of attaining to a better position.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this passion, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since I must make the unpleasant avowal, this passion is indolence&mdash;yes,
+      indolence&mdash;the horror of all activity of mind, of all moral
+      responsibility, of taking the lead in anything. With the twelve hundred
+      francs that Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny gave me, I was the happiest man in the world;
+      I trusted to the nobleness of his views; his thoughts became mine, his
+      wishes mine. My work once finished, I returned to my poor little chamber,
+      I lighted my fire, I dined on vegetables&mdash;then, taking up some book
+      of philosophy, little known, and dreaming over it, I gave free course to
+      my imagination, which, restrained all the day long, carried me through
+      numberless theories to a delicious Utopia. Then, from the eminences of my
+      intelligence, lifted up Lord knows whither, by the audacity of my
+      thoughts, I seemed to look down upon my master, and upon the great men of
+      the earth. This fever lasted for three or four hours, after which I had a
+      good sleep; and, the next morning, I went lightly to my work, secure of my
+      daily bread, without cares for the future, living content with little,
+      waiting with impatience for the delights of my solitary evening, and
+      saying to myself as I went on writing like a stupid machine: &lsquo;And yet&mdash;and
+      yet&mdash;if I chose!&rsquo;&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless, you could, like others, surer than others, have reached a
+      higher position,&rdquo; said Adrienne, greatly struck with Rodin&rsquo;s practical
+      philosophy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I think I could have done so; but for what purpose?&mdash;You see,
+      my dear young lady, what often renders people of some merit puzzles to the
+      vulgar, is that they are frequently content to say: &lsquo;If I chose!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir, without attaching much importance to the luxuries of life,
+      there is a certain degree of comfort, which age renders almost
+      indispensable, and which you seem to have utterly renounced.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Undeceive yourself, if you please, my dear young lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, with
+      a playful smile. &ldquo;I am a true Sybarite; I require absolutely warm clothes,
+      a good stove, a soft mattress, a good piece of bread, a fresh radish,
+      flavored with good cheap salt, and some good, clear water; and,
+      notwithstanding this complication of wants, my twelve hundred francs have
+      always more than sufficed, for I have been able to make some little
+      savings.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But now that you are without employment, how will you manage to live,
+      sir?&rdquo; said Adrienne, more and more interested by the singularities of this
+      man, and wishing to put his disinterestedness to the proof.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have laid by a little, which will serve me till I have unravelled the
+      last thread of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s dark designs. I owe myself this
+      reparation, for having been his dupe; three or four days, I hope, will
+      complete the work. After that, I have the certainty of meeting with a
+      situation, in my native province, under a collector of taxes: some time
+      ago, the offer was made me by a friend; but then I would not leave Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, notwithstanding the advantages proposed. Fancy, my dear young
+      lady&mdash;eight hundred francs, with board and lodging! As I am a little
+      of the roughest, I should have preferred lodging apart; but, as they give
+      me so much, I must submit to this little inconvenience.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing could exceed Rodin&rsquo;s ingenuity, in making these little household
+      confidences (so abominably false) to Mdlle. de Cardoville, who felt her
+      last suspicions give way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir?&rdquo; said she to the Jesuit, with interest; &ldquo;in three or four
+      days, you mean to quit Paris?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope to do so, my dear young lady; and that,&rdquo; added he, in a mysterious
+      tone, &ldquo;and that for many reasons. But what would be very precious to me,&rdquo;
+       he resumed, in a serious voice, as he looked at Adrienne with emotion,
+      &ldquo;would be to carry with me the conviction, that you did me the justice to
+      believe, that, on merely reading your interview with the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier, I recognized at once qualities quite unexampled in our day,
+      in a young person of your age and condition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, sir!&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a smile, &ldquo;do not think yourself obliged to
+      return so soon the sincere praises that I bestowed on your superiority of
+      mind. I should be better pleased with ingratitude.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no! I do not flatter you, my dear young lady. Why should I? We may
+      probably never meet again. I do not flatter you; I understand you&mdash;that&rsquo;s
+      all&mdash;and what will seem strange to you, is, that your appearance
+      complete, the idea which I had already formed of you, my dear young lady,
+      in reading your interview with your aunt: and some parts of your
+      character, hitherto obscure to me, are now fully displayed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, sir, you astonish me more and more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t help it! I merely describe my impressions. I can now explain
+      perfectly, for example, your passionate love of the beautiful, your eager
+      worship of the refinements of the senses, your ardent aspirations for a
+      better state of things, your courageous contempt of many degrading and
+      servile customs, to which woman is condemned; yes, now I understand the
+      noble pride with which you contemplate the mob of vain, self-sufficient,
+      ridiculous men, who look upon woman as a creature destined for their
+      service, according to the laws made after their own not very handsome
+      image. In the eyes of these hedge-tyrants, woman, a kind of inferior being
+      to whom a council of cardinals deigned to grant a soul by a majority of
+      two voices, ought to think herself supremely happy in being the servant of
+      these petty pachas, old at thirty, worn-out, used up, weary with excesses,
+      wishing only for repose, and seeking, as they say, to make an end of it,
+      which they set about by marrying some poor girl, who is on her side
+      desirous to make a beginning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville would certainly have smiled at these satirical
+      remarks, if she had not been greatly struck by hearing Rodin express in
+      such appropriate terms her own ideas, though it was the first time in her
+      life that she saw this dangerous man. Adrienne forgot, or rather, she was
+      not aware, that she had to deal with a Jesuit of rare intelligence,
+      uniting the information and the mysterious resources of the police-spy
+      with the profound sagacity of the confessor; one of those diabolic
+      priests, who, by the help of a few hints, avowals, letters, reconstruct a
+      character, as Cuvier could reconstruct a body from zoological fragments.
+      Far from interrupting Rodin, Adrienne listened to him with growing
+      curiosity. Sure of the effect he produced, he continued, in a tone of
+      indignation: &ldquo;And your aunt and the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny treated you as mad,
+      because you revolted against the yoke of such tyrants! because, hating the
+      shameful vices of slavery, you chose to be independent with the suitable
+      qualities of independence, free with the proud virtues of liberty!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, more and more surprised, &ldquo;how can my thoughts
+      be so familiar to you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First, I know you perfectly, thanks to your interview with the Princess
+      de Saint-Dizier: and next, if it should happen that we both pursue the
+      same end, though by different means,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, artfully, as he
+      looked at Mdlle. de Cardoville with an air of intelligence, &ldquo;why should
+      not our convictions be the same?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand you, sir. Of what end do you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The end pursued incessantly by all lofty, generous, independent spirits&mdash;some
+      acting, like you, my dear young lady, from passion, from instinct, without
+      perhaps explaining to themselves the high mission they are called on to
+      ful, fil. Thus, for example, when you take pleasure in the most refined
+      delights, when you surround yourself with all that charms the senses, do
+      you think that you only yield to the attractions of the beautiful, to the
+      desire of exquisite enjoyments? No! ah, no! for then you would be
+      incomplete, odiously selfish, a dry egotist, with a fine taste&mdash;nothing
+      more&mdash;and at your age, it would be hideous, my dear young lady, it
+      would be hideous!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And do you really think thus severely of me?&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      uneasiness, so much influence had this man irresistibly attained over her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, I should think thus of you, if you loved luxury for luxury&rsquo;s
+      sake; but, no&mdash;quite another sentiment animates you,&rdquo; resumed the
+      Jesuit. &ldquo;Let us reason a little. Feeling a passionate desire for all these
+      enjoyments, you know their value and their need more than any one&mdash;is
+      it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is so,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, deeply interested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your gratitude and favor are then necessarily acquired by those who,
+      poor, laborious, and unknown, have procured for you these marvels of
+      luxury, which you could not do without?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This feeling of gratitude is so strong in me, sir,&rdquo; replied Adrienne,
+      more and more pleased to find herself so well understood, &ldquo;that I once had
+      inscribed on a masterpiece of goldsmith&rsquo;s work, instead of the name of the
+      seller, that of the poor unknown artist who designed it, and who has since
+      risen to his true place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There you see, I was not deceived,&rdquo; went on Rodin; &ldquo;the taste for
+      enjoyment renders you grateful to those who procure it for you; and that
+      is not all; here am I, an example, neither better nor worse than my
+      neighbors, but accustomed to privations, which cause me no suffering&mdash;so
+      that the privations of others necessarily touch me less nearly than they
+      do you, my dear young lady; for your habits of comfort must needs render
+      you more compassionate towards misfortune. You would yourself suffer too
+      much from poverty, not to pity and succor those who are its victims.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, who began to feel herself under the fatal
+      charm of Rodin, &ldquo;the more I listen to you, the more I am convinced that
+      you would defend a thousand times better than I could those ideas for
+      which I was so harshly reproached by Madame de Saint-Dizier and Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny. Oh! speak, speak, sir! I cannot tell you with what happiness,
+      with what pride I listen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Attentive and moved, her eyes fixed on the Jesuit with as much interest as
+      sympathy and curiosity, Adrienne, by a graceful toss of the head that was
+      habitual to her, threw hack her long, golden curls, the better to
+      contemplate Rodin, who thus resumed: &ldquo;You are astonished, my dear young
+      lady, that you were not understood by your aunt or by Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny!
+      What point of contact had you with these hypocritical, jealous, crafty
+      minds, such as I can judge them to be now? Do you wish a new proof of
+      their hateful blindness? Among what they called your monstrous follies,
+      which was the worst, the most damnable? Why, your resolution to live alone
+      and in your own way, to dispose freely of the present and the future. They
+      declared this to be odious, detestable, immoral. And yet&mdash;was this
+      resolution dictated by a mad love of liberty? no!&mdash;by a disordered
+      aversion to all restraint? no!&mdash;by the desire of singularity?&mdash;no!&mdash;for
+      then I, too, should have blamed you severely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Other reasons have indeed guided me, sir, I assure you,&rdquo; said Adrienne
+      eagerly, for she had become very eager for the esteem with which her
+      character might inspire Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I know it well; your motives could only be excellent ones,&rdquo; replied
+      the Jesuit. &ldquo;Why then did you take this resolution, so much called in
+      question? Was it to brave established etiquette? no! for you respected
+      them until the hate of Mme. de Saint-Dizier forced you to withdraw
+      yourself from her unbearable guardianship. Was it to live alone, to escape
+      the eyes of the world? no! you would be a hundred times more open to
+      observation in this than any other condition. Was it to make a bad use of
+      your liberty? no, ah, no! those who design evil seek for darkness and
+      solitude; while you place yourself right before the jealous anal envious
+      eyes of the vulgar crowd. Why then do you take this determination, so
+      courageous and rare, unexampled in a young person of your age? Shall I
+      tell you, my dear young lady? It is, that you wish to prove, by your
+      example, that a woman of pure heart and honest mind, with a firm character
+      and independence of soul, may nobly and proudly throw off the humiliating
+      guardianship that custom has imposed upon her. Yes, instead of accepting
+      the fate of a revolted slave, a life only destined to hypocrisy or vice,
+      you wish to live freely in presence of all the world, independent,
+      honorable, and respected. You wish to have, like man, the exercise of your
+      own free will, the entire responsibility of all your actions, so as to
+      establish the fact, that a woman left completely to herself, may equal man
+      in reason, wisdom, uprightness, and surpass him indelicacy and dignity.
+      That is your design, my dear young lady. It is noble and great. Will your
+      example be imitated? I hope it may; but whether it be so or not, your
+      generous attempt, believe me, will place you in a high and worthy
+      position.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s eyes shone with a proud and gentle brightness, her
+      cheeks were slightly colored, her bosom heaved, she raised her charming
+      head with a movement of involuntary pride; at length completely under the
+      charm of that diabolical man she exclaimed: &ldquo;But, sir, who are you that
+      can thus know and analyze my most secret thoughts, and read my soul more
+      clearly than myself, so as to give new life and action to those ideas of
+      independence which have long stirred within me? Who are you, that can thus
+      elevate me in my own eyes, for now I am conscious of accomplishing a
+      mission, honorable to myself, and perhaps useful to my sisters immersed in
+      slavery? Once again, sir, who are you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who am I, madame?&rdquo; answered Rodin, with a smile of the greatest good
+      nature; &ldquo;I have already told you that I am a poor old man, who for the
+      last forty years, having served in the day time as a writing machine to
+      record the ideas of others, went home every evening to work out ideas of
+      his own&mdash;a good kind of man who, from his garret, watches and even
+      takes some little share in the movement of generous spirits, advancing
+      towards an end that is nearer than is commonly thought. And thus, my dear
+      young lady, as I told you just now, you and I are both tending towards the
+      same objects, though you may do the same without reflection, and merely in
+      obedience to your rare and divine instincts. So continue so to live, fair,
+      free, and happy!&mdash;it is your mission&mdash;more providential than you
+      may think it. Yes; continue to surround yourself with all the marvels of
+      luxury and art; refine your senses, purify your tastes, by the exquisite
+      choice of your enjoyments; by genius, grace, and purity raise yourself
+      above the stupid and ill-favored mob of men, that will instantly surround
+      you, when they behold you alone and free; they will consider you an easy
+      prey, destined to please their cupidity, their egotism, their folly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Laugh at them, and mock these idiotic and sordid pretensions. Be the
+      queen of your own world, and make yourself respected as a queen. Love&mdash;shine&mdash;enjoy&mdash;it
+      is your part upon earth. All the flowers, with which you are whelmed in
+      profusion, will one day bear fruit. You think that you have lived only for
+      pleasure; in reality, you will have lived for the noblest aims that could
+      tempt a great and lofty soul. And so&mdash;some years hence&mdash;we may
+      meet again, perhaps; you, fairer and more followed than ever; I, older and
+      more obscure. But, no matter&mdash;a secret voice, I am sure, says to you
+      at this moment, that between us two, however different, there exists an
+      invisible bond, a mysterious communion, which nothing hereafter will ever
+      be able to destroy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He uttered these final words in a tone of such profound emotion, that
+      Adrienne started. Rodin had approached without her perceiving it, and
+      without, as it were, walking at all, for he dragged his steps along the
+      floor, with a sort of serpent motion; and he had spoken with so much
+      warmth and enthusiasm, that his pale face had become slightly tinged, and
+      his repulsive ugliness had almost disappeared before the brilliancy of his
+      small sharp eyes, now wide open, and fixed full upon Adrienne. The latter
+      leaned forward, with half-open lips and deep-drawn breath, nor could she
+      take her eyes from the Jesuit&rsquo;s; he had ceased to speak, and yet she was
+      still listening. The feelings of the fair young lady, in presence of this
+      little old man, dirty, ugly, and poor, were inexplicable. That comparison
+      so common, and yet so true, of the frightful fascination of the bird by
+      the serpent, might give some idea of the singular impression made upon
+      her. Rodin&rsquo;s tactics were skillful and sure. Until now, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville had never analyzed her tastes or instincts. She had followed
+      them, because they were inoffensive and charming. How happy and proud she
+      then was sure to be to hear a man of superior mind not only praise these
+      tendencies, for which she had been heretofore so severely blamed, but
+      congratulate her upon them, as upon something great, noble, and divine! If
+      Rodin had only addressed himself to Adrienne&rsquo;s self-conceit, he would have
+      failed in his perfidious designs, for she had not the least spark of
+      vanity. But he addressed himself to all that was enthusiastic and generous
+      in her heart; that which he appeared to encourage and admire in her was
+      really worthy of encouragement and admiration. How could she fail to be
+      the dupe of such language, concealing though it did such dark and fatal
+      projects?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Struck with the Jesuit&rsquo;s rare intelligence, feeling her curiosity greatly
+      excited by some mysterious words that he had purposely uttered, hardly
+      explaining to herself the strange influence which this pernicious
+      counsellor already exercised over her, and animated by respectful
+      compassion for a man of his age and talents placed in so precarious a
+      position, Adrienne said to him, with all her natural cordiality, &ldquo;A man of
+      your merit and character, sir, ought not to be at the mercy of the caprice
+      of circumstances. Some of your words have opened a new horizon before me;
+      I feel that, on many points, your counsels may be of the greatest use to
+      me. Moreover, in coming to fetch me from this house, and in devoting
+      yourself to the service of other persons of my family, you have shown me
+      marks of interest which I cannot forget without ingratitude. You have lost
+      a humble but secure situation. Permit me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not a word more, my dear young lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, interrupting Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, with an air of chagrin. &ldquo;I feel for you the deepest sympathy;
+      I am honored by having ideas in common with you; I believe firmly that
+      some day you will have to ask advice of the poor old philosopher; and,
+      precisely because of all that, I must and ought to maintain towards you
+      the most complete independence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir, it is I that would be the obliged party, if you deigned to
+      accept what I offer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear young lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, with a smile: &ldquo;I know that your
+      generosity would always know how to make gratitude light and easy; but,
+      once more, I cannot accept anything from you. One day, perhaps, you will
+      know why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is impossible for me to tell you more. And then, supposing I were
+      under an obligation to you, how could I tell you all that was good and
+      beautiful in your actions? Hereafter, if you are somewhat indebted to me
+      for my advice, so much the better; I shall be the more ready to blame you,
+      if I find anything to blame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In this way, sir, you would forbid me to be grateful to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; said Rodin, with apparent emotion. &ldquo;Oh, believe me! there will
+      come a solemn moment, in which you may repay all, in a manner worthy of
+      yourself and me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This conversation was here interrupted by the nurse, who said to Adrienne
+      as she entered: &ldquo;Madame, there is a little humpback workwoman downstairs,
+      who wishes to speak to you. As, according to the doctor&rsquo;s new orders, you
+      are to do as you like, I have come to ask, if I am to bring her up to you.
+      She is so badly dressed, that I did not venture.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bring her up, by all means,&rdquo; said Adrienne, hastily, for she had
+      recognized Mother Bunch by the nurse&rsquo;s description. &ldquo;Bring her up
+      directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The doctor has also left word, that his carriage is to be at your orders,
+      madame; are the horses to be put to?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, in a quarter of an hour,&rdquo; answered Adrienne to the nurse, who went
+      out; then, addressing Rodin, she continued: &ldquo;I do not think the magistrate
+      can now be long, before he returns with Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think not, my dear young lady; but who is this deformed workwoman?&rdquo;
+       asked Rodin, with an air of indifference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The adopted sister of a gallant fellow, who risked all in endeavoring to
+      rescue me from this house. And, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with emotion, &ldquo;this
+      young workwoman is a rare and excellent creature. Never was a nobler mind,
+      a more generous heart, concealed beneath an exterior less&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But reflecting, that Rodin seemed to unite in his own person the same
+      moral and physical contrasts as the sewing-girl, Adrienne stopped short,
+      and then added, with inimitable grace, as she looked at the Jesuit, who
+      was somewhat astonished at the sudden pause: &ldquo;No; this noble girl is not
+      the only person who proves how loftiness of soul, and superiority of mind,
+      can make us indifferent to the vain advantages which belong only to the
+      accidents of birth or fortune.&rdquo; At the moment of Adrienne speaking these
+      last words, Mother Bunch entered the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0089" id="link2HCH0089">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVI. SUSPICIONS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>dlle. de Cardoville sprang hastily to meet the visitor, and said to her,
+      in a voice of emotion, as she extended her arms towards her: &ldquo;Come&mdash;come&mdash;there
+      is no grating to separate us now!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On this allusion, which reminded her how her poor, laborious hand had been
+      respectfully kissed by the fair and rich patrician, the young workwoman
+      felt a sentiment of gratitude, which was at once ineffable and proud. But,
+      as she hesitated to respond to the cordial reception, Adrienne embraced
+      her with touching affection. When Mother Bunch found herself clasped in
+      the fair arms of Mdlle. de Cardoville, when she felt the fresh and rosy
+      lips of the young lady fraternally pressed to her own pale and sickly
+      cheek, she burst into tears without being able to utter a word. Rodin,
+      retired in a corner of the chamber, locked on this scene with secret
+      uneasiness. Informed of the refusal, so full of dignity, which Mother
+      Bunch had opposed to the perfidious temptations of the superior of St.
+      Mary&rsquo;s Convent, and knowing the deep devotion of this generous creature
+      for Agricola&mdash;a devotion which for some days she had so bravely
+      extended to Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;the Jesuit did not like to see the
+      latter thus laboring to increase that affection. He thought, wisely, that
+      one should never despise friend or enemy, however small they may appear.
+      Now, devotion to Mdlle. de Cardoville constituted an enemy in his eyes;
+      and we know, moreover, that Rodin combined in his character rare firmness,
+      with a certain degree of superstitious weakness, and he now felt uneasy at
+      the singular impression of fear which Mother Bunch inspired in him. He
+      determined to recollect this presentiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Delicate natures sometimes display in the smallest things the most
+      charming instincts of grace and goodness. Thus, when the sewing-girl was
+      shedding abundant and sweet tears of gratitude, Adrienne took a richly
+      embroidered handkerchief, and dried the pale and melancholy face. This
+      action, so simple and spontaneous, spared the work-girl one humiliation;
+      for, alas! humiliation and suffering are the two gulfs, along the edge of
+      which misfortune continually passes. Therefore, the least kindness is in
+      general a double benefit to the unfortunate. Perhaps the reader may smile
+      in disdain at the puerile circumstance we mention. But poor Mother Bunch,
+      not venturing to take from her pocket her old ragged handkerchief, would
+      long have remained blinded by her tears, if Mdlle. de Cardoville had not
+      come to her aid.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you are so good&mdash;so nobly charitable, lady!&rdquo; was all that the
+      sempstress could say, in a tone of deep emotion; for she was still more
+      touched by the attention of the young lady, than she would perhaps have
+      been by a service rendered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look there, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne to Rodin, who drew near hastily. &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo;
+       added the young patrician, proudly, &ldquo;I have indeed discovered a treasure.
+      Look at her, sir; and love her as I love her, honor as I honor. She has
+      one of those hearts for which we are seeking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And which, thank heaven, we are still able to find, my dear young lady!&rdquo;
+       said Rodin, as he bowed to the needle-woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter raised her eyes slowly, and locked at the Jesuit. At sight of
+      that cadaverous countenance, which was smiling benignantly upon her, the
+      young girl started. It was strange! she had never seen this man, and yet
+      she felt instantly the same fear and repulsion that he had felt with
+      regard to her. Generally timid and confused, the work-girl could not
+      withdraw her eyes from Rodin&rsquo;s; her heart beat violently, as at the coming
+      of some great danger, and, as the excellent creature feared only for those
+      she loved, she approached Adrienne involuntarily, keeping her eyes fixed
+      on Rodin. The Jesuit was too good a physiognomist not to perceive the
+      formidable impression he had made, and he felt an increase of his
+      instinctive aversion for the sempstress. Instead of casting down his eyes,
+      he appeared to examine her with such sustained attention, that Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville was astonished at it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg your pardon, my dear girl,&rdquo; said Rodin, as if recalling his
+      recollections, and addressing himself to Mother Bunch, &ldquo;I beg your pardon&mdash;but
+      I think&mdash;if I am not deceived&mdash;did you not go a few days since
+      to St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, hard by?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, it was you. Where then was my head?&rdquo; cried Rodin. &ldquo;It was you&mdash;I
+      should have guessed it sooner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what do you speak, sir?&rdquo; asked Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you are right, my dear young lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, pointing to the
+      hunchback. &ldquo;She has indeed a noble heart, such as we seek. If you knew
+      with what dignity, with what courage this poor girl, who was out of work
+      and, for her, to want work is to want everything&mdash;if you knew, I say,
+      with what dignity she rejected the shameful wages that the superior of the
+      convent was unprincipled enough to offer, on condition of her acting as a
+      spy in a family where it was proposed to place her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, that is infamous!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, with disgust. &ldquo;Such a
+      proposal to this poor girl&mdash;to her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, bitterly, &ldquo;I had no work, I was poor, they
+      did not know me&mdash;and they thought they might propose anything to the
+      likes of me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I tell you,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;that it was a double baseness on the part
+      of the superior, to offer such temptation to misery, and it was doubly
+      noble in you to refuse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the sewing-girl, with modest embarrassment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I am not to be intimidated,&rdquo; resumed Rod in. &ldquo;Praise or blame, I
+      speak out roughly what I think. Ask this dear young lady,&rdquo; he added, with
+      a glance at Adrienne. &ldquo;I tell you plainly, that I think as well of you as
+      she does herself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, dear,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;there are some sorts of praise which
+      honor, recompense, and encourage; and M. Rodin&rsquo;s is of the number. I know
+      it,&mdash;yes, I know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nay, my dear young lady, you must not ascribe to me all the honor of this
+      judgment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is not this dear girl the adopted sister of Agricola Baudoin, the gallant
+      workman, the energetic and popular poet? Is not the affection of such a
+      man the best of guarantees, and does it not enable us to judge, as it
+      were, by the label?&rdquo; added Rodin, with a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;for, before knowing this dear girl,
+      I began to feel deeply interested in her, from the day that her adopted
+      brother spoke to me about her. He expressed himself with so much warmth,
+      so much enthusiasm, that I at once conceived an esteem for the person
+      capable of inspiring so noble an attachment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words of Adrienne, joined to another circumstance, had such an
+      effect upon their hearer, that her pale face became crimson. The
+      unfortunate hunchback loved Agricola, with love as passionate as it was
+      secret and painful: the most indirect allusion to this fatal sentiment
+      occasioned her the most cruel embarrassment. Now, the moment Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville spoke of Agricola&rsquo;s attachment for Mother Bunch, the latter had
+      encountered Rodin&rsquo;s observing and penetrating look fixed upon her. Alone
+      with Adrienne, the sempstress would have felt only a momentary confusion
+      on hearing the name of the smith; but unfortunately she fancied that the
+      Jesuit, who already filled her with involuntary fear, had seen into her
+      heart, and read the secrets of that fatal love, of which she was the
+      victim. Thence the deep blushes of the poor girl, and the embarrassment so
+      painfully visible, that Adrienne was struck with it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A subtle and prompt mind, like Rodin&rsquo;s on perceiving the smallest effect,
+      immediately seeks the cause. Proceeding by comparison, the Jesuit saw on
+      one side a deformed, but intelligent young girl, capable of passionate
+      devotion; on the other, a young workman, handsome, bold, frank, and full
+      of talent. &ldquo;Brought up together, sympathizing with each other on many
+      points, there must be some fraternal affection between them,&rdquo; said he to
+      himself; &ldquo;but fraternal affection does not blush, and the hunchback
+      blushed and grew troubled beneath my look; does she, then, Love Agricola?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Once on the scent of this discovery, Rodin wished to pursue the
+      investigation. Remarking the surprise and visible uneasiness that Mother
+      Bunch had caused in Adrienne, he said to the latter, with a smile, looking
+      significantly at the needlewoman: &ldquo;You see, my dear young lady, how she
+      blushes. The good girl is troubled by what we said of the attachment of
+      this gallant workman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The needlewoman hung down her head, overcome with confusion. After the
+      pause of a second, during which Rodin preserved silence, so as to give
+      time for his cruel remark to pierce the heart of the victim, the savage
+      resumed: &ldquo;Look at the dear girl! how embarrassed she appears!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Again, after another silence, perceiving that Mother Bunch from crimson
+      had become deadly pale, and was trembling in all her limbs, the Jesuit
+      feared he had gone too far, whilst Adrienne said to her friend, with
+      anxiety: &ldquo;Why, dear child, are you so agitated?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! it is clear enough,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, with an air of perfect
+      simplicity; for having discovered what he wished to know, he now chose to
+      appear unconscious. &ldquo;It is quite clear and plain. This good girl has the
+      modesty of a kind and tender sister for a brother. When you praise him,
+      she fancies that she is herself praised.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20351m.jpg" alt="20351m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20351.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And she is as modest as she is excellent,&rdquo; added Adrienne, taking bath of
+      the girl&rsquo;s hands, &ldquo;the least praise, either of her adopted brother or of
+      herself, troubles her in this way. But it is mere childishness, and I must
+      scold her for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville spoke sincerely, for the explanation given by Rodin
+      appeared to her very plausible. Like all other persons who, dreading every
+      moment the discovery of some painful secret have their courage as easily
+      restored as shaken, Mother Bunch persuaded herself (and she needed to do
+      so, to escape dying of shame), that the last words of Rodin were sincere,
+      and that he had no idea of the love she felt for Agricola. So her agony
+      diminished, and she found words to reply to Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excuse me, madame,&rdquo; she said timidly, &ldquo;I am so little accustomed to such
+      kindness as that with which you overwhelm me, that I make a sorry return
+      for all your goodness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kindness, my poor girl?&rdquo; said Adrienne. &ldquo;I have done nothing for you yet.
+      But, thank heaven! from this day I shall be able to keep my promise, and
+      reward your devotion to me, your courageous resignation, your sacred love
+      of labor, and the dignity of which you have given so many proofs, under
+      the most cruel privations. In a word, from this day, if you do not object
+      to it, we will part no more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, you are too kind,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, in a trembling voice; &ldquo;but
+      I&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! be satisfied,&rdquo; said Adrienne, anticipating her meaning. &ldquo;If you
+      accept my offer, I shall know how to reconcile with my desire (not a
+      little selfish) of having you near me, the independence of your character,
+      your habits of labor, your taste for retirement, and your anxiety to
+      devote yourself to those who deserve commiseration; it is, I confess, by
+      affording you the means of satisfying these generous tendencies, that I
+      hope to seduce and keep you by me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what have I done?&rdquo; asked the other, simply, &ldquo;to merit any gratitude
+      from you? Did you not begin, on the contrary, by acting so generously to
+      my adopted brother?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I do not speak of gratitude,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;we are quits. I speak
+      of friendship and sincere affection, which I now offer you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Friendship to me, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a charming smile, &ldquo;do not be proud
+      because your position gives you the advantage. I have set my heart on
+      having you for a friend, and you will see that it shall be so. But now
+      that I think of it (a little late, you will say), what good wind brings
+      you hither?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning M. Dagobert received a letter, in which he was requested to
+      come to this place, to learn some news that would be of the greatest
+      interest to him. Thinking it concerned Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters, he said
+      to me: &lsquo;Mother Bunch, you have taken so much interest in those dear
+      children, that you must come with me: you shall witness my joy on finding
+      them, and that will be your reward.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne glanced at Rodin. The latter made an affirmative movement of the
+      head, and answered: &ldquo;Yes, yes, my dear young lady: it was I who wrote to
+      the brave soldier, but without signing the letter, or giving any
+      explanation. You shall know why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, my dear girl, why did you come alone?&rdquo; said Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, madame! on arriving here, it was your kind reception that made me
+      forget my fears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What fears?&rdquo; asked Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Knowing that you lived here, madame, I supposed the letter was from you;
+      I told M. Dagobert so, and he thought the same. When we arrived, his
+      impatience was so great, that he asked at the door if the orphans were in
+      this house, and he gave their description. They told him no. Then, in
+      spite of my supplications, he insisted on going to the convent to inquire
+      about them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What imprudence!&rdquo; cried Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After what took place the other night, when he broke in,&rdquo; added Rodin,
+      shrugging his shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was in vain to tell him,&rdquo; returned Mother Bunch, &ldquo;that the letter did
+      not announce positively, that the orphans would be delivered up to him;
+      but that, no doubt, he would gain some information about them. He refused
+      to hear anything, but said to me: &lsquo;If I cannot find them, I will rejoin
+      you. But they were at the convent the day before yesterday, and now that
+      all is discovered, they cannot refuse to give them up&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And with such a man there is no disputing!&rdquo; said Rodin, with a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope they will not recognize him!&rdquo; said Adrienne, remembering
+      Baleinier&rsquo;s threats.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not likely,&rdquo; replied Rodin; &ldquo;they will only refuse him admittance.
+      That will be, I hope, the worst misfortune that will happen. Besides, the
+      magistrate will soon be here with the girls. I am no longer wanted: other
+      cares require my attention. I must seek out Prince Djalma. Only tell me,
+      my dear young lady, where I shall find you, to keep you informed of my
+      discoveries, and to take measures with regard to the young prince, if my
+      inquiries, as I hope, shall be attended with success.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will find me in my new house, Rue d&rsquo;Anjou, formerly Beaulieu House.
+      But now I think of it,&rdquo; said Adrienne, suddenly, after some moments of
+      reflection, &ldquo;it would not be prudent or proper, on many accounts, to lodge
+      the Prince Djalma in the pavilion I occupied at Saint-Dizier House. I saw,
+      some time ago, a charming little house, all furnished and ready; it only
+      requires some embellishments, that could be completed in twenty four
+      hours, to make it a delightful residence. Yes, that will be a thousand
+      times preferable,&rdquo; added Mdlle. de Cardoville, after a new interval of
+      silence; &ldquo;and I shall thus be able to preserve the strictest incognito.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; cried Rodin, whose projects would be much impeded by this new
+      resolution of the young lady; &ldquo;you do not wish him to know who you are?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish Prince Djalma to know absolutely nothing of the anonymous friend
+      who comes to his aid; I desire that my name should not be pronounced
+      before him, and that he should not even know of my existence&mdash;at
+      least, for the present. Hereafter&mdash;in a month, perhaps&mdash;I will
+      see; circumstances will guide me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But this incognito,&rdquo; said Rodin, hiding his disappointment, &ldquo;will be
+      difficult to preserve.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the prince had inhabited the lodge, I agree with you; the neighborhood
+      of my aunt would have enlightened him, and this fear is one of the reasons
+      that have induced me to renounce my first project. But the prince will
+      inhabit a distant quarter&mdash;the Rue Blanche. Who will inform him of my
+      secret? One of my old friends, M. Norval&mdash;you, sir&mdash;and this
+      dear girl,&rdquo; pointing to Mother Bunch, &ldquo;on whose discretion I can depend as
+      on your own, will be my only confidants. My secret will then be quite
+      safe. Besides, we will talk further on this subject to-morrow. You must
+      begin by discovering the retreat of this unfortunate young prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, though much vexed at Adrienne&rsquo;s subtle determination with regard to
+      Djalma, put the best face on the matter, and replied: &ldquo;Your intentions
+      shall be scrupulously fulfilled, my dear young lady; and to-morrow, with
+      your leave, I hope to give you a good account of what you are pleased to
+      call my providential mission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow, then, I shall expect you with impatience,&rdquo; said Adrienne, to
+      Rodin, affectionately. &ldquo;Permit me always to rely upon you, as from this
+      day you may count upon me. You must be indulgent with me, sir; for I see
+      that I shall yet have many counsels, many services to ask of you&mdash;though
+      I already owe you so much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will never owe me enough, my dear young lady, never enough,&rdquo; said
+      Rodin, as he moved discreetly towards the door, after bowing to Adrienne.
+      At the very moment he was going out, he found himself face to face with
+      Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Holloa! at last I have caught one!&rdquo; shouted the soldier, as he seized the
+      Jesuit by the collar with a vigorous hand.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20359m.jpg" alt="20359m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20359.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0090" id="link2HCH0090">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVII. EXCUSES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>n seeing Dagobert grasp Rodin so roughly by the collar, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville exclaimed in terror, as she advanced several steps towards the
+      soldier: &ldquo;In the name of Heaven, sir! what are you doing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What am I doing?&rdquo; echoed the soldier, harshly, without relaxing his hold
+      on Rodin, and turning his head towards Adrienne, whom he did not know; &ldquo;I
+      take this opportunity to squeeze the throat of one of the wretches in the
+      band of that renegade, until he tells me where my poor children are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You strangle me,&rdquo; said the Jesuit, in a stifled voice, as he tried to
+      escape from the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where are the orphans, since they are not here, and the convent door has
+      been closed against me?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in a voice of thunder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Help! help!&rdquo; gasped Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! it is dreadful!&rdquo; said Adrienne, as, pale and trembling, she held up
+      her clasped hands to Dagobert. &ldquo;Have mercy, sir! listen to me! listen to
+      him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, seizing with her weak hands the
+      soldier&rsquo;s arm, and showing him Adrienne, &ldquo;this is Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+      What violence in her presence! and then, you are deceived doubtless!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the name of Mdlle. de Cardoville, the benefactress of his son, the
+      soldier turned round suddenly, and loosened his hold on Rodin. The latter,
+      crimson with rage and suffocation, set about adjusting his collar and his
+      cravat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg your pardon, madame,&rdquo; said Dagobert, going towards Adrienne, who
+      was still pale with fright; &ldquo;I did not known who you were, and the first
+      impulse of anger quite carried me away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what has this gentleman done to you?&rdquo; said Adrienne. &ldquo;If you had
+      listened to me, you would have learned&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excuse me if I interrupt you, madame,&rdquo; said the soldier to Adrienne, in a
+      hollow voice. Then addressing himself to Rodin, who had recovered his
+      coolness, he added: &ldquo;Thank the lady, and begone!&mdash;If you remain here,
+      I will not answer for myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word only, my dear sir,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you that if you remain, I will not answer for myself!&rdquo; cried
+      Dagobert, stamping his foot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, for heaven&rsquo;s sake, tell me the cause of this anger,&rdquo; resumed
+      Adrienne; &ldquo;above all, do not trust to appearances. Calm yourself, and
+      listen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Calm myself, madame!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in despair; &ldquo;I can think only of
+      one thing, ma dame&mdash;of the arrival of Marshal Simon&mdash;he will be
+      in Paris to-day or to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it possible?&rdquo; said Adrienne. Rodin started with surprise and joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yesterday evening,&rdquo; proceeded Dagobert, &ldquo;I received a letter from the
+      marshal: he has landed at Havre. For three days I have taken step after
+      step, hoping that the orphans would be restored to me, as the machinations
+      of those wretches have failed.&rdquo; He pointed to Rodin with a new gesture of
+      impatience. &ldquo;Well! it is not so. They are conspiring some new infamy. I am
+      prepared for anything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir,&rdquo; said Rodin advancing, &ldquo;permit me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Begone!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, whose irritation and anxiety redoubled, as he
+      thought how at any moment Marshal Simon might arrive in Paris. &ldquo;Begone!
+      Were it not for this lady, I would at least be revenged on some one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin made a nod of intelligence to Adrienne, whom he approached
+      prudently, and, pointing to Dagobert with a gesture of affectionate
+      commiseration, he said to the latter: &ldquo;I will leave you, sir, and the more
+      willingly, as I was about to withdraw when you entered.&rdquo; Then, coming
+      still closer to Mdlle. de Cardoville, the Jesuit whispered to her, &ldquo;Poor
+      soldier! he is beside himself with grief, and would be incapable of
+      hearing me. Explain it all to him, my dear young lady; he will be nicely
+      caught,&rdquo; added he, with a cunning air. &ldquo;But in the meantime,&rdquo; resumed
+      Rodin, feeling in the side-pocket of his great-coat and taking out a small
+      parcel, &ldquo;let me beg you to give him this, my dear young lady. It is my
+      revenge, and a very good one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And while Adrienne, holding the little parcel in her hand looked at the
+      Jesuit with astonishment, the latter laying his forefinger upon his lip,
+      as if recommending silence, drew backward on tiptoe to the door, and went
+      out after again pointing to Dagobert with a gesture of pity; while the
+      soldier, in sullen dejection, with his head drooping, and his arms crossed
+      upon his bosom, remained deaf to the sewing-girl&rsquo;s earnest consolations.
+      When Rodin had left the room, Adrienne, approaching the soldier, said to
+      him, in her mild voice, with an expression of deep interest, &ldquo;Your sudden
+      entry prevented my asking you a question that greatly concerns me. How is
+      your wound?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, madame,&rdquo; said Dagobert, starting from his painful lethargy,
+      &ldquo;it is of no consequence, but I have not time to think of it. I am sorry
+      to have been so rough in your presence, and to have driven away that
+      wretch; but &lsquo;tis more than I could master. At sight of those people, my
+      blood is all up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, believe me, you have been too hasty in your judgment. The person
+      who was just now here&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Too hasty, madame! I do not see him to-day for the first time. He was
+      with that renegade the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt!&mdash;and yet he is an honest and excellent man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He!&rdquo; cried Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; for at this moment he is busy about only one thing restoring to you
+      those dear children!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He!&rdquo; repeated Dagobert, as if he could not believe what he heard. &ldquo;He
+      restore me my children?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; and sooner, perhaps, than you think for.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Dagobert, abruptly, &ldquo;he deceives you. You are the dupe of
+      that old rascal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Adrienne, shaking her head, with a smile. &ldquo;I have proofs of his
+      good faith. First of all, it is he who delivers me from this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it true?&rdquo; said Dagobert, quite confounded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very true; and here is, perhaps, something that will reconcile you to
+      him,&rdquo; said Adrienne, as she delivered the small parcel which Rodin had
+      given her as he went out. &ldquo;Not wishing to exasperate you by his presence,
+      he said to me: &lsquo;Give this to that brave soldier; it is my revenge.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert looked at Mdlle. de Cardoville with surprise, as he mechanically
+      opened the little parcel. When he had unfolded it, and discovered his own
+      silver cross, black with age, and the old red, faded ribbon, treasures
+      taken from him at the White Falcon Inn, at the same time as his papers, he
+      exclaimed in a broken voice: &ldquo;My cross! my cross! It is my cross!&rdquo; In the
+      excitement of his joy, he pressed the silver star to his gray moustache.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne and the other were deeply affected by the emotion of the old
+      soldier, who continued, as he ran towards the door by which Rodin had gone
+      out: &ldquo;Next to a service rendered to Marshal Simon, my wife, or son,
+      nothing could be more precious to me. And you answer for this worthy man,
+      madame, and I have ill used him in your presence! Oh! he is entitled to
+      reparation, and he shall have it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Dagobert left the room precipitately, hastened through two
+      other apartments, gained the staircase, and descending it rapidly,
+      overtook Rodin on the lowest step.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the soldier to him, in an agitated voice, as he seized him by
+      the arm, &ldquo;you must come upstairs directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You should make up your mind to one thing or the other, my dear sir,&rdquo;
+       said Rodin, stopping good-naturedly; &ldquo;one moment you tell me to begone,
+      and the next to return. How are we to decide?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just now, sir, I was wrong; and when I am wrong, I acknowledge it. I
+      abused and ill-treated you before witnesses; I will make you my apologies
+      before witnesses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear sir&mdash;I am much obliged to you&mdash;I am in a hurry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot help your being in a hurry. I tell you, I must have you come
+      upstairs, directly&mdash;or else&mdash;or else,&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, taking
+      the hand of the Jesuit, and pressing it with as much cordiality as
+      emotion, &ldquo;or else the happiness you have caused the in returning my cross
+      will not be complete.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, my good friend, let us go up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And not only have you restored me my cross, for which I have wept many
+      tears, believe me, unknown to any one,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, much affected;
+      &ldquo;but the young lady told me, that, thanks to you, those poor children but
+      tell me&mdash;no false joy-is it really true?&mdash;My God! is it really
+      true?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! ah! Mr. Inquisitive,&rdquo; said Rodin, with a cunning smile. Then he
+      added: &ldquo;Be perfectly tranquil, my growler; you shall have your two angels
+      back again.&rdquo; And the Jesuit began to ascend the stairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will they be restored to me to-day?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, stopping Rodin
+      abruptly, by catching hold of his sleeve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, really, my good friend,&rdquo; said the Jesuit, &ldquo;let us come to the point.
+      Are we to go up or down? I do not find fault, but you turn me about like a
+      teetotum.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right. We shall be better able to explain things upstairs. Come
+      with me&mdash;quick! quick!&rdquo; said Dagobert, as, taking the Jesuit by the
+      arm, he hurried him along, and brought him triumphantly into the room,
+      where Adrienne and Mother Bunch had remained in much surprise at the
+      soldier&rsquo;s sudden disappearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here he is! here he is!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, as he entered. &ldquo;Luckily, I
+      caught him at the bottom of the stairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you have made me come up at a fine pace!&rdquo; added Rodin, pretty well
+      out of breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, sir,&rdquo; said Dagobert, in a grave voice, &ldquo;I declare, in presence of
+      all, that I was wrong to abuse and ill-treat you. I make you my apology
+      for it, sir; and I acknowledge, with joy, that I owe you&mdash;much&mdash;oh!
+      very much and when I owe, I pay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Dagobert held out his honest hand to Rodin, who pressed it in a
+      very affable manner, and replied: &ldquo;Now, really&mdash;what is all this
+      about? What great service do you speak of?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This!&rdquo; said Dagobert, holding up the cross before Rodin&rsquo;s eyes. &ldquo;You do
+      not know, then, what this cross is to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the contrary, supposing you would set great store by it, I intended to
+      have the pleasure of delivering it myself. I had brought it for that
+      purpose; but, between ourselves, you gave me so warm a reception, that I
+      had not the time&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said Dagobert, in confusion, &ldquo;I assure you that I sincerely repent
+      of what I have done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it, my good friend; do not say another word about it. You were
+      then much attached to this cross?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Attached to it, sir!&rdquo; cried Dagobert. &ldquo;Why, this cross,&rdquo; and he kissed it
+      as he spoke, &ldquo;is my relic. He from whom it came was my saint&mdash;my hero&mdash;and
+      he had touched it with his hand!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; said Rodin, feigning to regard the cross with as much curiosity as
+      respectful admiration; &ldquo;did Napoleon&mdash;the Great Napoleon&mdash;indeed
+      touch with his own hand&mdash;that victorious hand!&mdash;this noble star
+      of honor?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, with his own hand. He placed it there upon my bleeding breast,
+      as a cure for my fifth wound. So that, you see, were I dying of hunger, I
+      think I should not hesitate betwixt bread and my cross&mdash;that I might,
+      in any case, have it on my heart in death. But, enough&mdash;enough! let
+      us talk of something else. It is foolish in an old soldier, is it not?&rdquo;
+       added Dagobert, drawing his hand across his eyes, and then, as if ashamed
+      to deny what he really felt: &ldquo;Well, then! yes,&rdquo; he resumed, raising his
+      head proudly, and no longer seeking to conceal the tears that rolled down
+      his cheek; &ldquo;yes, I weep for joy, to have found my cross&mdash;my cross,
+      that the Emperor gave me with his victorious hand, as this worthy man has
+      called it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then blessed be my poor old hand for having restored you the glorious
+      treasure!&rdquo; said Rodin, with emotion. &ldquo;In truth,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;the day will
+      be a good one for everybody&mdash;as I announced to you this morning in my
+      letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That letter without a signature?&rdquo; asked the soldier, more and more
+      astonished. &ldquo;Was it from you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was I who wrote it. Only, fearing some new snare of the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, I did not choose, you understand, to explain myself more
+      clearly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then&mdash;I shall see&mdash;my orphans?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin nodded affirmatively, with an expression of great good-nature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Presently&mdash;perhaps immediately,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with smile. &ldquo;Well!
+      was I right in telling you that you had not judged this gentleman fairly?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did he not tell me this when I came in?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, almost
+      beside himself with joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There was one difficulty in the way, my good friend,&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;it
+      was, that when you came in, you nearly throttled me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True; I was too hasty. Once more, I ask your pardon. But was I to blame?
+      I had only seen you with that Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and in the first moment&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This dear young lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, bowing to Adrienne, &ldquo;will tell you
+      that I have been, without knowing it, the accomplice IN many perfidious
+      actions; but as soon as I began to see my way through the darkness, I
+      quitted the evil course on which I had entered, and returned to that which
+      is honest, just and true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne nodded affirmatively to Dagobert, who appeared to consult her
+      look.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I did not sign the letter that I wrote to you, my good friend, it was
+      partly from fear that my name might inspire suspicion; and if I asked you
+      to come hither, instead of to the convent, it was that I had some dread&mdash;like
+      this dear young lady&mdash;lest you might be recognized by the porter or
+      by the gardener, your affair of the other night rendering such a
+      recognition somewhat dangerous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But M. Baleinier knows all; I forgot that,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      uneasiness. &ldquo;He threatened to denounce M. Dagobert and his son, if I made
+      any complaint.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be alarmed, my dear young lady; it will soon be for you to dictate
+      conditions,&rdquo; replied Rodin. &ldquo;Leave that to me; and as for you, my good
+      friend, your torments are now finished.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;an upright and worthy magistrate has gone to the
+      convent, to fetch Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters. He will bring them hither;
+      but he thought with me, that it would be most proper for them to take up
+      their abode in my house. I cannot, however, come to this decision without
+      your consent, for it is to you that these orphans were entrusted by their
+      mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You wish to take her place with regard to them, madame?&rdquo; replied
+      Dagobert. &ldquo;I can only thank you with all my heart, for myself and for the
+      children. But, as the lesson has been a sharp one, I must beg to remain at
+      the door of their chamber, night and day. If they go out with you, I must
+      be allowed to follow them at a little distance, so as to keep them in
+      view, just like Spoil-sport, who has proved himself a better guardian than
+      myself. When the marshal is once here&mdash;it will be in a day or two&mdash;my
+      post will be relieved. Heaven grant it may be soon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Rodin, in a firm voice, &ldquo;heaven grant he may arrive soon,
+      for he will have to demand a terrible reckoning of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      for the persecution of his daughters; and yet the marshal does not know
+      all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And don&rsquo;t you tremble for the renegade?&rdquo; asked Dagobert, as he thought
+      how the marquis would soon find himself face to face with the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never care for cowards and traitors,&rdquo; answered Rodin; &ldquo;and when Marshal
+      Simon returns&mdash;&rdquo; Then, after a pause of some seconds, he continued:
+      &ldquo;If he will do me the honor to hear me, he shall be edified as to the
+      conduct of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The marshal knows that his dearest
+      friends, as well as himself, have been victims of the hatred of that
+      dangerous man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo; said Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, yourself, for instance,&rdquo; replied Rodin; &ldquo;you are an example of what
+      I advance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think it was mere chance, that brought about the scene at the
+      White Falcon Inn, near Leipsic?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you of that scene?&rdquo; said Dagobert in astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where you accepted the challenge of Morok,&rdquo; continued the Jesuit, without
+      answering Dagobert&rsquo;s question, &ldquo;and so fell into a trap, or else refused
+      it, and were then arrested for want of papers, and thrown into prison as a
+      vagabond, with these poor children. Now, do you know the object of this
+      violence? It was to prevent your being here on the 13th of February.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the more I hear, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;the more I am alarmed at the
+      audacity of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and the extent of the means he has at his
+      command. Really,&rdquo; she resumed, with increasing surprise, &ldquo;if your words
+      were not entitled to absolute belief&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would doubt their truth, madame?&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;It is like me. Bad
+      as he is. I cannot think that this renegade had relations with a
+      wild-beast showman as far off as Saxony; and then, how could he know that
+      I and the children were to pass through Leipsic? It is impossible, my good
+      man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In fact, sir,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, &ldquo;I fear that you are deceived by your
+      dislike (a very legitimate one) of Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and that you ascribe
+      to him an almost fabulous degree of power and extent of influence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, during which Rodin looked first at Adrienne and
+      then at Dagobert, with a kind of pity, he resumed. &ldquo;How could the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny have your cross in his possession, if he had no connection with
+      Morok?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true, sir,&rdquo; said Dagobert; &ldquo;joy prevented me from reflecting. But
+      how indeed, did my cross come into your hands?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By means of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s having precisely those relations with
+      Leipsic, of which you and the young lady seem to doubt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how did my cross get to Paris?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell me; you were arrested at Leipsic for want of papers&mdash;is it not
+      so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but I could never understand how my passports and money disappeared
+      from my knapsack. I thought I must have had the misfortune to lose them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin shrugged his shoulders, and replied: &ldquo;You were robbed of them at the
+      White Falcon Inn, by Goliath, one of Morok&rsquo;s servants, and the latter sent
+      the papers and the cross to the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, to prove that he had
+      succeeded in executing his orders with respect to the orphans and
+      yourself. It was the day before yesterday, that I obtained the key of that
+      dark machination. Cross and papers were amongst the stores of Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny; the papers formed a considerable bundle, and he might have
+      missed them; but, hoping to see you this morning, and knowing how a
+      soldier of the Empire values his cross, his sacred relic, as you call it,
+      my good friend&mdash;I did not hesitate. I put the relic into my pocket.
+      &lsquo;After all,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;it is only restitution, and my delicacy perhaps
+      exaggerates this breach of trust.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You could not have done a better action,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;and, for my
+      part, because of the interest I feel for M. Dagobert&mdash;I take it as a
+      personal favor. But, sir,&rdquo; after a moment&rsquo;s silence, she resumed with
+      anxiety: &ldquo;What terrible power must be at the command of M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny, for
+      him to have such extensive and formidable relations in a foreign country!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence!&rdquo; said Rodin, in a low voice, and looking round him with an air
+      of alarm. &ldquo;Silence! In heaven&rsquo;s name do not ask me about it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0091" id="link2HCH0091">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVIII. REVELATIONS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>dlle. de Cardoville, much astonished at the alarm displayed by Rodin,
+      when she had asked him for some explanation of the formidable and far
+      reaching power of the Abby d&rsquo;Aigrigny, said to him: &ldquo;Why, sir, what is
+      there so strange in the question that I have just asked you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, Rodin cast his looks all around, with well
+      feigned uneasiness, and replied in a whisper: &ldquo;Once more, madame, do not
+      question me on so fearful a subject. The walls of this house may have
+      ears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne and Dagobert looked at each other with growing surprise. Mother
+      Bunch, by an instinct of incredible force, continued to regard Rodin with
+      invincible suspicion. Sometimes she stole a glance at him, as if trying to
+      penetrate the mask of this man, who filled her with fear. At one moment,
+      the Jesuit encountered her anxious gaze, obstinately fixed upon him;
+      immediately he nodded to her with the greatest amenity. The young girl,
+      alarmed at finding herself observed, turned away with a shudder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, my dear young lady,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, with a sigh, as he saw Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville astonished at his silence; &ldquo;do not question me on the
+      subject of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s power!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, to persist, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;why this hesitation to answer?
+      What do you fear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, my dear young lady,&rdquo; said Rodin, shuddering, &ldquo;those people are so
+      powerful! their animosity is so terrible!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, sir; I owe you too much, for my support ever to fail you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, my dear young lady,&rdquo; cried Rodin, as if hurt by the supposition;
+      &ldquo;think better of me, I entreat you. Is it for myself that I fear?&mdash;No,
+      no; I am too obscure, too inoffensive; but it is for you, for Marshal
+      Simon, for the other members of your family, that all is to be feared. Oh,
+      my dear young lady! let me beg you to ask no questions. There are secrets
+      which are fatal to those who possess them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir, is it not better to know the perils with which one is
+      threatened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When you know the manoeuvres of your enemy, you may at least defend
+      yourself,&rdquo; said Dagobert. &ldquo;I prefer an attack in broad daylight to an
+      ambuscade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I assure you,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, &ldquo;the few words you have spoken cause
+      me a vague uneasiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, if I must, my dear young lady,&rdquo; replied the Jesuit, appearing to
+      make a great effort, &ldquo;since you do not understand my hints, I will be more
+      explicit; but remember,&rdquo; added he, in a deeply serious tone, &ldquo;that you
+      have persevered in forcing me to tell you what you had perhaps better not
+      have known.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, Sir, I pray you speak,&rdquo; said Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Drawing about him Adrienne, Dagobert, and Mother Bunch, Rodin said to them
+      in a low voce, and with a mysterious air: &ldquo;Have you never heard of a
+      powerful association, which extends its net over all the earth, and counts
+      its disciples, agents, and fanatics in every class of society which has
+      had, and often has still, the ear of kings and nobles&mdash;which, in a
+      word, can raise its creatures to the highest positions, and with a word
+      can reduce them again to the nothingness from which it alone could uplift
+      them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven, sir!&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;what formidable association? Until now
+      I never heard of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you; and yet your ignorance on this subject greatly astonishes
+      me, my dear young lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why should it astonish you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because you lived some time with your aunt, and must have often seen the
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I lived at the princess&rsquo;s, but not with her; for a thousand reasons she
+      had inspired me with warrantable aversion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In truth, my dear young lady, my remark was ill-judged. It was there,
+      above all, and particularly in your presence, that they would keep silence
+      with regard to this association&mdash;and yet to it alone did the Princess
+      de Saint-Dizier owe her formidable influence in the world, during the last
+      reign. Well, then; know this&mdash;it is the aid of that association which
+      renders the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny so dangerous a man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By it he was enabled to follow and to reach divers members of your
+      family, some in Siberia, some in India, others on the heights of the
+      American mountains; but, as I have told you, it was only the day before
+      yesterday, and by chance, that, examining the papers of Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, I
+      found the trace of his connection with this Company, of which he is the
+      most active and able chief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the name, sir, the name of this Company?&rdquo; said Adrienne.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20367m.jpg" alt="20367m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20367.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! it is&mdash;&rdquo; but Rodin stopped short.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is,&rdquo; repeated Adrienne, who was now as much interested as Dagobert and
+      the sempstress; &ldquo;it is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked round him, beckoned all the actors in this scene to draw
+      nearer, and said in a whisper, laying great stress upon the words: &ldquo;It is&mdash;the
+      Society of Jesus!&rdquo; and he again shuddered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Jesuits!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, unable to restrain a burst of
+      laughter, which was the more buoyant, as, from the mysterious precautions
+      of Rodin, she had expected some very different revelation. &ldquo;The Jesuits!&rdquo;
+       she resumed, still laughing. &ldquo;They have no existence, except in books;
+      they are frightful historical personages, certainly; but why should you
+      put forward Madame de Saint-Dizier and M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny in that character?
+      Such as they are, they have done quite enough to justify my aversion and
+      disdain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After listening in silence to Mdlle. de Cardoville Rodin continued, with a
+      grave and agitated air: &ldquo;Your blindness frightens me, my dear, young lady;
+      the past should have given you some anxiety for the future, since, more
+      than any one, you have already suffered from the fatal influence of this
+      Company, whose existence you regard as a dream!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, sir?&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a smile, although a little surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Under what circumstances?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You ask me this question! my dear young lady! you ask me this question!&mdash;and
+      yet you have been confined here as a mad person! Is it not enough to tell
+      you that the master of this house is one of the most devoted lay members
+      of the Company, and therefore the blind instrument of the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&rdquo; said Adrienne, this time without smiling, &ldquo;Dr. Baleinier&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Obeyed the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, the most formidable chief of that formidable
+      society. He employs his genius for evil; but I must confess he is a man of
+      genius. Therefore, it is upon him that you and yours must fix all your
+      doubts and suspicions; it is against him that you must be upon your guard.
+      For, believe me, I know him, and he does not look upon the game as lost.
+      You must be prepared for new attacks, doubtless of another kind, but only
+      the more dangerous on that account&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Luckily, you give us notice,&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;and you will be on our
+      side.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can do very little, my good friends; but that little is at the service
+      of honest people,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a thoughtful air, completely persuaded by
+      Rodin&rsquo;s air of conviction, &ldquo;I can explain the inconceivable influence that
+      my aunt exercised in the world. I ascribed it chiefly to her relations
+      with persons in power; I thought that she, like the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, was
+      concerned in dark intrigues, for which religion served as a veil&mdash;but
+      I was far from believing what you tell me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How many things you have got to learn!&rdquo; resumed Rodin. &ldquo;If you knew, my
+      dear young lady, with what art these people surround you, without your
+      being aware of it, by agents devoted to themselves! Every one of your
+      steps is known to them, when they have any interest in such knowledge.
+      Thus, little by little, they act upon you&mdash;slowly, cautiously,
+      darkly. They circumvent you by every possible means, from flattery to
+      terror&mdash;seduce or frighten, in order at last to rule you, without
+      your being conscious of their authority. Such is their object, and I must
+      confess they pursue it with detestable ability.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin had spoken with so much sincerity, that Adrienne trembled; then,
+      reproaching herself with these fears, she resumed: &ldquo;And yet, no&mdash;I
+      can never believe in so infernal a power; the might of priestly ambition
+      belongs to another age. Heaven be praised, it has disappeared forever!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, certainly, it is out of sight; for they now know how to disperse and
+      disappear, when circumstances require it. But then are they the most
+      dangerous; for suspicion is laid asleep, and they keep watch in the dark.
+      Oh! my dear young lady, if you knew their frightful ability! In my hatred
+      of all that is oppressive, cowardly, and hypocritical, I had studied the
+      history of that terrible society, before I knew that the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      belonged to it. Oh! it is dreadful. If you knew what means they employ!
+      When I tell you that, thanks to their diabolical devices, the most pure
+      and devoted appearances often conceal the most horrible snares.&rdquo; Rodin&rsquo;s
+      eye rested, as if by chance, on the hunchback; but, seeing that Adrienne
+      did not take the hint, the Jesuit continued: &ldquo;In a word&mdash;are you not
+      exposed to their pursuits?&mdash;have they any interest in gaining you
+      over?&mdash;oh! from that moment, suspect all that surround you, suspect
+      the most noble attachments, the most tender affections, for these monsters
+      sometimes succeed in corrupting your best friends, and making a terrible
+      use of them, in proportion to the blindness of your confidence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! it is impossible,&rdquo; cried Adrienne, in horror. &ldquo;You must exaggerate.
+      No! hell itself never dreamed of more frightful treachery!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my dear young lady! one of your relations, M. Hardy&mdash;the most
+      loyal and generous-hearted man that could be&mdash;has been the victim of
+      some such infamous treachery. Do you know what we learned from the reading
+      of your ancestor&rsquo;s will? Why, that he died the victim of the malevolence
+      of these people; and now, at the lapse of a hundred and fifty years, his
+      descendants are still exposed to the hate of that indestructible society.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! it terrifies me,&rdquo; said Adrienne, feeling her heart sink within
+      her. &ldquo;But are there no weapons against such attacks?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Prudence, my dear young lady&mdash;the most watchful caution&mdash;the
+      most incessant study and suspicion of all that approach you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But such a life would be frightful! It is a torture to be the victim of
+      continual suspicions, doubts, and fears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without doubt! They know it well, the wretches! That constitutes their
+      strength. They often triumph by the very excess of the precautions taken
+      against them. Thus, my dear young lady, and you, brave and worthy soldier,
+      in the name of all that is dear to you, be on your guard, and do not
+      lightly impart your confidence. Be on your guard, for you have nearly
+      fallen the victims of those people. They will always be your implacable
+      enemies. And you, also, poor, interesting girl!&rdquo; added the Jesuit,
+      speaking to Mother Bunch, &ldquo;follow my advice&mdash;fear these people.
+      Sleep, as the proverb says, with one eye open.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, sir!&rdquo; said the work-girl. &ldquo;What have I done? what have I to fear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you done? Dear me! Do not you tenderly love this young lady,
+      your protectress? have you not attempted to assist her? Are you not the
+      adopted sister of the son of this intrepid soldier, the brave Agricola!
+      Alas, poor, girl! are not these sufficient claims to their hatred, in
+      spite of your obscurity? Nay, my dear young lady! do not think that I
+      exaggerate. Reflect! only reflect! Think what I have just said to the
+      faithful companion-in-arms of Marshal Simon, with regard to his
+      imprisonment at Leipsic. Think what happened to yourself, when, against
+      all law and reason, you were brought hither. Then you will see, that there
+      is nothing exaggerated in the picture I have drawn of the secret power of
+      this Company. Be always on your guard, and, in doubtful cases, do not fear
+      to apply to me. In three days, I have learned enough by my own experience,
+      with regard to their manner of acting, to be able to point out to you many
+      a snare, device, and danger, and to protect you from them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In any such case, sir,&rdquo; replied Mdlle. de Cardoville, &ldquo;my interests, as
+      well as gratitude, would point to you as my best counsellor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      According to the skillful tactics of the sons of Loyola, who sometimes
+      deny their own existence, in order to escape from an adversary&mdash;and
+      sometimes proclaim with audacity the living power of their organization,
+      in order to intimidate the feeble-R-odin had laughed in the face of the
+      bailiff of Cardoville, when the latter had spoken of the existence of the
+      Jesuits; while now, at this moment, picturing their means of action, he
+      endeavored, and he succeeded in the endeavor, to impregnate the mind of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville with some germs of doubt, which were gradually to
+      develop themselves by reflection, and serve hereafter the dark projects
+      that he meditated. Mother Bunch still felt considerable alarm with regard
+      to Rodin. Yet, since she had heard the fatal powers of the formidable
+      Order revealed to Adrienne, the young sempstress, far from suspecting the
+      Jesuit of having the audacity to speak thus of a society of which he was
+      himself a member, felt grateful to him, in spite of herself, for the
+      important advice that he had just given her patroness. The side-glance
+      which she now cast upon him (which Rodin also detected, for he watched the
+      young girl with sustained attention), was full of gratitude, mingled with
+      surprise. Guessing the nature of this impression, and wishing entirely to
+      remove her unfavorable opinion, and also to anticipate a revelation which
+      would be made sooner or later, the Jesuit appeared to have forgotten
+      something of great importance, and exclaimed, striking his forehead: &ldquo;What
+      was I thinking of?&rdquo; Then, speaking to Mother Bunch, he added: &ldquo;Do you know
+      where your sister is, my dear girl?&rdquo; Disconcerted and saddened by this
+      unexpected question, the workwoman answered with a blush, for she
+      remembered her last interview with the brilliant Bacchanal Queen: &ldquo;I have
+      not seen my sister for some days, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear girl, she is not very comfortable,&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;I promised
+      one of her friends to send her some little assistance. I have applied to a
+      charitable person, and that is what I received for her.&rdquo; So saying, he
+      drew from his pocket a sealed roll of coin, which he delivered to Mother
+      Bunch, who was now both surprised and affected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have a sister in trouble, and I know nothing of it?&rdquo; said Adrienne,
+      hastily. &ldquo;This is not right of you, my child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not blame her,&rdquo; said Rodin. &ldquo;First of all, she did not know that her
+      sister was in distress, and, secondly, she could not ask you, my dear
+      young lady, to interest yourself about her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Mdlle. de Cardoville looked at Rodin with astonishment, he added, again
+      speaking to the hunchback: &ldquo;Is not that true, my dear girl!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; said the sempstress, casting down her eyes and blushing. Then
+      she added, hastily and anxiously: &ldquo;But when did you see my sister, sir?
+      where is she? how did she fall into distress?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All that would take too long to tell you, my dear girl; but go as soon as
+      possible to the greengrocer&rsquo;s in the Rue Clovis, and ask to speak to your
+      sister as from M. Charlemagne or M. Rodin, which you please, for I am
+      equally well known in that house by my Christian name as by my surname,
+      and then you will learn all about it. Only tell your sister, that, if she
+      behaves well, and keeps to her good resolutions, there are some who will
+      continue to look after her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      More and more surprised, Mother Bunch was about to answer Rodin, when the
+      door opened, and M. de Gernande entered. The countenance of the magistrate
+      was grave and sad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, they are not with me,&rdquo; answered the judge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, where are they, sir? What have they done with them? The day before
+      yesterday, they were in the convent!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, overwhelmed by this
+      complete destruction of his hopes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had the soldier pronounced these words, when, profiting by the
+      impulse which gathered all the actors in this scene about the magistrate,
+      Rodin withdrew discreetly towards the door, and disappeared without any
+      one perceiving his absence. Whilst the soldier, thus suddenly thrown back
+      to the depths of his despair, looked at M. de Gernande, waiting with
+      anxiety for the answer, Adrienne said to the magistrate: &ldquo;But, sir, when
+      you applied at the convent, what explanation did the superior give on the
+      subject of these young girls?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The lady superior refused to give any explanation, madame. &lsquo;You pretend,&rsquo;
+      said she, &lsquo;that the young persons of whom you speak are detained here
+      against their will. Since the law gives you the right of entering this
+      house, make your search.&rsquo; &lsquo;But, madame, please to answer me positively,&rsquo;
+      said I to the superior; &lsquo;do you declare, that you know nothing of the
+      young girls, whom I have come to claim?&rsquo; &lsquo;I have nothing to say on this
+      subject, sir. You assert, that you are authorized to make a search: make
+      it.&rsquo; Not being able to get any other explanation,&rdquo; continued the
+      magistrate, &ldquo;I searched all parts of the convent, and had every door
+      opened&mdash;but, unfortunately, I could find no trace of these young
+      ladies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They must have sent them elsewhere,&rdquo; cried Dagobert; &ldquo;who knows?&mdash;perhaps,
+      ill. They will kill them&mdash;O God! they will kill them!&rdquo; cried he, in a
+      heart-rending tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After such a refusal, what is to be done? Pray, sir, give us your advice;
+      you are our providence,&rdquo; said Adrienne, turning to speak to Rodin, who she
+      fancied was behind her. &ldquo;What is your&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, perceiving that the Jesuit had suddenly disappeared, she said to
+      Mother Bunch, with uneasiness: &ldquo;Where is M. Rodin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, madame,&rdquo; answered the girl, looking round her; &ldquo;he is no
+      longer here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;to disappear so abruptly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I told you he was a traitor!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, stamping with rage; &ldquo;they
+      are all in a plot together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville; &ldquo;do not think that. But the absence
+      is not the less to be regretted, for, under these difficult circumstances,
+      he might have given us very useful information, thanks to the position he
+      occupied at M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I confess, madame, that I rather reckoned upon it,&rdquo; said M. de Gernande;
+      &ldquo;and I returned hither, not only to inform you of the fruitless result of
+      my search, but also to seek from the upright and honorable roan, who so
+      courageously unveiled these odious machinations, the aid of his counsels
+      in this contingency.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Strangely enough, for the last few moments Dagobert was so completely
+      absorbed in thought, that he paid no attention to the words of the
+      magistrate, however important to him. He did not even perceive the
+      departure of M. de Gernande, who retired after promising Adrienne that he
+      would neglect no means to arrive at the truth, in regard to the
+      disappearance of the orphans. Uneasy at this silence, wishing to quit the
+      house immediately, and induce Dagobert to accompany her, Adrienne, after
+      exchanging a rapid glance with Mother Bunch, was advancing towards the
+      soldier, when hasty steps were heard from without the chamber, and a manly
+      sonorous voice, exclaiming with impatience, &ldquo;Where is he&mdash;where is
+      he?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the sound of this voice, Dagobert seemed to rouse himself with a start,
+      made a sudden bound, and with a loud cry, rushed towards the door. It
+      opened. Marshal Simon appeared on the threshold!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0092" id="link2HCH0092">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIX. PIERRE SIMON.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>arshal Pierre Simon, Duke de Ligny, was a man of tall stature, plainly
+      dressed in a blue frock-coat, buttoned up to the throat, with a red ribbon
+      tied to the top buttonhole. You could not have wished to see a more frank,
+      honest, and chivalrous cast of countenance than the marshal&rsquo;s. He had a
+      broad forehead, an aquiline nose, a well formed chin, and a complexion
+      bronzed by exposure to the Indian sun. His hair, cut very short, was
+      inclined to gray about the temples; but his eyebrows were still as black
+      as his large, hanging moustache. His walk was free and bold, and his
+      decided movements showed his military impetuosity. A man of the people, a
+      man of war and action, the frank cordiality of his address invited
+      friendliness and sympathy. As enlightened as he was intrepid as generous
+      as he was sincere, his manly, plebeian pride was the most remarkable part
+      of his character. As others are proud of their high birth, so was he of
+      his obscure origin, because it was ennobled by the fine qualities of his
+      father, the rigid republican, the intelligent and laborious artisan, who,
+      for the space of forty years, had been the example and the glory of his
+      fellow-workmen. In accepting with gratitude the aristocratic title which
+      the Emperor had bestowed upon him, Pierre Simon acted with that delicacy
+      which receives from a friendly hand a perfectly useless gift, and
+      estimates it according to the intention of the giver. The religious
+      veneration of Pierre Simon for the Emperor had never been blind; in
+      proportion as his devotion and love for his idol were instructive and
+      necessary, his admiration was serious, and founded upon reason. Far from
+      resembling those swashbucklers who love fighting for its own sake, Marshal
+      Simon not only admired his hero as the greatest captain in the world, but
+      he admired him, above all, because he knew that the Emperor had only
+      accepted war in the hope of one day being able to dictate universal peace;
+      for if peace obtained by glory and strength is great, fruitful, and
+      magnificent, peace yielded by weakness and cowardice is sterile,
+      disastrous, and dishonoring. The son of a workman, Pierre Simon still
+      further admired the Emperor, because that imperial parvenu had always
+      known how to make that popular heart beat nobly, and, remembering the
+      people, from the masses of whom he first arose, had invited them
+      fraternally to share in regal and aristocratic pomp.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20375m.jpg" alt="20375m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20375.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      When Marshal Simon entered the room, his countenance was much agitated. At
+      sight of Dagobert, a flash of joy illumined his features; he rushed
+      towards the soldier, extending his arms, and exclaimed, &ldquo;My friend! my old
+      friend!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert answered this affectionate salute with silent emotion. Then the
+      marshal, disengaging himself from his arms, and fixing his moist eyes upon
+      him, said to him in so agitated a voice that his lips trembled, &ldquo;Well,
+      didst arrive in time for the 13th of February?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, general; but everything is postponed for four months.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And&mdash;my wife?&mdash;my child?&rdquo; At this question Dagobert shuddered,
+      hung down his head, and was silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are not, then, here?&rdquo; asked Simon, with more surprise than
+      uneasiness. &ldquo;They told me they were not at your house, but that I should
+      find you here&mdash;and I came immediately. Are they not with you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General,&rdquo; said Dagobert, becoming deadly pale; &ldquo;general&mdash;&rdquo; Drying
+      the drops of cold sweat that stood upon his forehead, he was unable to
+      articulate a word, for his voice was checked in his parched throat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You frighten me!&rdquo; exclaimed Pierre Simon, becoming pale as the soldier,
+      and seizing him by the arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this, Adrienne advanced, with a countenance full of grief and sympathy;
+      seeing the cruel embarrassment of Dagobert, she wished to come to his
+      assistance, and she said to Pierre Simon, in a mild but agitated voice,
+      &ldquo;Marshal, I am Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;a relation of your dear
+      children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Pierre Simon turned around suddenly, as much struck with the dazzling
+      beauty of Adrienne as with the words she had just pronounced. He stammered
+      out in his surprise, &ldquo;You, madame&mdash;a relation&mdash;of my children!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He laid a stress on the last words, and looked at Dagobert in a kind of
+      stupor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, marshal your children,&rdquo; hastily replied Adrienne; &ldquo;and the love of
+      those charming twin sisters&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Twin sisters!&rdquo; cried Pierre Simon, interrupting Mdlle. de Cardoville,
+      with an outburst of joy impossible to describe. &ldquo;Two daughters instead of
+      one! Oh! what happiness for their mother! Pardon me, madame, for being so
+      impolite,&rdquo; he continued; &ldquo;and so little grateful for what you tell me. But
+      you will understand it; I have been seventeen years without seeing my
+      wife; I come, and I find three loved beings, instead of two. Thanks,
+      madame: would I could express all the gratitude I owe you! You are our
+      relation; this is no doubt your house; my wife and children are with you.
+      Is it so? You think that my sudden appearance might be prejudicial to
+      them? I will wait&mdash;but madame, you, that I am certain are good as
+      fair&mdash;pity my impatience&mdash;will make haste to prepare them to
+      receive me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      More and more agitated, Dagobert avoided the marshal&rsquo;s gaze, and trembled
+      like a leaf. Adrienne cast down her eyes without answering. Her heart sunk
+      within her, at thought of dealing the terrible blow to Marshal Simon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter, astonished at this silence, looking at Adrienne, then at the
+      soldier, became first uneasy, and at last alarmed. &ldquo;Dagobert!&rdquo; he
+      exclaimed, &ldquo;something is concealed from me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General!&rdquo; stammered the soldier, &ldquo;I assure you&mdash;I&mdash;I&mdash;.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame!&rdquo; cried Pierre Simon, &ldquo;I conjure you, in pity, speak to me
+      frankly!&mdash;my anxiety is horrible. My first fears return upon me. What
+      is it? Are my wife and daughters ill? Are they in danger? Oh! speak!
+      speak!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your daughters, marshal,&rdquo; said Adrienne &ldquo;have been rather unwell, since
+      their long journey&mdash;but they are in no danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, heaven! it is my wife!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have courage, sir!&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, sadly. &ldquo;Alas! you must
+      seek consolation in the affection of the two angels that remain to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General!&rdquo; said Dagobert, in a firm grave tone, &ldquo;I returned from Siberia&mdash;alone
+      with your two daughters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And their mother! their mother!&rdquo; cried Simon, in a voice of despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I set out with the two orphans the day after her death,&rdquo; said the
+      soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dead?&rdquo; exclaimed Pierre Simon, overwhelmed by the stroke; &ldquo;dead?&rdquo; A
+      mournful silence was the only answer. The marshal staggered beneath this
+      unexpected shock, leaned on the back of a chair for support, and then,
+      sinking into the seat, concealed his face with his hands. For same minutes
+      nothing was heard but stifled sobs, for not only had Pierre Simon idolized
+      his wife, but by one of those singular compromises, that a man long
+      cruelly tried sometimes makes with destiny, Pierre Simon, with the
+      fatalism of loving souls, thought he had a right to reckon upon happiness
+      after so many years of suffering, and had not for a moment doubted that he
+      should find his wife and child&mdash;a double consolation reserved to him
+      after going through so much. Very different from certain people, whom the
+      habit of misfortune renders less exacting, Simon had reckoned upon
+      happiness as complete as had been his misery. His wife and child were the
+      sole, indispensable conditions of this felicity, and, had the mother
+      survived her daughters, she would have no more replaced them in his eyes
+      than they did her. Weakness or avarice of the heart, so it was; we insist
+      upon this singularity, because the consequences of these incessant and
+      painful regrets exercised a great influence on the future life of Marshal
+      Simon. Adrienne and Dagobert had respected the overwhelming grief of this
+      unfortunate man. When he had given a free course to his tears, he raised
+      his manly countenance, now of marble paleness, drew his hand across his
+      blood-shot eyes, rose, and said to Adrienne, &ldquo;Pardon me, madame; I could
+      not conquer my first emotion. Permit me to retire. I have cruel details to
+      ask of the worthy friend who only quitted my wife at the last moment. Have
+      the kindness to let me see my children&mdash;my poor orphans!&mdash;&rdquo; And
+      the marshal&rsquo;s voice again broke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marshal,&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, &ldquo;just now we were expecting your
+      dear children: unfortunately, we have been deceived in our hopes.&rdquo; Pierre
+      Simon first looked at Adrienne without answering, as if he had not heard
+      or understood.&mdash;&ldquo;But console yourself,&rdquo; resumed the young girl; &ldquo;we
+      have yet no reason to despair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To despair?&rdquo; repeated the marshaling by turns at Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      despair?&mdash;&ldquo;of what, in heaven&rsquo;s name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of seeing your children, marshal,&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;the presence of their
+      father will facilitate the search.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The search!&rdquo; cried Pierre Simon. &ldquo;Then, my daughters are not here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, at length; &ldquo;they have been taken from the
+      affectionate care of the excellent man who brought them from Russia, to be
+      removed to a convent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wretch!&rdquo; cried Pierre Simon, advancing towards Dagobert, with a menacing
+      and terrible aspect; &ldquo;you shall answer to me for all!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir, do not blame him!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General,&rdquo; said Dagobert, in a tone of mournful resignation, &ldquo;I merit your
+      anger. It is my fault. Forced to absent myself from Paris, I entrusted the
+      children to my wife; her confessor turned her head, and persuaded her that
+      your daughters would be better in a convent than at our house. She
+      believed him, and let them be conveyed there. Now they say at the convent,
+      that they do not know where they are. This is the truth: do what you will
+      with me; I have only to silently endure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is infamous!&rdquo; cried Pierre Simon, pointing to Dagobert, with a
+      gesture of despairing indignation. &ldquo;In whom can a man confide, if he has
+      deceived me? Oh, my God!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stay, marshal! do not blame him,&rdquo; repeated Mdlle. de Cardoville; &ldquo;do not
+      think so! He has risked life and honor to rescue your children from the
+      convent. He is not the only one who has failed in this attempt. Just now,
+      a magistrate&mdash;despite his character and authority&mdash;was not more
+      successful. His firmness towards the superior, his minute search of the
+      convent, were all in vain. Up to this time it has been impossible to find
+      these unfortunate children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But where&rsquo;s this convent!&rdquo; cried Marshal Simon, raising his head, his
+      face all pale and agitated with grief and rage. &ldquo;Where is it? Do these
+      vermin know what a father is, deprived of his children?&rdquo; At the moment
+      when Marshal Simon, turning towards Dagobert, pronounced these words,
+      Rodin, holding Rose and Blanche by the hand, appeared at the open door of
+      the chamber. On hearing the marshal&rsquo;s exclamation, he started with
+      surprise, and a flash of diabolical joy lit up his grim countenance&mdash;for
+      he had not expected to meet Pierre Simon so opportunely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville was the first to perceive the presence of Rodin. She
+      exclaimed, as she hastened towards him: &ldquo;Oh! I was not deceived. He is
+      still our providence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My poor children!&rdquo; said Rodin, in a low voice, to the young girls, as he
+      pointed to Pierre Simon, &ldquo;this is your father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir!&rdquo; cried Adrienne, following close upon Rose and Blanche. &ldquo;Your
+      children are here!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Simon turned round abruptly, his two daughters threw themselves into
+      his arms. Here was a long silence, broken only by sobs, and kisses, and
+      exclamations of joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come forward, at least, and enjoy the good you have done!&rdquo; said Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, drying her eyes, and turning towards Rodin, who, leaning
+      against the door, seemed to contemplate this scene with deep emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, at sight of Rodin bringing back the children, was at first
+      struck with stupor, and unable to move a step; but hearing the words of
+      Adrienne, and yielding to a burst of almost insane gratitude, he threw
+      himself on his knees before the Jesuit, joined his hands together, and
+      exclaimed in a broken voice: &ldquo;You have saved me, by bringing back these
+      children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, bless you, sir!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, yielding to the general current.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My good friends, this is too much,&rdquo; said Rodin, as if his emotions were
+      beyond his strength; &ldquo;this is really too much for me. Excuse me to the
+      marshal, and tell him that I am repaid by the sight of his happiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray, sir,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;let the marshal at least have the opportunity
+      to see and know you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, remain! you that have saved us all!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, trying to stop
+      Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Providence, you know, my dear young lady, does not trouble itself about
+      the good that is done, but the good that remains to do,&rdquo; said Rodin, with
+      an accent of playful kindness. &ldquo;Must I not think of Prince Djalma? My task
+      is not finished, and moments are precious. Come,&rdquo; he added, disengaging
+      himself gently from Dagobert&rsquo;s hold, &ldquo;come the day has been as good a one
+      as I had hoped.. The Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny is unmasked; you are free, my dear
+      young lady; you have recovered your cross, my brave soldier; Mother Bunch
+      is sure of a protectress; the marshal has found his children. I have my
+      share in all these joys, it is a full share&mdash;my heart is satisfied.
+      Adieu, my friends, till we meet again.&rdquo; So saying, Rodin waved his hand
+      affectionately to Adrienne, Dagobert, and the hunchback, and withdrew,
+      waving his hand with a look of delight on Marshal Simon, who, seated
+      between his daughters, held them in his arms, and covered them with tears
+      and kisses, remaining quite indifferent to all that was passing around
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An hour after this scene, Mdlle. de Cardoville and the sempstress, Marshal
+      Simon, his two daughters and Dagobert quitted Dr. Beleinier&rsquo;s asylum.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In terminating this episode, a few words by way of moral, with regard to
+      lunatic asylums and convents may not be out of place. We have said, and we
+      repeat, that the laws which apply to the superintendence of lunatic
+      asylums appear to us insufficient. Facts that have recently transpired
+      before the courts, and other facts that have been privately communicated
+      to us, evidently prove this insufficiency. Doubtless, magistrates have
+      full power to visit lunatic asylums. They are even required to make such
+      visits. But we know, from the best authority, that the numerous and
+      pressing occupations of magistrates, whose number is often out of
+      proportion with the labor imposed upon them, render these inspections so
+      rare, that they are, so to speak, illusory. It appears, therefore, to us
+      advisable to institute a system of inspections, at least twice a month,
+      especially designed for lunatic asylums, and entrusted to a physician and
+      a magistrate, so that every complaint may be submitted to a double
+      examination. Doubtless, the law is sufficient when its ministers are fully
+      informed; but how many formalities, how many difficulties must be gone
+      through, before they can be so, particularly when the unfortunate creature
+      who needs their assistance, already suspected, isolated, and imprisoned,
+      has no friend to come forward in defence, and demand, in his or her name,
+      the protection of the authorities! Is it not imperative, therefore, on the
+      civil power, to meet these necessities by a periodical and well-organized
+      system of inspection?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What we here say of lunatic asylums will apply with still greater force to
+      convents for women, seminaries, and houses inhabited by religious bodies.
+      Recent and notorious facts, with which all France has rung, have,
+      unfortunately, proved that violence, forcible detention, barbarous usage,
+      abduction of minors, and illegal imprisonment, accompanied by torture, are
+      occurrences which, if not frequent, are at least possible in religious
+      houses. It required singular accidents, audacious and cynical brutalities;
+      to bring these detestable actions to public knowledge. How many other
+      victims have been, and, perhaps still are, entombed in those large silent
+      mansions, where no profane look may penetrate, and which, through the
+      privileges of the clergy, escape the superintendence of the civil power.
+      Is it not deplorable that these dwellings should not also be subject to
+      periodical inspection, by visitors consisting, if it be desired, of a
+      priest, a magistrate, and some delegate of the municipal authorities? If
+      nothing takes place, but what is legal, human, and charitable, in these
+      establishments, which have all the character, and incur all the
+      responsibility, of public institutions, why this resistance, this furious
+      indignation of the church party, when any mention is made of touching what
+      they call their privileges? There is something higher than the
+      constitutions devised at Rome. We mean the Law of France&mdash;the common
+      law&mdash;which grants to all protection, but which, in return, exacts
+      from all respect and obedience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0106" id="link2H_4_0106">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK VII.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     XL. The East Indian in Paris XLI. Rising XLII. Doubts XLIII.
+     The Letter XLIV. Adrienne and Djalma XLV. The Consultation
+     XLVI. Mother Bunch&rsquo;s Diary XLVII. The Diary Continued
+     XLVIII. The Discovery XLIX. The Trysting-Place of the Wolves
+     L. The Common Dwelling-House LI. The Secret LII. Revelations
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0093" id="link2HCH0093">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XL. THE EAST INDIAN IN PARIS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">S</span>ince three days, Mdlle. de Cardoville had left Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s. The
+      following scene took place in a little dwelling in the Rue Blanche, to
+      which Djalma had been conducted in the name of his unknown protector.
+      Fancy to yourself a pretty, circular apartment, hung with Indian drapery,
+      with purple figures on a gray ground, just relieved by a few threads of
+      gold. The ceiling, towards the centre, is concealed by similar hangings,
+      tied together by a thick, silken cord; the two ends of this cord, unequal
+      in length, terminated, instead of tassels, in two tiny Indian lamps of
+      gold filigreed-work, marvellously finished. By one of those ingenious
+      combinations, so common in barbarous countries, these lamps served also to
+      burn perfumes. Plates of blue crystal, let in between the openings of the
+      arabesque, and illumined by the interior light, shone with so limpid an
+      azure, that the golden lamps seemed starred with transparent sapphires.
+      Light clouds, of whitish vapor rose incessantly from these lamps, and
+      spread all around their balmy odor.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20383m.jpg" alt="20383m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20383.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Daylight was only admitted to this room (it was about two o&rsquo;clock in the
+      afternoon) through a little greenhouse, on the other side of a door of
+      plate-glass, made to slide into the thickness of the wall, by means of a
+      groove. A Chinese shade was arranged so as to hide or replace this glass
+      at pleasure. Some dwarf palm tress, plantains, and other Indian
+      productions, with thick leaves of a metallic green, arranged in clusters
+      in this conservatory, formed, as it were, the background to two large
+      variegated bushes of exotic flowers, which were separated by a narrow
+      path, paved with yellow and blue Japanese tiles, running to the foot of
+      the glass. The daylight, already much dimmed by the leaves through which
+      it passed, took a hue of singular mildness as it mingled with the azure
+      lustre of the perfumed lamps, and the crimson brightness of the fire in
+      the tall chimney of oriental porphyry. In the obscurity of this apartment,
+      impregnated with sweet odors and the aromatic vapor of Persian tobacco, a
+      man with brown, hanging locks, dressed in a long robe of dark green,
+      fastened round the waist by a parti-colored sash, was kneeling upon a
+      magnificent Turkey carpet, filling the golden bowl of a hookah; the long,
+      flexible tube of this pipe, after rolling its folds upon the carpet, like
+      a scarlet serpent with silver scales, rested between the slender fingers
+      of Djalma, who was reclining negligently on a divan. The young prince was
+      bareheaded; his jet-black hair, parted on the middle of his forehead,
+      streamed waving about his face and neck of antique beauty&mdash;their warm
+      transparent colors resembling amber or topaz. Leaning his elbow on a
+      cushion, he supported his chin with the palm of his right hand. The
+      flowing sleeve of his robe, falling back from his arm, which was round as
+      that of a woman, revealed mysterious signs formerly tattooed there in
+      India by a Thug&rsquo;s needle. The son of Radja-sing held in his left hand the
+      amber mouthpiece of his pipe. His robe of magnificent cashmere, with a
+      border of a thousand hues, reaching to his knee, was fastened about his
+      slim and well-formed figure by the large folds of an orange-colored shawl.
+      This robe was half withdrawn from one of the elegant legs of this Asiatic
+      Antinous, clad in a kind of very close fitting gaiter of crimson velvet,
+      embroidered with silver, and terminating in a small white morocco slipper,
+      with a scarlet heel. At once mild and manly, the countenance of Djalma was
+      expressive of that melancholy and contemplative calmness habitual to the
+      Indian and the Arab, who possess the happy privilege of uniting, by a rare
+      combination, the meditative indolence of the dreamer with the fiery energy
+      of the man of action&mdash;now delicate, nervous, impressionable as women&mdash;now
+      determined, ferocious, and sanguinary as bandits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And this semi-feminine comparison, applicable to the moral nature of the
+      Arab and the Indian, so long as they are not carried away by the ardor of
+      battle and the excitement of carnage, is almost equally applicable to
+      their physical constitution; for if, like women of good blood, they have
+      small extremities, slender limbs, fine and supple forms, this delicate and
+      often charming exterior always covers muscles of steel, full of an
+      elasticity, and vigor truly masculine. Djalma&rsquo;s oblong eyes, like black
+      diamonds set in bluish mother-of-pearl, wandered mechanically from the
+      exotic flowers to the ceiling; from time to time he raised the amber
+      mouthpiece of the hookah to his lips; then, after a slow aspiration, half
+      opening his rosy lips, strongly contrasted with the shining enamel of his
+      teeth, he sent forth a little spiral line of smoke, freshly scented by the
+      rose-water through which it had passed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I put more tobacco in the hookah?&rdquo; said the kneeling figure,
+      turning towards Djalma, and revealing the marked and sinister features of
+      Faringhea the Strangler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young prince remained dumb, either that, from an oriental contempt for
+      certain races, he disdained to answer the half-caste, or that, absorbed in
+      his reverie, he did not even hear him. The Strangler became again silent;
+      crouching cross-legged upon the carpet, with his elbows resting on his
+      knees, and his chin upon his hands, he kept his eyes fixed on Djalma, and
+      seemed to await the reply or the orders of him whose sire had been
+      surnamed the Father of the Generous. How had Faringhea, the sanguinary
+      worshipper of Bowanee, the Divinity of Murder, been brought to seek or to
+      accept such humble functions? How came this man, possessed of no vulgar
+      talents, whose passionate eloquence and ferocious energy had recruited
+      many assassins for the service of the Good Work, to resign himself to so
+      base a condition? Why, too, had this man, who, profiting by the young
+      prince&rsquo;s blindness with regard to himself, might have so easily sacrificed
+      him as an offering to Bowanee&mdash;why had he spared the life of
+      Radja-sings son? Why, in fine, did he expose himself to such frequent
+      encounters with Rodin, whom he had only known under the most unfavorable
+      auspices? The sequel of this story will answer all these questions. We can
+      only say at present, that, after a long interview with Rodin, two nights
+      before, the Thug had quitted him with downcast eyes and cautious bearing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After having remained silent for some time, Djalma, following with his eye
+      the cloud of whitish smoke that he had just sent forth into space,
+      addressed Faringhea, without looking at him, and said to him in the
+      language, as hyperbolical as concise, of Orientals: &ldquo;Time passes. The old
+      man with the good heart does not come. But he will come. His word is his
+      word.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His word is his word, my lord,&rdquo; repeated Faringhea, in an affirmative
+      tone. &ldquo;When he came to fetch you, three days ago, from the house whither
+      those wretches, in furtherance of their wicked designs, had conveyed you
+      in a deep sleep&mdash;after throwing me, your watchful and devoted
+      servant, into a similar state&mdash;he said to you: &lsquo;The unknown friend,
+      who sent for you to Cardoville Castle, bids me come to you, prince. Have
+      confidence, and follow me. A worthy abode is prepared for you.&rsquo;&mdash;And
+      again, he said to you, my lord: &lsquo;Consent not to leave the house, until my
+      return. Your interest requires it. In three days you will see me again,
+      and then be restored to perfect freedom.&rsquo; You consented to those terms, my
+      lord, and for three days you have not left the house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I wait for the old man with impatience,&rdquo; said Djalma, &ldquo;for this
+      solitude is heavy with me. There must be so many things to admire in
+      Paris. Above all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma did not finish the sentence, but relapsed into a reverie. After
+      some moments&rsquo; silence, the son of Radja-sing said suddenly to Faringhea,
+      in the tone of an impatient yet indolent sultan: &ldquo;Speak to me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what shall I speak, my lord?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what you will,&rdquo; said Djalma, with careless contempt, as he fixed on
+      the ceiling his eyes, half-veiled with languor. &ldquo;One thought pursues me&mdash;I
+      wish to be diverted from it. Speak to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea threw a piercing glance on the countenance of the young Indian,
+      and saw that his cheeks were colored with a slight blush. &ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; said
+      the half-caste, &ldquo;I can guess your thought.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma shook his head, without looking at the Strangler. The latter
+      resumed: &ldquo;You are thinking of the women of Paris, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be silent, slave!&rdquo; said Djalma, turning abruptly on the sofa, as if some
+      painful wound had been touched to the quick. Faringhea obeyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After the lapse of some moments. Djalma broke forth again with impatience,
+      throwing aside the tube of the hookah, and veiling both eyes with his
+      hands: &ldquo;Your words are better than silence. Cursed be my thoughts, and the
+      spirit which calls up these phantoms!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why should you fly these thoughts, my lord? You are nineteen years of
+      age, and hitherto all your youth has been spent in war and captivity. Up
+      to this time, you have remained as chaste as Gabriel, that young Christian
+      priest, who accompanied us on our voyage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Though Faringhea did not at all depart from his respectful deference for
+      the prince, the latter felt that there was something of irony in the tone
+      of the half-caste, as he pronounced the word &ldquo;chaste.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma said to him with a mixture of pride and severity: &ldquo;I do not wish to
+      pass for a barbarian, as they call us, with these civilized people;
+      therefore I glory in my chastity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I may perhaps love some woman, pure as was my mother when she married my
+      father; and to ask for purity from a woman, a man must be chaste as she.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this, Faringhea could not refrain from a sardonic smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why do you laugh, slave?&rdquo; said the young prince, imperiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Among civilized people, as you call them, my lord, the man who married in
+      the flower of his innocence would be mortally wounded with ridicule.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is false, slave! He would only be ridiculous if he married one that
+      was not pure as himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, my lord, he would not only be wounded&mdash;he would be killed
+      outright, for he would be doubly and unmercifully laughed at.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is false! it is false. Where did you learn all this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have seen Parisian women at the Isle of France, and at Pondicherry, my
+      lord. Moreover, I learned a good deal during our voyage; I talked with a
+      young officer, while you conversed with the young priest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, like the sultans of our harems, civilized men require of women the
+      innocence they have themselves lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They require it the more, the less they have of it, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To require without any return, is to act as a master to his slave; by
+      what right?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By the right of the strongest&mdash;as it is among us, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what do the women do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They prevent the men from being too ridiculous, when they marry, in the
+      eyes of the world.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But they kill a woman that is false?&rdquo; said Djalma, raising himself
+      abruptly, and fixing upon Faringhea a savage look, that sparkled with
+      lurid fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They kill her, my lord, as with us&mdash;when they find her out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Despots like ourselves! Why then do these civilized men not shut up their
+      women, to force them to a fidelity which they do not practise?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because their civilization is barbarous, and their barbarism civilized,
+      my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All this is sad enough, if true,&rdquo; observed Djalma, with a pensive air,
+      adding, with a species of enthusiasm, employing, as usual, the mystic and
+      figurative language familiar to the people of his country; &ldquo;yes, your talk
+      afflicts me, slave&mdash;for two drops of dew blending in the cup of a
+      flower are as hearts that mingle in a pure and virgin love; and two rays
+      of light united in one inextinguishable flame, are as the burning and
+      eternal joys of lovers joined in wedlock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma spoke of the pure enjoyments of the soul with inexpressible grace,
+      yet it was when he painted less ideal happiness, that his eyes shone like
+      stars; he shuddered slightly, his nostrils swelled, the pale gold of his
+      complexion became vermilion, and the young prince sank into a deep
+      reverie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea, having remarked this emotion, thus spoke: &ldquo;If, like the proud
+      and brilliant king-bird of our woods, you prefer numerous and varied
+      pleasures to solitary and monotonous amours&mdash;handsome, young, rich as
+      you are, my lord, were you to seek out the seductive Parisians&mdash;voluptuous
+      phantoms of your nights&mdash;charming tormentors of your dreams&mdash;were
+      you to cast upon them looks bold as a challenge, supplicating as prayers,
+      ardent as desires&mdash;do you not think that many a half-veiled eye would
+      borrow fire from your glance? Then it would no longer be the monotonous
+      delights of a single love, the heavy chain of our life&mdash;no, it would
+      be the thousand pleasures of the harem&mdash;a harem peopled with free and
+      proud beauties, whom happy love would make your slaves. So long
+      constrained, there is no such thing as excess to you. Believe me, it would
+      then be you, the ardent, the magnificent son of our country, that would
+      become the love and pride of these women&mdash;the most seductive in the
+      world, who would soon have for you no looks but those of languor and
+      passion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma had listened to Faringhea with silent eagerness. The expression of
+      his features had completely changed; it was no longer the melancholy and
+      dreaming youth, invoking the sacred remembrance of his mother, and finding
+      only in the dew of heaven, in the calyx of flowers, images sufficiently
+      pure to paint the chastity of the love he dreamed of; it was no longer
+      even the young man, blushing with a modest ardor at the thought of the
+      permitted joys of a legitimate union. No! the incitements of Faringhea had
+      kindled a subterraneous fire; the inflamed countenance of Djalma, his eyes
+      now sparkling and now veiled, his manly and sonorous respiration,
+      announced the heat of his blood, the boiling up of the passions, only the
+      more energetic, that they had been hitherto restrained.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So, springing suddenly from the divan, supple, vigorous, and light as a
+      young tiger, Djalma clutched Faringhea by the throat exclaiming: &ldquo;Thy
+      words are burning poison!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; said Faringhea, without opposing the least resistance, &ldquo;your
+      slave is your slave.&rdquo; This submission disarmed the prince.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My life belongs to you,&rdquo; repeated the half-caste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I belong to you, slave!&rdquo; cried Djalma, repulsing him. &ldquo;Just now, I hung
+      upon your lips, devouring your dangerous lies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lies, my lord? Only appear before these women, and their looks will
+      confirm my words.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These women love me!&mdash;me, who have only lived in war and in the
+      woods?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The thought that you, so young, have already waged bloody war on men and
+      tigers, will make them adore, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You lie!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, my lord, on seeing your hand, as delicate as theirs, but
+      which has been so often bathed in hostile blood, they will wish to caress
+      it; and they will kiss it again, when they think that, in our forests,
+      with loaded rifle, and a poniard between your teeth, you smiled at the
+      roaring of a lion or panther for whom you lay in wait.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I am a savage&mdash;a barbarian.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20389m.jpg" alt="20389m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20389.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for that very reason you will have them at your feet. They will feel
+      themselves both terrified and charmed by all the violence and fury, the
+      rage of jealousy, the passion and the love, to which a man of your blood,
+      your youth, your ardor must be subject. To-day mild and tender, to-morrow
+      fierce and suspicious, another time ardent and passionate, such you will
+      be&mdash;and such you ought to be, if you wish to win them. Yes; let a
+      kiss of rage be heard between two kisses: let a dagger glitter in the
+      midst of caresses, and they will fall before you, palpitating with
+      pleasure, love, and fear&mdash;and you will be to them, not a man, but a
+      god.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dost think so?&rdquo; cried Djalma, carried away in spite of himself by the
+      Thug&rsquo;s wild eloquence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know, you feel, that I speak the truth,&rdquo; cried the latter, extending
+      his arm towards the young Indian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, yes!&rdquo; exclaimed Djalma, his eyes sparkling, his nostrils swelling,
+      as he moved about the apartment with savage bounds. &ldquo;I know not if I
+      possess my reason, or if I am intoxicated, but it seems to me that you
+      speak truth. Yes, I feel that they will love me with madness and fury,
+      because my love will be mad and furious they will tremble with pleasure
+      and fear, because the very thought of it makes me tremble with delight and
+      terror. Slave, it is true; there is something exciting and fearful in such
+      a love!&rdquo; As he spoke forth these words, Djalma was superb in his impetuous
+      sensuality. It is a rare thing to see a young man arrive in his native
+      purity, at the age in which are developed, in all their powerful energy,
+      those admirable instincts of love, which God has implanted in the heart of
+      his creatures, and which, repressed, disguised, or perverted, may unseat
+      the reason, or generate mad excesses and frightful crimes&mdash;but which,
+      directed towards a great and noble passion, may and must, by their very
+      violence, elevate man, through devotion and tenderness, to the limits of
+      the ideal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! this woman&mdash;this woman, before whom I am to tremble&mdash;and
+      who, in turn, must tremble before me&mdash;where is she?&rdquo; cried Djalma,
+      with redoubled excitement. &ldquo;Shall I ever find her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One is a good deal, my lord,&rdquo; replied Faringhea, with his sardonic
+      coolness; &ldquo;he who looks for one woman, will rarely succeed in this
+      country; he who seeks women, is only at a loss to choose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the half-caste made this impertinent answer to Djalma, a very elegant
+      blue-and-white carriage stopped before the garden-gate of the house, which
+      opened upon a deserted street. It was drawn by a pair of beautiful
+      blood-horses, of a cream color, with black manes and tails. The scutcheons
+      on the harness were of silver, as were also the buttons of the servants&rsquo;
+      livery, which was blue with white collars. On the blue hammercloth, also
+      laced with white, as well as on the panels of the doors, were
+      lozenge-shaped coats of arms, without crest or coronet, as usually borne
+      by unmarried daughters of noble families. Two women were in this carriage&mdash;Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville and Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0094" id="link2HCH0094">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLI. RISING.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>o explain the arrival of Mdlle. de Cardoville at the garden-door of the
+      house occupied by Djalma, we must cast a retrospective glance at previous
+      events. On leaving Doctor Baleinier&rsquo;s, Mdlle. de Cardoville had gone to
+      take up her residence in the Rue d&rsquo;Anjou. During the last few months of
+      her stay with her aunt, Adrienne had secretly caused this handsome
+      dwelling to be repaired and furnished, and its luxury and elegance were
+      now increased by all the wonders of the lodge of Saint-Dizier House. The
+      world found it very strange, that a lady of the age and condition of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville should take the resolution of living completely alone
+      and free, and, in fact, of keeping house exactly like a bachelor, a young
+      widow, or an emancipated minor. The world pretended not to know that
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville possessed what is often wanting in men, whether of
+      age or twice of age&mdash;a firm character, a lofty mind, a generous
+      heart, strong and vigorous good sense.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Judging that she would require faithful assistance in the internal
+      management of her house, Adrienne had written to the bailiff of
+      Cardoville, and his wife, old family servants, to come immediately to
+      Paris: M. Dupont thus filled the office of steward, and Mme. Dupont that
+      of housekeeper. An old friend of Adrienne&rsquo;s father, the Count de Montbron,
+      an accomplished old man, once very much in fashion, and still a
+      connoisseur in all sorts of elegances, had advised Adrienne to act like a
+      princess, and take an equerry; recommended for this office a man of good
+      rearing and ripe age, who, himself an amateur in horses, had been ruined
+      in England, at Newmarket, the Derby, and Tattersall&rsquo;s, and reduced, as
+      sometimes happened to gentlemen in that country, to drive the stage
+      coaches, thus finding an honest method of earning his bread, and at the
+      same time gratifying his taste for horses. Such was M. de Bonneville, M.
+      de Montbron&rsquo;s choice. Both from age and habits, this equerry could
+      accompany Mdlle. de Cardoville on horseback, and better than any one else,
+      superintend the stable. He accepted, therefore, the employment with
+      gratitude, and, thanks to his skill and attention, the equipages of Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville were not eclipsed in style by anything of the kind in Paris.
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville had taken back her women, Hebe, Georgette, and
+      Florine. The latter was at first to have re-entered the service of the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier, to continue her part of spy for the superior of
+      St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent; but, in consequence of the new direction given by
+      Rodin to the Rennepont affair, it was decided that Florine, if possible,
+      should return to the service of Mdlle. de Cardoville. This confidential
+      place, enabling this unfortunate creature to render important and
+      mysterious services to the people who held her fate in their hands, forced
+      her to infamous treachery. Unfortunately, all things favored this
+      machination. We know that Florine, in her interview with Mother Bunch, a
+      few days after Mdlle. de Cardoville was imprisoned at Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s, had
+      yielded to a twinge of remorse, and given to the sempstress advice likely
+      to be of use to Adrienne&rsquo;s interests&mdash;sending word to Agricola not to
+      deliver to Madame de Saint Dizier the papers found in the hiding-place of
+      the pavilion, but only to entrust them to Mdlle. de Cardoville herself.
+      The latter, afterwards informed of these details by Mother Bunch, felt a
+      double degree of confidence and interest in Florine, took her back into
+      her service with gratitude, and almost immediately charged her with a
+      confidential mission&mdash;that of superintending the arrangements of the
+      house hired for Djalma&rsquo;s habitation. As for Mother Bunch (yielding to the
+      solicitations of Mdlle. de Cardoville, and finding she was no longer of
+      use to Dagobert&rsquo;s wife, of whom we shall speak hereafter), she had
+      consented to take up her abode in the hotel on the Rue d&rsquo;Anjou, along with
+      Adrienne, who with that rare sagacity of the heart peculiar to her,
+      entrusted the young sempstress, who served her also as a secretary, with
+      the department of alms-giving.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville had at first thought of entertaining her merely as a
+      friend, wishing to pay homage in her person to probity with labor,
+      resignation in sorrow, and intelligence in poverty; but knowing the
+      workgirl&rsquo;s natural dignity, she feared, with reason that, notwithstanding
+      the delicate circumspection with which the hospitality would be offered,
+      Mother Bunch might perceive in it alms in disguise. Adrienne preferred,
+      therefore, whilst she treated her as a friend, to give her a confidential
+      employment. In this manner the great delicacy of the needlewoman would be
+      spared, since she could earn her livelihood by performing duties which
+      would at the same time satisfy her praiseworthy instincts of charity. In
+      fact, she could fulfil, better than any one, the sacred mission confided
+      to her by Adrienne. Her cruel experience in misfortune, the goodness of
+      her angelic soul, the elevation of her mind, her rare activity, her
+      penetration with regard to the painful secrets of poverty, her perfect
+      knowledge of the industrial classes, were sufficient security for the tact
+      and intelligence with which the excellent creature would second the
+      generous intentions of Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us now speak of the divers events which, on that day, preceded the
+      coming of Mdlle. de Cardoville to the garden-gate of the house in the Rue
+      Blanche. About ten o&rsquo;clock in the morning, the blinds of Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      bedchamber, closely shut, admitted no ray of daylight to this apartment,
+      which was only lighted by a spherical lamp of oriental alabaster,
+      suspended from the ceiling by three long silver chains. This apartment,
+      terminating in a dome, was in the form of a tent with eight sides. From
+      the ceiling to the floor, it was hung with white silk, covered with long
+      draperies of muslin, fastened in large puffs to the wall, by bands caught
+      in at regular distances by plates of ivory. Two doors, also of ivory,
+      admirably encrusted with mother-of-pearl, led, one to the bath-room, the
+      other to the toilet-chamber, a sort of little temple dedicated to the
+      worship of beauty, and furnished as it had been at the pavilion of Saint
+      Dizier House. Two other compartments of the wall were occupied by windows,
+      completely veiled with drapery. Opposite the bed, enclosing splendid
+      fire-dogs of chased silver, was a chimney-piece of white marble, like
+      crystallized snow, on which were sculptured two magnificent caryatides,
+      and a frieze representing birds and flowers. Above this frieze, carved in
+      openwork with extreme delicacy, was a marble basket, filled with red
+      camellias. Their leaves of shining green their flowers of a delicate rosy
+      hue, were the only colors that disturbed the harmonious whiteness of this
+      virgin retreat. Finally, half surrounded by waves of white muslin, which
+      poured down from the dome like a mass of light clouds, the bed was visible&mdash;very
+      low, and resting on feet of carved ivory, which stood upon the ermine
+      carpet that covered the floor. With the exception of a plinth, also in
+      ivory, admirably inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the bed was entirely covered
+      with white satin, wadded and quilted like an immense scent-bag. The
+      cambric sheets, trimmed with lace, being a little disturbed on one side,
+      discovered the corner of a white taffety mattress, and a light counterpane
+      of watered stuff&mdash;for an equal temperature always reigned in this
+      apartment, warm as a fine spring day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From a singular scruple, arising from the same sentiment which had caused
+      Adrienne to have inscribed on a masterpiece of goldsmith&rsquo;s work the name
+      of the maker instead of that of the seller, she had wished all these
+      articles, so costly and sumptuous, to be manufactured by workmen chosen
+      amongst the most intelligent, honest, and industrious of their class, whom
+      she had supplied with the necessary materials. In this manner she had been
+      able to add to the price of the work the profit usually gained by the
+      middle man, who speculates in such labor; this notable augmentation of
+      wages had spread happiness and comfort through a hundred necessitous
+      families, who, blessing the munificence of Adrienne, gave her, as she
+      said, the right to enjoy her luxury as a good action. Nothing could be
+      fresher or more charming than the interior of this bedchamber. Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville had just awoke; she reposed in the middle of this flood of
+      muslin, lace, cambric, and white silk, in a position full of sweet grace.
+      Never during the night did she cover that beautiful golden hair (a certain
+      recipe, said the Greeks, for preserving it for a long while in
+      magnificence). Every evening, her women arranged her long silky curls in
+      flat tresses, forming two broad bands, which, descending sufficiently low
+      almost entirely to conceal the small ear, the rosy lobe of which was alone
+      visible, were joined to the large plait behind the head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This head-dress, borrowed from Greek antiquity, set off to admiration the
+      pure, fine features of Mdlle. de Cardoville, and made her look so much
+      younger, that, instead of eighteen, one would hardly have given her
+      fifteen years of age. Gathered thus closely about the temples, the hair
+      lost its transparent and brilliant hues, and would have appeared almost
+      brown, but for the golden tints which played here and there, amid the
+      undulations of the tresses. Lulled in that morning torpor, the warm
+      languor of which is so favorable to soft reveries, Adrienne leaned with
+      her elbow on the pillow, and her head a little on one side, which
+      displayed to advantage the ideal contour of her bared neck and shoulders;
+      her smiling lips, moist and rosy, were, like her cheeks, cold as if they
+      had just been bathed in ice-water; her snow-white lids half veiled the
+      large, dark, soft eyes, which now gazed languidly upon vacancy, and now
+      fixed themselves with pleasure upon the rosy flowers and green leaves in
+      the basket of camellias. Who can paint the matchless serenity of
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s awaking&mdash;when the fair and chaste soul roused itself in
+      the fair and chaste body? It was the awakening of a heart as pure as the
+      fresh and balmy breath of youth, that made her bosom rise and fall in its
+      white, immaculate purity. What creed, what dogma, what formula, what
+      religious symbol, oh! paternal and divine Creator! can ever give a more
+      complete idea of Thy harmonious and ineffable power, than the image of a
+      young maiden awaking in the bloom of her beauty, and in all the grace of
+      that modesty with which Thou hast endowed her, seeking, in her dreamy
+      innocence, for the secret of that celestial instinct of love, which Thou
+      hast placed in the bosom of all Thy creatures&mdash;oh! Thou whose love is
+      eternal, and goodness infinite!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The confused thoughts which, since her sleep, had appeared gently to
+      agitate Adrienne, absorbed her more and more; her head resting on her
+      bosom, her beautiful arm upon the couch, her features without becoming
+      precisely sad, assumed an expression of touching melancholy. Her dearest
+      desire was accomplished; she was about to live independent and alone. But
+      this affectionate, delicate, expansive, and marvellously complete nature,
+      felt that God had not given her such rare treasures, to bury them in a
+      cold and selfish solitude. She felt how much that was great and beautiful
+      might be inspired by love, both in herself, and in him that should be
+      worthy of her. Confiding in her courage, and the nobleness of her
+      character, proud of the example that she wished to give to other women,
+      knowing that all eyes would be fixed enviously upon her, she felt, as it
+      were, only too sure of herself; far from fearing that she should make a
+      bad choice, she rather feared, that she should not find any from whom to
+      choose, so pure and perfect was her taste. And, even had she met with her
+      own ideal, she had views so singular and so just, so extraordinary and yet
+      so sensible, with regard to the independence and dignity of woman, that,
+      inexorably determined to make no concession upon this head, she asked
+      herself if the man of her choice would ever accept the hitherto unheard-of
+      conditions that she meant to impose. In recalling to her remembrance the
+      possible suitors that she had met in the world, she remembered also the
+      dark, but true picture, which Rodin had drawn with so much caustic
+      bitterness. She remembered, too, not without a certain pride, the
+      encouragement this man had given her, not by flattery, but by advising her
+      to follow out and accomplish a great, generous, and beautiful design. The
+      current or the caprice of fancy soon brought Adrienne to think of Djalma.
+      Whilst she congratulated herself on having paid to her royal kinsman the
+      duties of a kingly hospitality, the young lady was far from regarding the
+      prince as the hero of her future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And first she said to herself, not unreasonably, that this half-savage
+      boy, with passions, if not untamable, yet untamed, transported on a sudden
+      into the midst of a refined civilization, would be inevitably destined to
+      fiery trials and violent transformations. Now Mdlle. de Cardoville, having
+      nothing masculine or despotic in her character, had no wish to civilize
+      the young savage. Therefore, notwithstanding the interest, or rather
+      because of the interest, which she felt for the young Indian, she was
+      firmly resolved, not to make herself known to him, till after the lapse of
+      two or three months; and she determined also, that, even if Djalma should
+      learn by chance that she was his relation, she would not receive his
+      visit. She desired, if not to try him, at least to leave him free in all
+      his acts, so that he might expend the first fire of his passions, good or
+      bad. But not wishing to abandon him quite without defence to the perils of
+      Parisian life, she requested the Count de Montbron, in confidence, to
+      introduce Prince Djalma to the best company in Paris, and to enlighten him
+      by the counsels of his long experience. M. de Montbron had received the
+      request of Mdlle. de Cardoville with the greatest pleasure, taking
+      delight, he said, in starting his royal tiger in drawing-rooms, and
+      bringing him into contact with the flower of the fine ladies and gentlemen
+      of Paris, offering at the same time to wager any amount in favor of his
+      half-savage pupil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for myself, my dear Count,&rdquo; said Adrienne to M. de Montbron, with her
+      usual frankness, &ldquo;my resolution is not to be shaken. You have told me the
+      effect that will be produced in the fashionable world, by the first
+      appearance of Prince Djalma, an Indian nineteen years of age, of
+      surprising beauty, proud and wild as a young lion arriving from his
+      forest; it is new, it is extraordinary, you added; and, therefore, all the
+      coquetries of civilized life will pursue him with an eagerness which makes
+      me tremble for him. Now, seriously, my dear count it will not suit me to
+      appear as the rival of so many fine ladies, who are about to expose
+      themselves intrepidly to the claws of the young tiger. I take great
+      interest in him, because he is my cousin, because he is handsome, because
+      he is brave, and above all because he does not wear that horrible European
+      dress. No doubt these are rare qualities&mdash;but not sufficient to make
+      me change my mind. Besides, the good old philosopher, my new friend, has
+      given me advice about this Indian, which you, my dear Count, who are not a
+      philosopher, will yet approve. It is, for some time, to receive visits at
+      home, but not to visit other people&mdash;which will spare me the
+      awkwardness of meeting my royal cousin, and allow me to make a careful
+      choice, even amongst my usual society. As my house will be an excellent
+      one, my position most unusual, and as I shall be suspected of all sorts of
+      naughty secrets, I shall be in no want of inquisitive visitors, who will
+      amuse me a good deal, I assure you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And as M. de Montbron asked, if the exile of the poor young Indian tiger
+      was to last long, Adrienne answered: &ldquo;As I shall see most of the persons,
+      to whom you will introduce him, I shall be pleased to hear different
+      opinions about him. If certain men speak well of him, and certain women
+      ill, I shall have good hope of him. In a word, the opinion that I come to,
+      in sifting the true from the false (you may leave that to my sagacity),
+      will shorten or prolong the exile of my royal cousin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Such were the formal intentions of Mdlle. de Cardoville with regard to
+      Djalma, even on the day she went with Florine to the house he occupied. In
+      a word, she had positively resolved not to be known to him for some months
+      to come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After long reflecting that morning, on the chances that might yet offer
+      themselves to satisfy the wants of her heart, Adrienne fell into a new,
+      deep reverie. This charming creature, so full of life and youth, heaved a
+      low sigh, raised her arms above her head, turned her profile towards the
+      pillow, and remained for some moments as if powerless and vanquished.
+      Motionless beneath the white tissues that wrapped her round, she looked
+      like a fair, marble statue, visible beneath a light layer of snow.
+      Suddenly, Adrienne raised herself up, drew her hand across her brow, and
+      rang for her women. At the first silver tone of the bell, the two ivory
+      doors opened. Georgette appeared on the threshold of the dressing-room,
+      from which Frisky, a little black and-tan dog, with his golden collar,
+      escaped with a joyful barking. Hebe appeared at the same time on the
+      threshold of the bath-room. At the further end of this apartment, lighted
+      from above, might be seen upon a green mat of Spanish leather, with golden
+      ornaments, a crystal bath in the form of a long shell. The three only
+      divisions in this masterpiece of glass work, were concealed by the elegant
+      device of several large reeds in silver, which rose from the wide base of
+      the bath, also of wrought silver, representing children and dolphins
+      playing, among branches of natural coral, and azure shells. Nothing could
+      be more pleasing than the effect of these purple reeds and ultramarine
+      shells, upon a dull ground of silver; the balsamic vapor, which rose from
+      the warm, limpid, and perfumed water, that filled the crystal shell,
+      spread through the bath-room, and floated like a light cloud into the
+      sleeping-chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing Hebe in her fresh and pretty costume, bringing her a long bathing
+      gown, hanging upon a bare and dimpled arm, Adrienne said to her: &ldquo;Where is
+      Florine, my child?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, she went downstairs two hours ago; she was wanted for something
+      very pressing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who wanted her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The young person who serves Madame as secretary. She went out this
+      morning very early; and, as soon as she returned, she sent for Florine,
+      who has not come back since.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This absence no doubt relates to some important affair of my angelic
+      minister of succor,&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling, and thinking of the
+      hunchback. Then she made a sign to Hebe to approach her bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About two hours after rising, Adrienne, having had herself dressed, as
+      usual, with rare elegance, dismissed her women, and sent for Mother Bunch,
+      whom she treated with marked deference, always receiving her alone. The
+      young sempstress entered hastily, with a pale, agitated countenance, and
+      said, in a trembling voice: &ldquo;Oh, madame! my presentiments were justified.
+      You are betrayed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what presentiments do you speak, my dear child!&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      surprise. &ldquo;Who betrays me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin!&rdquo; answered the workgirl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0095" id="link2HCH0095">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLII. DOUBTS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>n hearing the accusation brought against Rodin, Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      looked at the denunciator with new astonishment. Before continuing this
+      scene, we may say that Mother Bunch was no longer clad in her poor, old
+      clothes, but was dressed in black, with as much simplicity as taste. The
+      sad color seemed to indicate her renunciation of all human vanity, the
+      eternal mourning of her heart, and the austere duties imposed upon her by
+      her devotion to misfortune. With her black gown, she wore a large falling
+      collar, white and neat as her little gauze cap, with its gray ribbons,
+      which, revealing her bands of fine brown hair, set off to advantage her
+      pale and melancholy countenance, with its soft blue eyes. Her long,
+      delicate hands, preserved from the cold by gloves, were no longer, as
+      formerly, of a violet hue, but of an almost transparent whiteness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her agitated features expressed a lively uneasiness. Extremely surprised,
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville exclaimed: &ldquo;What do you say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin betrays you, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin? Impossible!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame! my presentiments did not deceive me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your presentiments?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The first time I saw M. Rodin, I was frightened in spite of myself. My
+      heart sank within me, and I trembled&mdash;for you, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For me?&rdquo; said Adrienne. &ldquo;Why did you not tremble for yourself, my poor
+      friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, madame; but such was my first impression. And this fear
+      was so invincible, that, notwithstanding the kindness that M. Rodin showed
+      my sister, he frightened me, none the less.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is strange. I can understand as well as any one the almost
+      irresistible influence of sympathies or aversions; but, in this instance&mdash;However,&rdquo;
+       resumed Adrienne, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, &ldquo;no matter for that; how
+      have these suspicions been changed to certainty?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yesterday, I went to take to my sister Cephyse, the assistance that M.
+      Rodin had given me, in the name of a charitable person. I did not find
+      Cephyse at the friend&rsquo;s who had taken care of her; I therefore begged the
+      portress, to inform my sister that I would call again this morning. That
+      is what I did; but you must excuse me, madame, some necessary details.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, speak, my dear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The young girl who had received my sister,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with
+      embarrassment, casting down her eyes and blushing, &ldquo;does not lead a very
+      regular life. A person, with whom she has gone on several parties of
+      pleasure, one M. Dumoulin, had informed her of the real name of M. Rodin,
+      who has a kind of lodging in that house, and there goes by the name of
+      Charlemagne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is just what he told us at Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s; and, the day before
+      yesterday, when I again alluded to the circumstance, he explained to me
+      the necessity in which he was, for certain reasons, to have a humble
+      retreat in that remote quarter&mdash;and I could not but approve of his
+      motives.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then! yesterday, M. Rodin received a visit from the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny!&rdquo; exclaimed Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame; he remained for two hours shut up with M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My child, you must have been deceived.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was told, madame, that the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny had called in the morning to
+      see M. Rodin; not finding him at home, he had left with the portress his
+      name written on a slip of paper, with the words, &lsquo;I shall return in two
+      hours.&rsquo; The girl of whom I spoke, madame, had seen this slip of paper. As
+      all that concerns M. Rodin appears mysterious enough, she had the
+      curiosity to wait for M. d&rsquo;Aigrigny in the porter&rsquo;s lodge, and, about two
+      hours afterwards, he indeed returned, and saw M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; said Adrienne, shuddering; &ldquo;it is impossible. There must be some
+      mistake.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think not, madame; for, knowing how serious such a discovery would be,
+      I begged the young girl to describe to me the appearance of M.
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, she told me, is about forty years of age. He is tall
+      and upright, dresses plainly, but with care; has gray eyes, very large and
+      piercing, thick eyebrows, chestnut-colored hair, a face closely shaved,
+      and a very decided aspect.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; said Adrienne, hardly able to believe what she heard. &ldquo;The
+      description is exact.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wishing to have all possible details,&rdquo; resumed Mother Bunch, &ldquo;I asked the
+      portress if M. Rodin and the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny appeared to be at variance
+      when they quitted the house? She replied no, but that the Abbe said to M.
+      Rodin, as they parted at the door: &lsquo;I will write to you tomorrow, as
+      agreed.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it a dream? Good heaven!&rdquo; said Adrienne, drawing her hands across her
+      forehead in a sort of stupor. &ldquo;I cannot doubt your word, my poor friend;
+      and yet it is M. Rodin who himself sent you to that house, to give
+      assistance to your sister: would he have wilfully laid open to you his
+      secret interviews with the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny? It would have been bad policy
+      in a traitor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true, and the same reflection occurred to me. And yet the meeting
+      of these two men appeared so dangerous to you, madame, that I returned
+      home full of terror.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Characters of extreme honesty are very hard to convince of the treachery
+      of others: the more infamous the deception, the more they are inclined to
+      doubt it. Adrienne was one of these characters, rectitude being a prime
+      quality of her mind. Though deeply impressed by the communication, she
+      remarked: &ldquo;Come, my dear, do not let us frighten ourselves too soon, or be
+      over-hasty in believing evil. Let us try to enlighten ourselves by
+      reasoning, and first of all remember facts. M. Rodin opened for me the
+      doors of Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s asylum; in my presence, he brought, his charge
+      against the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny; he forced the superior of the convent to
+      restore Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters, he succeeded in discovering the retreat
+      of Prince Djalma&mdash;he faithfully executed my intentions with regard to
+      my young cousin; only yesterday, he gave me the most useful advice. All
+      this is true&mdash;is it not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now suppose that M. Rodin, putting things in their worst light, had some
+      after-thought&mdash;that he hopes to be liberally rewarded, for instance;
+      hitherto, at least, he has shown complete disinterestedness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That also is true, madame,&rdquo; said poor Mother Bunch, obliged, like
+      Adrienne, to admit the evidence of fixed facts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now let us look to the possibility of treachery. Unite with the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny to betray me! Betray me?&mdash;how? and for what purpose? What
+      have I to fear? Is it not the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, on the contrary, is it not
+      Madame de Saint-Dizier, who have to render an account for the injuries
+      they have done me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, then, madame, how do you explain the meeting of these two men, who
+      have so many motives for mutual aversion? May there not be some dark
+      project still behind? Besides, madame, I am not the only one to think so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning, on my return, I was so much agitated, that Mdlle. Florine
+      asked me the cause of my trouble. I know, madame, how much she is devoted
+      to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nobody could be more so; only recently, you yourself informed me of the
+      signal service she rendered, during my confinement at Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, madame, this morning, on my return, thinking it necessary to have
+      you informed as soon as possible, I told all to Mdlle. Florine. Like me&mdash;even
+      more, perhaps&mdash;she was terrified at the meeting of Rodin and M.
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After a moment&rsquo;s reflection, she said to me: &lsquo;It is, I think, useless to
+      disturb my mistress at present; it can be of no importance whether she is
+      informed of this treachery two or three hours sooner or later; during that
+      time I may be able to discover something more. I have an idea, which I
+      think a good one. Make my excuses to my mistress; I shall soon be back.&rsquo;
+      Then Florine sent for a hackney-coach, and went out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Florine is an excellent girl,&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, with a smile,
+      for further reflection had quite reassured her: &ldquo;but, on this occasion, I
+      think that her zeal and good heart have deceived her, as they have you, my
+      poor friend. Do you know, that we are two madcaps, you and I, not to have
+      thought of one thing, which would have put us quite at our ease?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny fears M. Rodin; he may have sought him out, to
+      entreat his forbearance. Do you not find this explanation both
+      satisfactory and reasonable?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps so, madame,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection;
+      &ldquo;yes, it is probable.&rdquo; But after another silence, and as if yielding to a
+      conviction superior to every possible argument, she exclaimed: &ldquo;And yet,
+      no; believe me, madame, you are deceived. I feel it. All appearances may
+      be against what I affirm; yet, believe me, these presentiments are too
+      strong not to be true. And have you not guessed the most secret instincts
+      of my heart? Why should I not be able to guess the dangers with which you
+      are menaced?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say? what have I guessed?&rdquo; replied Mdlle. de Cardoville,
+      involuntarily impressed by the other&rsquo;s tone of conviction and alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have you guessed?&rdquo; resumed the latter. &ldquo;All the troublesome
+      susceptibility of an unfortunate creature, to whom destiny has decreed a
+      life apart. If I have hitherto been silent, it is not from ignorance of
+      what I owe you. Who told you, madame, that the only way to make me accept
+      your favors without blushing, was to give me some employment, that would
+      enable me to soothe the misfortunes I had so long shared? Who told you,
+      when you wished me to have a seat at your table, and to treat as your
+      friend the poor needlewoman, in whose person you sought to honor,
+      resignation and honest industry&mdash;who told you, when I answered with
+      tears of gratitude and regret, that it was not false modesty, but a
+      consciousness of my own ridiculous deformity, that made me refuse your
+      offer? Who told you that, but for this, I should have accepted it proudly,
+      in the name of all my low-born sisters? But you replied to me with the
+      touching words: &lsquo;I understand your refusal, my friend; it is not
+      occasioned by false modesty, but by a sentiment of dignity that I love and
+      respect.&rsquo; Who told you,&rdquo; continued the workgirl, with increasing
+      animation, &ldquo;that I should be so happy to find a little solitary retreat in
+      this magnificent house, which dazzles me with its splendor? Who guided you
+      in the choice of the apartment (still far too good) that you have provided
+      for me? Who taught you, that, without envying the beauty of the charming
+      creatures that surround you, and whom I love because they love you, I
+      should always feel, by an involuntary comparison, embarrassed and ashamed
+      before them? Who told you therefore to send them away, whenever you wished
+      to speak with me? Yes! who has revealed to you all the painful and secret
+      susceptibilities of a position like mine! Who has revealed them to you?
+      God, no doubt! who in His infinite majesty creates worlds, and yet cares
+      for the poor little insect hidden beneath the grass. And you think, that
+      the gratitude of a heart you have understood so well, cannot rise in its
+      turn to the knowledge of what may be hurtful to you? No, no, lady; some
+      people have the instinct of self preservation; others have the still more
+      precious instinct that enables them to preserve those they love. God has
+      given me this instinct. I tell you that you are betrayed!&rdquo; And with
+      animated look, and cheeks slightly colored with emotion, the speaker laid
+      such stress upon the last words, and accompanied them with such energetic
+      gesture, that Mdlle. de Cardoville already shaken by the girl&rsquo;s warmth,
+      began almost to share in her apprehensions. Then, although she had before
+      learned to appreciate the superior intelligence of this poor child of the
+      people, Mdlle. de Cardoville had never till now heard her friend express
+      herself with so much eloquence&mdash;an eloquence, too, that was inspired
+      by the noblest sentiments. This circumstance added to the impression made
+      upon Adrienne. But at the moment she was about to answer, a knock was
+      heard at the door of the room, and Florine entered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On seeing the alarmed countenance of her waiting-maid, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville said hastily: &ldquo;Well, Florine! what news? Whence come you, my
+      child?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20405m.jpg" alt="20405m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20405.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From Saint-Dizier House, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why did you go there?&rdquo; asked Mdlle. de Cardoville, with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning,&rdquo; said Florine, glancing at the workgirl, &ldquo;madame, there,
+      confided to me her suspicions and uneasiness. I shared in them. The visit
+      of the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny to M. Rodin appeared to me very serious. I thought,
+      if it should turn out that M. Rodin had been during the last few days to
+      Saint-Dizier House, there would be no longer any doubt of his treachery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; said Adrienne, more and more uneasy. &ldquo;Well?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As I had been charged to superintend the removal from the lodge, I knew
+      that several things had remained there. To obtain admittance, I had to
+      apply to Mrs. Grivois. I had thus a pretext for returning to the hotel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next, Florine, what next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I endeavored to get Mrs. Grivois to talk of M. Rodin; but it was in
+      vain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She suspected you,&rdquo; said the workgirl. &ldquo;It was to be anticipated.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I asked her,&rdquo; continued Florine, &ldquo;if they had seen M. Rodin at the hotel
+      lately. She answered evasively. Then despairing of getting anything out of
+      her,&rdquo; continued Florine, &ldquo;I left Mrs. Grivois, and that my visit might
+      excite no suspicion, I went to the pavilion&mdash;when, as I turn down the
+      avenue&mdash;whom do I see? why, M. Rodin himself, hastening towards the
+      little garden-door, wishing no doubt to depart unnoticed by that way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame, you hear,&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, clasping her hands with a
+      supplicating air; &ldquo;such evidence should convince you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin at the Princess de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville,
+      whose glance, generally so mild, now suddenly flashed with vehement
+      indignation. Then she added, in a tone of considerable emotion, &ldquo;Continue,
+      Florine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At sight of M. Rodin, I stopped,&rdquo; proceeded Florine, &ldquo;and keeping a
+      little on one side, I gained the pavilion without being seen. I looked out
+      into the street, through the closed blinds, and perceived a hackney coach.
+      It was waiting for M. Rodin, for, a minute after, he got into it, saying
+      to the coachman, &lsquo;No. 39, Rue Blanche.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The prince&rsquo;s!&rdquo; exclaimed Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, M. Rodin was to see him to-day,&rdquo; said Adrienne, reflecting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt he betrays you, madame, and the prince also; the latter will be
+      made his victim more easily than you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shame! shame!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, on a sudden, as she rose, all
+      her features contracted with painful anger. &ldquo;After such a piece of
+      treachery, it is enough to make us doubt of everything&mdash;even of
+      ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame! is it not dreadful?&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, shuddering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, then, why did he rescue me and mine, and accuse the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny?&rdquo; wondered Mdlle. de Cardoville. &ldquo;Of a truth, it is enough to
+      make one lose one&rsquo;s reason. It is an abyss&mdash;but, oh! how frightful is
+      doubt!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As I returned,&rdquo; said Florine, casting a look of affectionate devotion on
+      her mistress, &ldquo;I thought of a way to make all clear; but there is not a
+      minute to lose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo; said Adrienne, looking at Florine with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin will soon be alone with the prince,&rdquo; said Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt,&rdquo; replied Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The prince always sits in a little room that opens upon a greenhouse. It
+      is there that he will receive M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then?&rdquo; resumed Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This greenhouse, which I had arranged according to your orders, has only
+      one issue&mdash;by a door leading into a little lane. The gardener gets in
+      that way every morning, so as not to have to pass through the apartments.
+      Having finished his work, he does not return thither during the day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean? what is your project?&rdquo; said Adrienne, looking at
+      Florine with growing surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The plants are so disposed, that, I think, if even the shade were not
+      there, which screens the glass that separates the saloon from the
+      greenhouse, one might get near enough to hear what was passing in the
+      room, without being seen. When I was superintending the arrangements, I
+      always entered by this greenhouse door. The gardener had one key, and I
+      another. Luckily, I have not yet parted with mine. Within an hour, you may
+      know how far to trust M. Rodin. If he betrays the prince, he betrays you
+      also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What say you?&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Set out instantly with me; we reach the side door; I enter alone, for
+      precaution sake&mdash;if all is right, I return&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would have me turn spy?&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, haughtily,
+      interrupting Florine. &ldquo;You cannot think it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg your pardon, madame,&rdquo; said the girl, casting down her eyes, with
+      confused and sorrowful air; &ldquo;you had suspicions, and me seems &lsquo;tis the
+      only way to confirm or destroy them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stoop to listen to a conversation&mdash;never!&rdquo; replied Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, suddenly, after same moments&rsquo; thought,
+      &ldquo;permit me to tell you that Mdlle. Florine is right. The plan proposed is
+      a painful one, but it is the only way in which you can clear up, perhaps,
+      for ever, your doubts as to M. Rodin. Notwithstanding the evidence of
+      facts, in spite of the almost certainty of my presentiments, appearances
+      may deceive us. I was the first who accused M. Rodin to you. I should not
+      forgive myself all the rest of my life, did I accuse him wrongfully.
+      Beyond doubt, it is painful, as you say, madame, to listen to a
+      conversation&mdash;&rdquo; Then, with a violent effort to console herself, she
+      added, as she strove to repress her tears, &ldquo;Yet, as your safety is at
+      stake, madame&mdash;for, if this be treachery, the future prospect is
+      dreadful&mdash;I will go in your place&mdash;to&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not a word more, I entreat you,&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville,
+      interrupting. &ldquo;Let you, my poor friend, do for me what I thought degrading
+      to do myself? Never!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, turning to Florine, she added, &ldquo;Tell M. de Bonneville to have the
+      carriage got ready on the instant.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You consent, then!&rdquo; cried Florine, clasping her hands, and not seeking to
+      conceal her joy; and her eyes also became full of tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I consent,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, with emotion. &ldquo;If it is to be war&mdash;war
+      to the knife, that they would wage with me&mdash;I must be prepared for
+      it; and, come to think of it, it would only be weakness and folly not to
+      put myself on my guard. No doubt this step costs me much, and is very
+      repugnant to me, but it is the only way to put an end to suspicions that
+      would be a continual torment to me, and perhaps to prevent still greater
+      evils. Yes! for many important reasons, this interview of M. Rodin with
+      Prince Djalma may be doubly decisive to me&mdash;as to the confidence, or
+      the inexorable hate, that I must henceforth feel for M. Rodin. So,
+      Florine, quick!&mdash;my cloak and bonnet, and the carriage. You will go
+      with me. As for you, my dear, pray wait for me here,&rdquo; she added, turning
+      to the work girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Half an hour after this conversation, Adrienne&rsquo;s carriage stopped, as we
+      have before seen, at the little garden-gate of the house in the Rue
+      Blanche. Florine entered the greenhouse and soon returned to her mistress.
+      &ldquo;The shade is down, madame. M. Rodin has just entered the prince&rsquo;s room.&rdquo;
+       Mdlle. de Cardoville was, therefore, present, though invisible, at the
+      following scene, which took place between Rodin and Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0096" id="link2HCH0096">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIII. THE LETTER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">S</span>ome minutes before the entrance of Mdlle. de Cardoville into the
+      greenhouse, Rodin had been introduced by Faringhea into the presence of
+      the prince, who, still under the influence of the burning excitement into
+      which he had been plunged by the words of the half-caste, did not appear
+      to perceive the Jesuit. The latter, surprised at the animated expression
+      of Djalma&rsquo;s countenance, and his almost frantic air, made a sign of
+      interrogation to Faringhea, who answered him privately in the following
+      symbolical manner:&mdash;After laying his forefinger on his head and
+      heart, he pointed to the fire burning in the chimney, signifying by his
+      pantomimic action that the head and heart of Djalma were both in flames.
+      No doubt Rodin understood him, for an imperceptible smile of satisfaction
+      played upon his wan lips; then he said aloud to Faringhea, &ldquo;I wish to be
+      alone with the prince. Let down the shade and see that we are not
+      interrupted.&rdquo; The half-caste bowed, and touched a spring near the sheet of
+      plate-glass, which slid into the wall as the blind descended; then, again
+      bowing, Faringhea left the room. It was shortly after that Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville and Florine entered the greenhouse, which was now only
+      separated from the room in which was Djalma, by the transparent thickness
+      of a shade of white silk, embroidered with large colored birds. The noise
+      of the door, which Faringhea closed as he went out, seemed to recall the
+      young Indian to himself; his features, though still animated, recovered
+      their habitual expression of mildness and gentleness; he started, drew his
+      hand across his brow, looked around him, as if waking up from a deep
+      reverie, and then, advancing towards Rodin, with an air as respectful as
+      confused, he said to him, using the expression commonly applied to old men
+      in his country, &ldquo;Pardon me, father.&rdquo; Still following the customs of his
+      nation, so full of deference towards age, he took Rodin&rsquo;s hand to raise it
+      to his lips, but the Jesuit drew back a step, and refused his homage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For what do you ask pardon, my dear prince?&rdquo; said he to Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When you entered, I was in a dream; I did not come to meet you. Once
+      more, pardon me, father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Once more, I forgive you with all my heart, my dear prince. But let us
+      have some talk. Pray resume your place on the couch, and your pipe, too,
+      if you like it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But Djalma, instead of adopting the suggestion, and throwing himself on
+      the divan, according to his custom, insisted on seating himself in a
+      chair, notwithstanding all the persuasions of &ldquo;the Old Man with the Good
+      Heart,&rdquo; as he always called the Jesuit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, your politeness troubles me, my dear prince,&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;you
+      are here at home in India; at least, we wish you to think so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Many things remind me of my country,&rdquo; said Djalma, in a mild grave tone.
+      &ldquo;Your goodness reminds me of my father, and of him who was a father to
+      me,&rdquo; added the Indian, as he thought of Marshal Simon, whose arrival in
+      Paris had been purposely concealed from him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, he resumed in a tone full of affectionate
+      warmth, as he stretched out his hand to Rodin, &ldquo;You are come, and I am
+      happy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand your joy, my dear prince, for I come to take you out of
+      prison&mdash;to open your cage for you. I had begged you to submit to a
+      brief seclusion, entirely for your own interest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Can I go out to-morrow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day, my dear prince, if you please.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young Indian reflected for a moment, and then resumed, &ldquo;I must have
+      friends, since I am here in a palace that does not belong to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly you have friends&mdash;excellent friends,&rdquo; answered Rodin. At
+      these words, Djalma&rsquo;s countenance seemed to acquire fresh beauty. The most
+      noble sentiments were expressed in his fine features; his large black eyes
+      became slightly humid, and, after another interval of silence, he rose and
+      said to Rodin with emotion: &ldquo;Come!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whither, dear prince?&rdquo; said the other, much surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To thank my friends. I have waited three days. It is long.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Permit me dear prince&mdash;I have much to tell you on this subject&mdash;please
+      to be seated.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma resumed his seat with docility. Rodin continued: &ldquo;It is true that
+      you have friends; or rather, you have a friend. Friends are rare.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What are you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, you have two friends, my dear prince&mdash;myself, whom you
+      know, and one other, whom you do not know, and who desires to remain
+      unknown to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; answered Rodin, after a moment&rsquo;s embarrassment. &ldquo;Because the
+      happiness he feels in giving you these proofs of his friendship and even
+      his own tranquillity, depend upon preserving this mystery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why should there be concealment when we do good?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sometimes, to conceal the good we do, my dear prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I profit by this friendship; why should he conceal himself from one?&rdquo;
+       These repeated questions of the young Indian appeared to puzzle Rodin,
+      who, however, replied: &ldquo;I have told you, my dear prince, that your secret
+      friend would perhaps have his tranquillity compromised, if he were known.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he were known&mdash;as my friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Exactly so, dear prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The countenance of Djalma immediately assumed an appearance of sorrowful
+      dignity; he raised his head proudly, and said in a stern and haughty
+      voice: &ldquo;Since this friend hides himself from me, he must either be ashamed
+      of me, or there is reason for me to be ashamed of him. I only accept
+      hospitality from those who are worthy of me, and who think me worthy of
+      them. I leave this house.&rdquo; So saying, Djalma rose with such an air of
+      determination, that Rodin exclaimed: &ldquo;Listen to me, my dear prince. Allow
+      me to tell you, that your petulance and touchiness are almost incredible.
+      Though we have endeavored to remind you of your beautiful country, we are
+      here in Europe, in France, in the centre of Paris. This consideration may
+      perhaps a little modify your views. Listen to me, I conjure you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his complete ignorance of certain social conventionalisms,
+      Djalma had too much good sense and uprightness, not to appreciate reason,
+      when it appeared reasonable. The words of Rodin calmed him. With that
+      ingenuous modesty, with which natures full of strength and generosity are
+      almost always endowed, he answered mildly: &ldquo;You are right, father. I am no
+      longer in my own country. Here the customs are different. I will reflect
+      upon it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his craft and suppleness, Rodin sometimes found himself
+      perplexed by the wild and unforseen ideas of the young Indian. Thus he
+      saw, to his great surprise, that Djalma now remained pensive for some
+      minutes, after which he resumed in a calm but firm tone: &ldquo;I have obeyed
+      you, father: I have reflected.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear prince?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In no country in the world, under no pretext, should a man of honor
+      conceal his friendship for another man of honor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But suppose there should be danger in avowing this friendship?&rdquo; said
+      Rodin, very uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking. Djalma eyed
+      the Jesuit with contemptuous astonishment, and made no reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand your silence, my dear prince: a brave man ought to defy
+      danger. True; but if it should be you that the danger threatens, in case
+      this friendship were discovered, would not your man of honor be excusable,
+      even praiseworthy, to persist in remaining unknown?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I accept nothing from a friend, who thinks me capable of denying him from
+      cowardice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear prince&mdash;listen to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adieu, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet reflect!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have said it,&rdquo; replied Djalma, in an abrupt and almost sovereign tone,
+      as he walked towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But suppose a woman were concerned,&rdquo; cried Rodin, driven to extremity,
+      and hastening after the young Indian, for he really feared that Djalma
+      might rush from the house, and thus overthrow all his projects.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the last words of Rodin the Indian stopped abruptly. &ldquo;A woman!&rdquo; said
+      he, with a start, and turning red. &ldquo;A woman is concerned?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, yes! suppose it were a woman,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;would you not then
+      understand her reserve, and the secrecy with which she is obliged to
+      surround the marks of affection she wishes to give you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A woman!&rdquo; repeated Djalma, in a trembling voice, clasping his hands in
+      adoration; and his beautiful countenance was expressive of the deepest
+      emotion. &ldquo;A woman!&rdquo; said he again. &ldquo;A Parisian?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my dear prince, as you force me to this indiscretion, I will confess
+      to you that your friend is a real Parisian&mdash;a noble matron, endowed
+      with the highest virtues&mdash;whose age alone merits all your respect.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is very old, then?&rdquo; cried poor Djalma, whose charming dream was thus
+      abruptly dispelled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She may be a few years older than I am,&rdquo; answered Rodin, with an ironical
+      smile, expecting to see the young man express a sort of comical
+      disappointment or angry regret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But it was not so. To the passionate enthusiasm of love, which had for a
+      moment lighted up the prince&rsquo;s features, there now succeeded a respectful
+      and touching expression. He looked at Rodin with emotion, and said to him
+      in a broken voice: &ldquo;This woman, is then, a mother to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe with what a pious, melancholy, and tender
+      charm the Indian uttered the word mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have it, my dear prince; this respectable lady wishes to be a mother
+      to you. But I may not reveal to you the cause of the affection she feels
+      for you. Only, believe me&mdash;this affection is sincere, and the cause
+      honorable. If I do not tell you her secret, it is that, with us, the
+      secrets of women, young or old, are equally sacred.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is right, and I will respect it. Without seeing her, I will love her&mdash;as
+      I love God, without seeing Him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now, my dear prince, let me tell you what are the intentions of your
+      maternal friend. This house will remain at your disposal, as long as you
+      like it; French servants, a carriage, and horses, will be at your orders;
+      the charges of your housekeeping will be paid for you. Then, as the son of
+      a king should live royalty, I have left in the next room a casket
+      containing five hundred Louis; every month a similar sum will be provided:
+      if it should not be found sufficient for your little amusements, you will
+      tell me, and it shall be augmented.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At a movement of Djalma, Rodin hastened to add: &ldquo;I must tell you at once,
+      my dear prince, that your delicacy may be quite at ease. First of all, you
+      may accept anything from a mother; next, as in about three months you will
+      come into possession of an immense inheritance, it will be easy for you,
+      if you feel the obligation a burden&mdash;and the sum cannot exceed, at
+      the most, four or five thousand Louis&mdash;to repay these advances. Spare
+      nothing, then, but satisfy all your fancies. You are expected to appear in
+      the great world of Paris, in a style becoming the son of a king who was
+      called the Father of the Generous. So once again I conjure you not to be
+      restrained by a false delicacy; if this sum should not be sufficient&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will ask for more. My mother is right; the son of a monarch ought to
+      live royally.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the answer of the Indian, made with perfect simplicity, and
+      without any appearance of astonishment at these magnificent offers. This
+      was natural. Djalma would have done for others what they were doing for
+      him, for the traditions of the prodigal magnificence and splendid
+      hospitality of Indian princes are well known. Djalma had been as moved as
+      grateful, on hearing that a woman loved him with maternal affection. As
+      for the luxury with which she nought to surround him, he accepted it
+      without astonishment and without scruple. This resignation, again,
+      somewhat disconcerted Rodin, who had prepared many excellent arguments to
+      persuade the Indian to accept his offers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, it&rsquo;s all agreed, my dear prince,&rdquo; resumed the Jesuit. &ldquo;Now,
+      as you must see the world, it&rsquo;s just as well to enter by the best door, as
+      we say. One of the friends of your maternal protectress, the Count de
+      Montbron, an old nobleman of the greatest experience, and belonging to the
+      first society, will introduce you in some of the best houses in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you not introduce me, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! my dear prince, look at me. Tell me, if you think I am fitted for
+      such an office. No! no; I live alone and retired from the world. And
+      then,&rdquo; added Rodin, after a short silence, fixing a penetrating,
+      attentive, and curious look upon the prince, as if he would have subjected
+      him to a sort of experiment by what follows; &ldquo;and then, you see, M. de
+      Montbron will be better able than I should, in the world you are about to
+      enter, to enlighten you as to the snares that will be laid for you. For if
+      you have friends, you have also enemies&mdash;cowardly enemies, as you
+      know, who have abused your confidence in an infamous manner, and have made
+      sport of you. And as, unfortunately, their power is equal to their
+      wickedness, it would perhaps be more prudent in you to try to avoid them&mdash;to
+      fly, instead of resisting them openly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the remembrance of his enemies, at the thought of flying from them,
+      Djalma trembled in every limb; his features became of a lurid paleness;
+      his eyes wide open, so that the pupil was encircled with white, sparkled
+      with lurid fire; never had scorn, hatred, and the desire of vengeance,
+      expressed themselves so terribly on a human face. His upper lip, blood
+      red, was curled convulsively, exposing a row of small, white, and close
+      set teeth, and giving to his countenance lately so charming, an air of
+      such animal ferocity, that Rodin started from his seat, and exclaimed:
+      &ldquo;What is the matter, prince? You frighten me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma did not answer. Half leaning forward, with his hands clinched in
+      rage, he seemed to cling to one of the arms of the chair, for fear of
+      yielding to a burst of terrific fury. At this moment, the amber mouthpiece
+      of his pipe rolled, by chance, under one of his feet; the violent tension,
+      which contracted all the muscles of the young Indian, was so powerful, and
+      notwithstanding his youth and his light figure, he was endowed with such
+      vigor, that with one abrupt stamp he powdered to dust the piece of amber,
+      in spite of its extreme hardness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the name of heaven, what is the matter, prince?&rdquo; cried Rodin.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20413m.jpg" alt="20413m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20413.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thus would I crush my cowardly enemies!&rdquo; exclaimed Djalma, with menacing
+      and excited look. Then, as if these words had brought his rage to a
+      climax, he bounded from his seat, and, with haggard eyes, strode about the
+      room for some seconds in all directions, as if he sought for some weapon,
+      and uttered from time to time a hoarse cry, which he endeavored to stifle
+      by thrusting his clinched fist against his mouth, whilst his jaws moved
+      convulsively. It was the impotent rage of a wild beast, thirsting for
+      blood. Yet, in all this, the young Indian preserved a great and savage
+      beauty; it was evident that these instincts of sanguinary ardor and blind
+      intrepidity, now excited to this pitch by horror of treachery and
+      cowardice, when applied to war, or to those gigantic Indian hunts, which
+      are even more bloody than a battle, must make of Djalma what he really was
+      a hero.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin admired, with deep and ominous joy, the fiery impetuosity of passion
+      in the young Indian, for, under various conceivable circumstances, the
+      effect must be terrible. Suddenly, to the Jesuit&rsquo;s great surprise, the
+      tempest was appeased. Djalma&rsquo;s fury was calmed thus instantaneously,
+      because refection showed him how vain it was: ashamed of his childish
+      violence, he cast down his eyes. His countenance remained pale and gloomy;
+      and, with a cold tranquillity, far more formidable than the violence to
+      which he had yielded, he said to Rodin: &ldquo;Father, you will this day lead me
+      to meet my enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In what end, my dear prince? What would you do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kill the cowards!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Kill them! you must not think of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faringhea will aid me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remember, you are not on the banks of the Ganges, and here one does not
+      kill an enemy like a hunted tiger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One fights with a loyal enemy, but one kills a traitor like an accursed
+      dog,&rdquo; replied Djalma, with as much conviction as tranquillity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, prince, whose father was the Father of the Generous,&rdquo; said Rodin, in
+      a grave voice; &ldquo;what pleasure can you find in striking down creatures as
+      cowardly as they are wicked?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To destroy what is dangerous, is a duty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So prince, you seek for revenge.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not revenge myself on a serpent,&rdquo; said the Indian, with haughty
+      bitterness; &ldquo;I crush it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear prince, here we cannot get rid of our enemies in that
+      manner. If we have cause of complaint&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Women and children complain,&rdquo; said Djalma, interrupting Rodin: &ldquo;men
+      strike.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Still on the banks of the Ganges, my dear prince. Here society takes your
+      cause into its own hands, examines, judges, and if there be good reason,
+      punishes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In my own quarrel, I am both judge and executioner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray listen to me; you have escaped the odious snares of your enemies,
+      have you not?&mdash;Well! suppose it were thanks to the devotion of the
+      venerable woman who has for you the tenderness of a mother, and that she
+      were to ask you to forgive them&mdash;she, who saved you from their hands&mdash;what
+      would you do then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Indian hung his head, and was silent. Profiting by his hesitation,
+      Rodin continued: &ldquo;I might say to you that I know your enemies, but that in
+      the dread of seeing you commit some terrible imprudence, I would conceal
+      their names from you forever. But no! I swear to you, that if the
+      respectable person, who loves you as her son, should find it either right
+      or useful that I should tell you their names, I will do so&mdash;until she
+      has pronounced, I must be silent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma looked at Rodin with a dark and wrathful air. At this moment,
+      Faringhea entered, and said to Rodin: &ldquo;A man with a letter, not finding
+      you at home, has been sent on here. Am I to receive it? He says it comes
+      from the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; answered Rodin. &ldquo;That is,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;with the prince&rsquo;s
+      permission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma nodded in reply; Faringhea went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will excuse what I have done, dear prince. I expected this morning a
+      very important letter. As it was late in coming to hand, I ordered it to
+      be sent on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A few minutes after, Faringhea returned with the letter, which he
+      delivered to Rodin&mdash;and the half-caste again withdrew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0097" id="link2HCH0097">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIV. ADRIENNE AND DJALMA.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hen Faringhea had quitted the room, Rodin took the letter from Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny with one hand, and with the other appeared to be looking for
+      something, first in the side pocket of his great-coat, then in the pocket
+      behind, then in that of his trousers; and, not finding what he sought, he
+      laid the letter on his knee, and felt himself all over with both hands,
+      with an air of regret and uneasiness. The divers movements of this
+      pantomime, performed in the most natural manner, were crowned by the
+      exclamations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! dear me! how vexatious!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter?&rdquo; asked Djalma, starting from the gloomy silence in
+      which he had been plunged for some minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! my dear prince!&rdquo; replied Rodin, &ldquo;the most vulgar and puerile
+      accident may sometimes cause the greatest inconvenience. I have forgotten
+      or lost my spectacles. Now, in this twilight, with the very poor eyesight
+      that years of labor have left me, it will be absolutely impossible for me
+      to read this most important letter&mdash;and an immediate answer is
+      expected&mdash;most simple and categorical&mdash;a yes or a no. Times
+      presses; it is really most annoying. If,&rdquo; added Rodin, laying great stress
+      on his words, without looking at Djalma, but so as the prince might remark
+      it; &ldquo;if only some one would render me the service to read it for me; but
+      there is no one&mdash;no&mdash;one!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said Djalma, obligingly, &ldquo;shall I read it for you. When I have
+      finished it, I shall forget what I have read.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You?&rdquo; cried Rodin, as if the proposition of the Indian had appeared to
+      him extravagant and dangerous; &ldquo;it is impossible, prince, for you to read
+      this letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then excuse my having offered,&rdquo; said Djalma mildly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, and as if speaking
+      to himself, &ldquo;why not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And he added, addressing Djalma: &ldquo;Would you really be so obliging, my dear
+      prince? I should not have ventured to ask you this service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rodin delivered the letter to Djalma, who read aloud as
+      follows: &ldquo;&lsquo;Your visit this morning to Saint-Dizier House can only be
+      considered, from what I hear, as a new act of aggression on your part.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Here is the last proposition I have to make. It may be as fruitless as
+      the step I took yesterday, when I called upon you in the Rue Clovis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;After that long and painful explanation, I told you that I would write
+      to you. I keep my promise, and here is my ultimatum.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;First of all, a piece of advice. Beware! If you are determined to
+      maintain so unequal a struggle, you will be exposed even to the hatred of
+      those whom you so foolishly seek to protect. There are a thousand ways to
+      ruin you with them, by enlightening them as to your protects. It will be
+      proved to them, that you have shared in the plat, which you now pretend to
+      reveal, not from generosity, but from cupidity.&rsquo;&rdquo; Though Djalma had the
+      delicacy to feel that the least question on the subject of this letter
+      would be a serious indiscretion, he could not forbear turning his head
+      suddenly towards the Jesuit, as he read the last passage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! it relates to me. Such as you see me, my dear prince,&rdquo; added he,
+      glancing at his shabby clothes, &ldquo;I am accused of cupidity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who are these people that you protect?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those I protect?&rdquo; said Rodin feigning some hesitation, as if he had been
+      embarrassed to find an answer; &ldquo;who are those I protect? Hem&mdash;hem&mdash;I
+      will tell you. They are poor devils without resources; good people without
+      a penny, having only a just cause on their side, in a lawsuit in which
+      they are engaged. They are threatened with destruction by powerful parties&mdash;very
+      powerful parties; but, happily, these latter are known to me, and I am
+      able to unmask them. What else could have been? Being myself poor and
+      weak, I range myself naturally on the side of the poor and weak. But
+      continue, I beg of you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma resumed: &ldquo;&lsquo;You have therefore every-thing to fear if you persist in
+      your hostility, and nothing to gain by taking the side of those whom you
+      call your friends. They might more justly be termed your dupes, for your
+      disinterestedness would be inexplicable, were it sincere. It must
+      therefore conceal some after-thought of cupidity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Well! in that view of the case, we can offer you ample compensation&mdash;with
+      this difference, that your hopes are now entirely founded on the probable
+      gratitude of your friends, a very doubtful chance at the best, whereas our
+      offers will be realized on the instant. To speak clearly, this is what we
+      ask, what we exact of you. This very night, before twelve, you must have
+      left Paris, and engage not to return for six months.&rsquo;&rdquo; Djalma could not
+      repress a movement of surprise, and looked at Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite natural,&rdquo; said the latter; &ldquo;the cause of my poor friends would be
+      judged by that time, and I should be unable to watch over them. You see
+      how it is, my dear prince,&rdquo; added Rodin, with bitter indignation. &ldquo;But
+      please continue, and excuse me for having interrupted you; though, indeed,
+      such impudence disgusts me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20421m.jpg" alt="20421m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20421.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Djalma continued: &ldquo;&lsquo;That we may be certain of your removal from Paris for
+      six months, you will go to the house of one of our friends in Germany. You
+      will there be received with generous hospitality, but forcibly detained
+      until the expiration of the term.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! a voluntary prison,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;On these conditions, you will receive a pension of one thousand francs a
+      month, to begin from your departure from Paris, ten thousand francs down,
+      and twenty thousand at the end of the six months&mdash;the whole to be
+      completely secured to you. Finally, at the end of the six months, we will
+      place you in a position both honorable and independent.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma having stopped short, with involuntary indignation, Rodin said to
+      him: &ldquo;Let me beg you to continue, my dear prince. Read to the end, and it
+      will give you some idea of what passes in the midst of our civilization.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma resumed: &ldquo;&lsquo;You know well enough the course of affairs, and what we
+      are, to feel that in providing for your absence, we only wish to get rid
+      of an enemy, not very dangerous, but rather troublesome. Do not be blinded
+      by your first success. The results of your denunciation will be stifled,
+      because they are calumnious. The judge who received your evidence will
+      soon repent his odious partiality. You may make what use you please of
+      this letter. We know what we write, to whom we write, and how we write.
+      You will receive this letter at three o&rsquo;clock; if by four o&rsquo;clock we have
+      not your full and complete acceptance, written with your own hand at the
+      bottom of this letter, war must commence between us&mdash;and not from
+      to-morrow, but on the instant.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having finished reading the letter, Djalma looked at Rodin, who said to
+      him: &ldquo;Permit me to summon Faringhea.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He rang the bell, and the half-caste appeared. Rodin took the letter from
+      the hands of Djalma, tore it into halves, rubbed it between his palms, so
+      as to make a sort of a ball, and said to the half-caste, as he returned it
+      to him: &ldquo;Give this palter to the person who waits for it, and tell him
+      that is my only answer to his shameless and insolent letter; you
+      understand me&mdash;this shameless and insolent letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand.&rdquo; said the half-caste; and he went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This will perhaps be a dangerous war for you, father, said the Indian,
+      with interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, dear prince, it may be dangerous, but I am not like you; I have no
+      wish to kill my enemies, because they are cowardly and wicked. I fight
+      them under the shield of the law. Imitate me in this.&rdquo; Then, seeing that
+      the countenance of Djalma darkened, he added: &ldquo;I am wrong. I will advise
+      you no more on this subject. Only, let us defer the decision to the
+      judgment of your noble and motherly protectress. I shall see her to
+      morrow; if she consents, I will tell you the names of your enemies. If not&mdash;not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this woman, this second mother,&rdquo; said Djalma, &ldquo;is her character such,
+      that I can rely on her judgment?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She!&rdquo; cried Rodin, clasping his hands, and speaking with increased
+      excitement. &ldquo;Why, she is the most noble, the most generous, the most
+      valiant being upon earth!&mdash;why, if you were really her son, and she
+      loved you with all the strength of maternal affection, and a case arose in
+      which you had to choose between an act of baseness and death, she would
+      say to you: &lsquo;Die!&rsquo; though she might herself die with you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, noble woman! so was my mother!&rdquo; cried Djalma, with enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, with growing energy, as he approached the window
+      concealed by the shade, towards which he threw an oblique and anxious
+      glance, &ldquo;if you would imagine your protectress, think only of courage,
+      uprightness, and loyalty personified. Oh! she has the chivalrous frankness
+      of the brave man, joined with the high-souled dignity of the woman, who
+      not only never in her life told a falsehood, never concealed a single
+      thought, but who would rather die than give way to the least of those
+      sentiments of craft and dissimulation, which are almost forced upon
+      ordinary women by the situation in which they are placed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is difficult to express the admiration which shone upon the countenance
+      of Djalma, as he listened to this description. His eyes sparkled, his
+      cheeks glowed, his heart palpitated with enthusiasm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is well, noble heart!&rdquo; said Rodin to him, drawing still nearer to
+      the blind; &ldquo;I love to see your soul sparkle through your eyes, on hearing
+      me speak thus of your unknown protectress. Oh! but she is worthy of the
+      pious adoration which noble hearts and great characters inspire!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I believe you,&rdquo; cried Djalma, with enthusiasm; &ldquo;my heart is full of
+      admiration and also of astonishment, for my mother is no more, and yet
+      such a woman exists!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, she exists. For the consolation of the afflicted, for the glory of
+      her sex, she exists. For the honor of truth, and the shame of falsehood,
+      she exists. No lie, no disguise, has ever tainted her loyalty, brilliant
+      and heroic as the sword of a knight. It is but a few days ago that this
+      noble woman spoke to me these admirable words, which, in all my life, I
+      shall not forget: &lsquo;Sir,&rsquo; she said, &lsquo;if ever I suspect any one that I love
+      or esteem&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin did not finish. The shade, so violently shaken that the spring
+      broke, was drawn up abruptly, and, to the great astonishment of Djalma,
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville appeared before him. Adrienne&rsquo;s cloak had fallen from
+      her shoulders, and in the violence of the movement with which she had
+      approached the blind, her bonnet, the strings of which were untied, had
+      also fallen. Having left home suddenly, with only just time to throw a
+      mantle over the picturesque and charming costume which she often chose to
+      wear when alone, she appeared so radiant with beauty to Djalma&rsquo;s dazzled
+      eyes, in the centre of those leaves and flowers, that the Indian believed
+      himself under the influence of a dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With clasped hands, eyes wide open, the body slightly bent forward, as if
+      in the act of prayer, he stood petrified with admiration, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, much agitated, and her countenance glowing with emotion,
+      remained on the threshold of the greenhouse, without entering the room.
+      All this had passed in less time than it takes to describe it. Hardly had
+      the blind been raised, than Rodin, feigning surprise, exclaimed: &ldquo;You
+      here, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir!&rdquo; said Adrienne, in an agitated voice, &ldquo;I come to terminate the
+      phrase which you have commenced. I told you, that when a suspicion crossed
+      my mind, I uttered it aloud to the person by whom it was inspired. Well! I
+      confess it: I have failed in this honesty. I came here as a spy upon you,
+      when your answer to the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny was giving me a new pledge of your
+      devotion and sincerity. I doubted your uprightness at the moment when you
+      were bearing testimony to my frankness. For the first time in my life, I
+      stooped to deceit; this weakness merits punishment, and I submit to it&mdash;demands
+      reparation, and I make it&mdash;calls for apologies, and I tender them to
+      you.&rdquo; Then turning towards Djalma, she added: &ldquo;Now, prince, I am no longer
+      mistress of my secret. I am your relation, Mdlle. de Cardoville; and I
+      hope you will accept from a sister the hospitality that you did not refuse
+      from a mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma made no reply. Plunged in ecstatic contemplation of this sudden
+      apparition, which surpassed his wildest and most dazzling visions, he felt
+      a sort of intoxication, which, paralyzing the power of thought,
+      concentrated all his faculties in the one sense of sight; and just as we
+      sometimes seek in vain to satisfy unquenchable thirst, the burning look of
+      the Indian sought, as it were, with devouring avidity, to take in all the
+      rare perfections of the young lady. Verily, never had two more divine
+      types of beauty met face to face. Adrienne and Djalma were the very ideal
+      of a handsome youth and maiden. There seemed to be something providential
+      in the meeting of these two natures, so young and so vivacious, so
+      generous and so full of passion, so heroic and so proud, who, before
+      coming into contact, had, singularly enough, each learned the moral worth
+      of the other; for if, at the words of Rodin, Djalma had felt arise in his
+      heart an admiration, as lively as it was sudden, for the valiant and
+      generous qualities of that unknown benefactress, whom he now discovered in
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, the latter had, in her turn, been moved, affected,
+      almost terrified, by the interview she had just overheard, in which Djalma
+      had displayed the nobleness of his soul, the delicate goodness of his
+      heart, and the terrible transports of his temper. Then she had not been
+      able to repress a movement of astonishment, almost admiration, at sight of
+      the surprising beauty of the prince; and soon after, a strange, painful
+      sentiment, a sort of electric shock, seemed to penetrate all her being, as
+      her eyes encountered Djalma&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cruelly agitated, and suffering deeply from this agitation, she tried to
+      dissemble the impression she had received, by addressing Rodin, to
+      apologize for having suspected him. But the obstinate silence of the
+      Indian redoubled the lady&rsquo;s painful embarrassment. Again raising her eyes
+      towards the prince, to invite him to respond to her fraternal offer, she
+      met his ardent gaze wildly fixed upon her, and she looked once more with a
+      mixture of fear, sadness, and wounded pride; then she congratulated
+      herself on having foreseen the inexorable necessity of keeping Djalma at a
+      distance from her, such apprehension did this ardent and impetuous nature
+      already inspire. Wishing to put an end to her present painful situation,
+      she said to Rodin, in a low and trembling voice, &ldquo;Pray, sir, speak to the
+      prince; repeat to him my offers. I cannot remain longer.&rdquo; So saying,
+      Adrienne turned, as if to rejoin Florine. But, at the first step, Djalma
+      sprang towards her with the bound of a tiger, about to be deprived of his
+      prey. Terrified by the expression of wild excitement which inflamed the
+      Indian&rsquo;s countenance, the young lady drew back with a loud scream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this, Djalma remembered himself, and all that had passed. Pale with
+      regret and shame, trembling, dismayed, his eyes streaming with tears, and
+      all his features marked with an expression of the most touching despair,
+      he fell at Adrienne&rsquo;s feet, and lifting his clasped hands towards her,
+      said in a soft, supplicating, timid voice: &ldquo;Oh, remain! remain! do not
+      leave me. I have waited for you so long!&rdquo; To this prayer, uttered with the
+      timid simplicity of a child, and a resignation which contrasted strangely
+      with the savage violence that had so frightened Adrienne, she replied, as
+      she made a sign to Florine to prepare for their departure: &ldquo;Prince, it is
+      impossible for me to remain longer here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you will return?&rdquo; said Djalma, striving to restrain his tears. &ldquo;I
+      shall see you again?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no! never&mdash;never!&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, in a failing
+      voice. Then, profiting by the stupor into which her answer had thrown
+      Djalma, Adrienne disappeared rapidly behind the plants in the greenhouse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine was hastening to rejoin her mistress, when, just at the moment she
+      passed before Rodin, he said to her in a low, quick voice: &ldquo;To-morrow we
+      must finish with the hunchback.&rdquo; Florine trembled in every limb, and,
+      without answering Rodin, disappeared, like her mistress, behind the
+      plants. Broken, overpowered, Djalma remained upon his knees, with his head
+      resting on his breast. His countenance expressed neither rage nor
+      excitement, but a painful stupor; he wept silently. Seeing Rodin approach
+      him, he rose, but with so tremulous a step, that he could hardly reach the
+      divan, on which he sank down, hiding his face in his hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then Rodin, advancing, said to him in a mild and insinuating tone: &ldquo;Alas!
+      I feared what has happened. I did not wish you to see your benefactress;
+      and if I told you she was old, do you know why, dear prince?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma, without answering, let his hands fall upon his knees, and turned
+      towards Rodin a countenance still bathed in tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew that Mdlle. de Cardoville was charming, and at your age it is so
+      easy to fall in love,&rdquo; continued Rodin; &ldquo;I wished to spare you that
+      misfortune, my dear prince, for your beautiful protectress passionately
+      loves a handsome young man of this town.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Upon these words, Djalma suddenly pressed both hands to his heart, as if
+      he felt a piercing stab, uttered a cry of savage grief, threw back his
+      head, and fell fainting upon the divan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked at him coldly for some seconds, and then said as he went
+      away, brushing his old hat with his elbow,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come! it works&mdash;it works!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0098" id="link2HCH0098">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLV. THE CONSULTATION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t is night. It has just struck nine. It is the evening of that day on
+      which Mdlle. de Cardoville first found herself in the presence of Djalma.
+      Florine, pale, agitated, trembling, with a candle in her hand, had just
+      entered a bedroom, plainly but comfortably furnished. This room was one of
+      the apartments occupied by Mother Bunch, in Adrienne&rsquo;s house. They were
+      situated on the ground-floor, and had two entrances. One opened on the
+      garden, and the other on the court-yard. From this side came the persons
+      who applied to the workgirl for succor; an ante-chamber in which they
+      waited, a parlor in which they were received, constituted Mother Bunch&rsquo;s
+      apartments, along with the bedroom, which Florine had just entered,
+      looking about her with an anxious and alarmed air, scarcely touching the
+      carpet with the tips of her satin shoes, holding her breath, and listening
+      at the least noise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Placing the candle upon the chimney-piece, she took a rapid survey of the
+      chamber, and approached the mahogany desk, surmounted by a well-filled
+      bookcase. The key had been left in the drawers of this piece of furniture,
+      and they were all three examined by Florine. They contained different
+      petitions from persons in distress, and various, notes in the girl&rsquo;s
+      handwriting. This was not what Florine wanted. Three cardboard boxes were
+      placed in pigeon-holes beneath the bookcase. These also were vainly
+      explored, and Florine, with a gesture of vexation, looked and listened
+      anxiously; then, seeing a chest of drawers, she made therein a fresh and
+      useless search. Near the foot of the bed was a little door, leading to a
+      dressing-room. Florine entered it, and looked&mdash;at first without
+      success&mdash;into a large wardrobe, in which were suspended several black
+      dresses, recently made for Mother Bunch, by order of Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+      Perceiving, at the bottom of this wardrobe, half hidden beneath a cloak, a
+      very shabby little trunk, Florine opened it hastily, and found there,
+      carefully folded up, the poor old garments in which the work-girl had been
+      clad when she first entered this opulent mansion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine started&mdash;an involuntary emotion contracted her features; but
+      considering that she had not liberty to indulge her feelings, but only to
+      obey Rodin&rsquo;s implacable orders, she hastily closed both trunk and
+      wardrobe, and leaving the dressing-room, returned into the bed-chamber.
+      After having again examined the writing-stand, a sudden idea occurred to
+      her. Not content with once more searching the cardboard boxes, she drew
+      out one of them from the pigeon-hole, hoping to find what she sought
+      behind the box: her first attempt failed, but the second was more
+      successful. She found behind the middle box a copy-book of considerable
+      thickness. She started in surprise, for she had expected something else;
+      yet she took the manuscript, opened it, and rapidly turned over the
+      leaves. After having perused several pages, she manifested her
+      satisfaction, and seemed as if about to put the book in her pocket; but
+      after a moment&rsquo;s reflection, she replaced it where she had found it,
+      arranged everything in order, took her candle, and quitted the apartment
+      without being discovered&mdash;of which, indeed, she had felt pretty sure,
+      knowing that Mother Bunch would be occupied with Mdlle. de Cardoville for
+      some hours.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The day after Florine&rsquo;s researches, Mother Bunch, alone in her bed
+      chamber, was seated in an arm-chair, close to a good fire. A thick carpet
+      covered the floor; through the window-curtains could be seen the lawn of a
+      large garden; the deep silence was only interrupted by the regular ticking
+      of a clock, and the crackling of the wood. Her hands resting on the arms
+      of the chair, she gave way to a feeling of happiness, such as she had
+      never so completely enjoyed since she took up her residence at the hotel.
+      For her, accustomed so long to cruel privations, there was a kind of
+      inexpressible charm in the calm silence of this retreat&mdash;in the
+      cheerful aspect of the garden, and above all, in the consciousness that
+      she was indebted for this comfortable position, to the resignation and
+      energy she had displayed, in the thick of the many severe trials which now
+      ended so happily. An old woman, with a mild and friendly countenance, who
+      had been, by express desire of Adrienne, attached to the hunchback&rsquo;s
+      service, entered the room and said to her: &ldquo;Mademoiselle, a young man
+      wishes to speak to you on pressing business. He gives his name as Agricola
+      Baudoin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this name, Mother Bunch uttered an exclamation of surprise and joy,
+      blushed slightly, rose and ran to the door which led to the parlor in
+      which was Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-morning, dear sister,&rdquo; said the smith, cordially embracing the young
+      girl, whose cheeks burned crimson beneath those fraternal kisses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, me!&rdquo; cried the sempstress on a sudden, as she looked anxiously at
+      Agricola; &ldquo;what is that black band on your forehead? You have been
+      wounded!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20429m.jpg" alt="20429m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20429.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mere nothing,&rdquo; said the smith, &ldquo;really nothing. Do not think of it. I
+      will tell you all about that presently. But first, I have things of
+      importance to communicate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come into my room, then; we shall be alone,&rdquo; Mother Bunch, as she went
+      before Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding the expression of uneasiness which was visible on the
+      countenance of Agricola, he could not forbear smiling with pleasure as he
+      entered the room and looked around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excellent, my poor sister! this is how I would always have you lodged. I
+      recognize here the hand of Mdlle. de Cardoville. What a heart! what a
+      noble mind!&mdash;Dost know, she wrote to me the day before yesterday, to
+      thank me for what I had done for her, and sent me a gold pin (very plain),
+      which she said I need not hesitate to accept, as it had no other value but
+      that of having been worn by her mother! You can&rsquo;t tell how much I was
+      affected by the delicacy of this gift!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing must astonish you from a heart like hers,&rdquo; answered the
+      hunchback. &ldquo;But the wound&mdash;the wound?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Presently, my good sister; I have so many things to tell you. Let us
+      begin by what is most pressing, for I want you to give me some good advice
+      in a very serious case. You know how much confidence I have in your
+      excellent heart and judgment. And then, I have to ask of you a service&mdash;oh!
+      a great service,&rdquo; added the smith, in an earnest, and almost solemn tone,
+      which astonished his hearer. &ldquo;Let us begin with what is not personal to
+      myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak quickly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since my mother went with Gabriel to the little country curacy he has
+      obtained, and since my father lodges with Marshal Simon and the young
+      ladies, I have resided, you know, with my mates, at M. Hardy&rsquo;s factory, in
+      the common dwelling-house. Now, this morning but first, I must tell you
+      that M. Hardy, who has lately returned from a journey, is again absent for
+      a few days on business. This morning, then, at the hour of breakfast, I
+      remained at work a little after the last stroke of the bell; I was leaving
+      the workshop to go to our eating-room, when I saw entering the courtyard,
+      a lady who had just got out of a hackney-coach. I remarked that she was
+      fair, though her veil was half down; she had a mild and pretty
+      countenance, and her dress was that of a fashionable lady. Struck with her
+      paleness, and her anxious, frightened air, I asked her if she wanted
+      anything. &lsquo;Sir,&rsquo; said she to me, in a trembling voice, and as if with a
+      great effort, &lsquo;do you belong to this factory?&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Yes, madame.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;M.
+      Hardy is then in clanger?&rsquo; she exclaimed.&mdash;&lsquo;M. Hardy, madame? He has
+      not yet returned home.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;What!&rsquo; she went on, &lsquo;M. Hardy did not come
+      hither yesterday evening? Was he not dangerously wounded by some of the
+      machinery?&rsquo; As she said these words, the poor young lady&rsquo;s lips trembled,
+      and I saw large tears standing in her eyes. &lsquo;Thank God, madame! all this
+      is entirely false,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;for M. Hardy has not returned, and indeed is
+      only expected by to-morrow or the day after.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;You are quite sure
+      that he has not returned! quite sure that he is not hurt?&rsquo; resumed the
+      pretty young lady, drying her eyes.&mdash;&lsquo;Quite sure, madame; if M. Hardy
+      were in danger, I should not be so quiet in talking to you about him.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Oh!
+      thank God! thank God!&rsquo; cried the young lady. Then she expressed to me her
+      gratitude, with so happy, so feeling an air, that I was quite touched by
+      it. But suddenly, as if then only she felt ashamed of the step she had
+      taken, she let down her veil, left me precipitately, went out of the
+      court-yard, and got once more into the hackney-coach that had brought her.
+      I said to myself: &lsquo;This is a lady who takes great interest in M. Hardy,
+      and has been alarmed by a false report.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She loves him, doubtless,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, much moved, &ldquo;and, in her
+      anxiety, she perhaps committed an act of imprudence, in coming to inquire
+      after him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is only too true. I saw her get into the coach with interests, for her
+      emotion had infected me. The coach started&mdash;and what did I see a few
+      seconds after? A cab, which the young lady could not have perceived, for
+      it had been hidden by an angle of the wall; and, as it turned round the
+      corner, I distinguished perfectly a man seated by the driver&rsquo;s side, and
+      making signs to him to take the same road as the hackney-coach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The poor young lady was followed,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt of it; so I instantly hastened after the coach, reached it, and
+      through the blinds that were let down, I said to the young lady, whilst I
+      kept running by the side of the coach door: &lsquo;Take care, madame; you are
+      followed by a cab.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, Agricola! and what did she answer?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I heard her exclaim, &lsquo;Great Heaven!&rsquo; with an accent of despair. The coach
+      continued its course. The cab soon came up with me; I saw, by the side of
+      the driver, a great, fat, ruddy man, who, having watched me running after
+      the coach, no doubt suspected something, for he looked at me somewhat
+      uneasily.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And when does M. Hardy return?&rdquo; asked the hunchback.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow, or the day after. Now, my good sister, advise me. It is
+      evident that this young lady loves M. Hardy. She is probably married, for
+      she looked so embarrassed when she spoke to me, and she uttered a cry of
+      terror on learning that she was followed. What shall I do? I wished to ask
+      advice of Father Simon, but he is so very strict in such matters&mdash;and
+      then a love affair, at his age!&mdash;while you are so delicate and
+      sensible, my good sister, that you will understand it all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The girl started, and smiled bitterly; Agricola did not perceive it, and
+      thus continued: &ldquo;So I said to myself, &lsquo;There is only Mother Bunch, who can
+      give me good advice.&rsquo; Suppose M. Hardy returns to-morrow, shall I tell him
+      what has passed or not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wait a moment,&rdquo; cried the other, suddenly interrupting Agricola, and
+      appearing to recollect something; &ldquo;when I went to St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, to
+      ask for work of the superior, she proposed that I should be employed by
+      the day, in a house in which I was to watch or, in other words, to act as
+      a spy&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a wretch!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And do you know,&rdquo; said the girl, &ldquo;with whom I was to begin this odious
+      trade? Why, with a Madame de-Fremont, or de Bremont, I do not remember
+      which, a very religious woman, whose daughter, a young married lady,
+      received visits a great deal too frequent (according to the superior) from
+      a certain manufacturer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say?&rdquo; cried Agricola. &ldquo;This manufacturer must be&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Hardy. I had too many reasons to remember that name, when it was
+      pronounced by the superior. Since that day, so many other events have
+      taken place, that I had almost forgotten the circumstance. But it is
+      probable that this young lady is the one of whom I heard speak at the
+      convent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what interest had the superior of the convent to set a spy upon her?&rdquo;
+       asked the smith.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know; but it is clear that the same interest still exists, since
+      the young lady was followed, and perhaps, at this hour, is discovered and
+      dishonored. Oh! it is dreadful!&rdquo; Then, seeing Agricola start suddenly,
+      Mother Bunch added: &ldquo;What, then, is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;why not?&rdquo; said the smith, speaking to himself; &ldquo;why may not all
+      this be the work of the same hand? The superior of a convent may have a
+      private understanding with an abbe&mdash;but, then, for what end?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Explain yourself, Agricola,&rdquo; said the girl. &ldquo;And then,&mdash;where did
+      you get your wound? Tell me that, I conjure you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is of my wound that I am just going to speak; for in truth, the more I
+      think of it, the more this adventure of the young lady seems to connect
+      itself with other facts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must know that, for the last few days, singular things are passing in
+      the neighborhood of our factory. First, as we are in Lent, an abbe from
+      Paris (a tall, fine-looking man, they say) has come to preach in the
+      little village of Villiers, which is only a quarter of a league from our
+      works. The abbe has found occasion to slander and attack M. Hardy in his
+      sermons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Hardy has printed certain rules with regard to our work, and the
+      rights and benefits he grants us. These rules are followed by various
+      maxims as noble as they are simple; with precepts of brotherly love such
+      as all the world can understand, extracted from different philosophies and
+      different religions. But because M. Hardy has chosen what is best in all
+      religions, the abbe concludes that M. Hardy has no religion at all, and he
+      has therefore not only attacked him for this in the pulpit, but has
+      denounced our factory as a centre of perdition and damnable corruption,
+      because, on Sundays, instead of going to listen to his sermons, or to
+      drink at a tavern, our comrades, with their wives and children, pass their
+      time in cultivating their little gardens, in reading, singing in chorus,
+      or dancing together in the common dwelling house. The abbe has even gone
+      so far as to say, that the neighborhood of such an assemblage of atheists,
+      as he calls us, might draw down the anger of Heaven upon the country&mdash;that
+      the hovering of Cholera was much talked of, and that very possibly, thanks
+      to our impious presence, the plague might fall upon all our neighborhood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But to tell such things to ignorant people,&rdquo; exclaimed Mother Bunch, &ldquo;is
+      likely to excite them to fatal actions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is just what the abbe wants.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you tell me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The people of the environs, still more excited, no doubt by other
+      agitators, show themselves hostile to the workmen of our factory. Their
+      hatred, or at least their envy, has been turned to account. Seeing us live
+      all together, well lodged, well warmed, and comfortably clad, active, gay,
+      and laborious, their jealousy has been embittered by the sermons, and by
+      the secret manoeuvres of some depraved characters, who are known to be bad
+      workmen, in the employment of M. Tripeaud, our opposition. All this
+      excitement is beginning to bear fruit; there have been already two or
+      three fights between us and our neighbors. It was in one of these
+      skirmishes that I received a blow with a stone on my head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it not serious, Agricola?&mdash;are you quite sure?&rdquo; said Mother
+      Bunch, anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is nothing at all, I tell you. But the enemies of M. Hardy have not
+      confined themselves to preaching. They have brought into play something
+      far more dangerous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, and nearly all my comrades, did our part in the three Revolutionary
+      days of July; but we are not eager at present, for good reasons, to take
+      up arms again. That is not everybody&rsquo;s opinion; well, we do not blame
+      others, but we have our own ideas; and Father Simon, who is as brave as
+      his son, and as good a patriot as any one, approves and directs us. Now,
+      for some days past, we find all about the factory, in the garden, in the
+      courts, printed papers to this effect: &lsquo;You are selfish cowards; because
+      chance has given you a good master, you remain indifferent to the
+      misfortunes of your brothers, and to the means of freeing them; material
+      comforts have enervated your hearts.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me, Agricola! what frightful perseverance in wickedness!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! and unfortunately these devices have their effect on some of our
+      younger mates. As the appeal was, after all, to proud and generous
+      sentiments, it has had some influence. Already, seeds of division have
+      shown themselves in our workshops, where, before, all were united as
+      brothers. A secret agitation now reigns there. Cold suspicion takes the
+      place, with some, of our accustomed cordiality. Now, if I tell you that I
+      am nearly sure these printed papers, thrown over the walls of our factory,
+      to raise these little sparks of discord amongst us, have been scattered
+      about by the emissaries of this same preaching abbe&mdash;would it not
+      seem from all this, taken in conjunction with what happened this morning
+      to the young lady, that M. Hardy has of late numerous enemies?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like you, I think it very fearful, Agricola,&rdquo; said the girl; &ldquo;and it is
+      so serious, that M. Hardy alone can take a proper decision on the subject.
+      As for what happened this morning to the young lady, it appears to me,
+      that, immediately on M. Hardy&rsquo;s return, you should ask for an interview
+      with him, and, however delicate such a communication may be, tell him all
+      that passed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is the difficulty. Shall I not seem as if wishing to pry into his
+      secrets?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the young lady had not been followed, I should have shared your
+      scruples. But she was watched, and is evidently in danger. It is
+      therefore, in my opinion, your duty to warn M. Hardy. Suppose (which is
+      not improbable) that the lady is married; would it not be better, for a
+      thousand reasons, that M. Hardy should know all?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, my good sister; I will follow your advice. M. Hardy shall
+      know everything. But now that we have spoken of others, I have to speak of
+      myself&mdash;yes, of myself&mdash;for it concerns a matter, on which may
+      depend the happiness of my whole life,&rdquo; added the smith, in a tone of
+      seriousness, which struck his hearer. &ldquo;You know,&rdquo; proceeded Agricola,
+      after a moment&rsquo;s silence, &ldquo;that, from my childhood, I have never concealed
+      anything from you&mdash;that I have told you everything&mdash;absolutely
+      everything?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it, Agricola, I know it,&rdquo; said the hunchback, stretching out her
+      white and slender hand to the smith, who grasped it cordially, and thus
+      continued: &ldquo;When I say everything, I am not quite exact&mdash;for I have
+      always concealed from you my little love-affairs&mdash;because, though we
+      may tell almost anything to a sister, there are subjects of which we ought
+      not to speak to a good and virtuous girl, such as you are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, Agricola. I had remarked this reserve on your part,&rdquo;
+       observed the other, casting down her eyes, and heroically repressing the
+      grief she felt; &ldquo;I thank you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But for the very reason, that I made it a duty never to speak to you of
+      such love affairs, I said to myself, if ever it should happen that I have
+      a serious passion&mdash;such a love as makes one think of marriage&mdash;oh!
+      then, just as we tell our sister even before our father and mother, my
+      good sister shall be the first to be informed of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are very kind, Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well then! the serious passion has come at last. I am over head and ears
+      in love, and I think of marriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words of Agricola, poor Mother Bunch felt herself for an instant
+      paralyzed. It seemed as if all her blood was suddenly frozen in her veins.
+      For some seconds, she thought she was going to die. Her heart ceased to
+      beat; she felt it, not breaking, but melting away to nothing. Then, the
+      first blasting emotion over, like those martyrs who found, in the very
+      excitement of pain, the terrible power to smile in the midst of tortures,
+      the unfortunate girl found, in the fear of betraying the secret of her
+      fatal and ridiculous love, almost incredible energy. She raised her head,
+      looked at the smith calmly, almost serenely, and said to him in a firm
+      voice: &ldquo;Ah! so, you truly love?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is to say, my good sister, that, for the last four days, I scarcely
+      live at all&mdash;or live only upon this passion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is only since four days that you have been in love?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not more&mdash;but time has nothing to do with it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is she very pretty?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dark hair&mdash;the figure of a nymph&mdash;fair as a lily&mdash;blue
+      eyes, as large as that&mdash;and as mild, as good as your own.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You flatter me, Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, it is Angela that I flatter&mdash;for that&rsquo;s her name. What a
+      pretty one! Is it not, my good Mother Bunch?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A charming name,&rdquo; said the poor girl, contrasting bitterly that graceful
+      appellation with her own nickname, which the thoughtless Agricola applied
+      to her without thinking of it. Then she resumed, with fearful calmness:
+      &ldquo;Angela? yes, it is a charming name!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then! imagine to yourself, that this name is not only suited to her
+      face, but to her heart. In a word, I believe her heart to be almost equal
+      to yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She has my eyes&mdash;she has my heart,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, smiling. &ldquo;It
+      is singular, how like we are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola did not perceive the irony of despair contained in these words.
+      He resumed, with a tenderness as sincere as it was inexorable: &ldquo;Do you
+      think, my good girl, that I could ever have fallen seriously in love with
+      any one, who had not in character, heart, and mind, much of you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, brother,&rdquo; said the girl, smiling&mdash;yes, the unfortunate
+      creature had the strength to smile; &ldquo;come, brother, you are in a gallant
+      vein to day. Where did you make the acquaintance of this beautiful young
+      person?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is only the sister of one of my mates. Her mother is the head
+      laundress in our common dwelling, and as she was in want of assistance,
+      and we always take in preference the relations of members of the
+      association, Mrs. Bertin (that&rsquo;s the mother&rsquo;s name) sent for her daughter
+      from Lille, where she had been stopping with one of her aunts, and, for
+      the last five days, she has been in the laundry. The first evening I saw
+      her, I passed three hours, after work was over, in talking with her, and
+      her mother and brother; and the next day, I felt that my heart was gone;
+      the day after that, the feeling was only stronger&mdash;and now I am quite
+      mad about her, and resolved on marriage&mdash;according as you shall
+      decide. Do not be surprised at this; everything depends upon you. I shall
+      only ask my father and mother&rsquo;s leave, after I have yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand you, Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know the utter confidence I have in the incredible instinct of your
+      heart. Many times, you have said to me: &lsquo;Agricola, love this person, love
+      that person, have confidence in that other&rsquo;&mdash;and never yet were you
+      deceived. Well! you must now render me the same service. You will ask
+      permission of Mdlle. de Cardoville to absent yourself; I will take you to
+      the factory: I have spoken of you to Mrs. Benin and her daughter, as of a
+      beloved sister; and, according to your impression at sight of Angela, I
+      will declare myself or not. This may be childishness, or superstition, on
+      my part; but I am so made.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20437m.jpg" alt="20437m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20437.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, with heroic courage; &ldquo;I will see Mdlle.
+      Angela; I will tell you what I think of her&mdash;and that, mind you,
+      sincerely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it. When will you come?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must ask Mdlle. de Cardoville what day she can spare sue. I will let
+      you know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thanks, my good sister!&rdquo; said Agricola warmly; then he added, with a
+      smile: &ldquo;Bring your best judgment with you&mdash;your full dress judgment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not make a jest of it, brother,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, in a mild, sad
+      voice; &ldquo;it is a serious matter, for it concerns the happiness of your
+      whole life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, a modest knock was heard at the door. &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; said
+      Mother Bunch. Florine appeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My mistress begs that you will come to her, if you are not engaged,&rdquo; said
+      Florine to Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter rose, and, addressing the smith, said to him: &ldquo;Please wait a
+      moment, Agricola. I will ask Mdlle. de Cardoville what day I can dispose
+      of, and I will come and tell you.&rdquo; So saying, the girl went out, leaving
+      Agricola with Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should have much wished to pay my respects to Mdlle. de Cardoville,&rdquo;
+       said Agricola; &ldquo;but I feared to intrude.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lady is not quite well, sir,&rdquo; said Florine, &ldquo;and receives no one to
+      day. I am sure, that as soon as she is better, she will be quite pleased
+      to see you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here Mother Bunch returned, and said to Agricola: &ldquo;If you can come for me
+      to-morrow, about three o&rsquo;clock, so as not to lose the whole day, we will
+      go to the factory, and you can bring me back in the evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, at three o&rsquo;clock to-morrow, my good sister.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At three to-morrow, Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The evening of that same day, when all was quiet in the hotel, Mother
+      Bunch, who had remained till ten o&rsquo;clock with Mdlle. de Cardoville, re
+      entered her bedchamber, locked the door after her, and finding herself at
+      length free and unrestrained, threw herself on her knees before a chair,
+      and burst into tears. She wept long&mdash;very long. When her tears at
+      length ceased to flow, she dried her eyes, approached the writing-desk,
+      drew out one of the boxes from the pigeonhole, and, taking from this
+      hiding-place the manuscript which Florine had so rapidly glanced over the
+      evening before, she wrote in it during a portion of the night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0099" id="link2HCH0099">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVI. MOTHER BUNCH&rsquo;S DIARY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>e have said that the hunchback wrote during a portion of the night, in
+      the book discovered the previous evening by Florine, who had not ventured
+      to take it away, until she had informed the persons who employed her of
+      its contents, and until she had received their final orders on the
+      subject. Let us explain the existence of this manuscript, before opening
+      it to the reader. The day on which Mother Bunch first became aware of her
+      love for Agricola, the first word of this manuscript had been written.
+      Endowed with an essentially trusting character, yet always feeling herself
+      restrained by the dread of ridicule&mdash;a dread which, in its painful
+      exaggeration, was the workgirl&rsquo;s only weakness&mdash;to whom could the
+      unfortunate creature have confided the secret of that fatal passion, if
+      not to paper&mdash;that mute confidant of timid and suffering souls, that
+      patient friend, silent and cold, who, if it makes no reply to heart
+      rending complaints, at least always listens, and never forgets?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When her heart was overflowing with emotion, sometimes mild and sad,
+      sometimes harsh and bitter, the poor workgirl, finding a melancholy charm
+      in these dumb and solitary outpourings of the soul, now clothed in the
+      form of simple and touching poetry, and now in unaffected prose, had
+      accustomed herself by degrees not to confine her confidences to what
+      immediately related to Agricola, for though he might be mixed up with all
+      her thoughts, for reflections, which the sight of beauty, of happy love,
+      of maternity, of wealth, of misfortune, called up within her, were so
+      impressed with the influence of her unfortunate personal position, that
+      she would not even have dared to communicate them to him. Such, then, was
+      this journal of a poor daughter of the people, weak, deformed, and
+      miserable, but endowed with an angelic soul, and a fine intellect,
+      improved by reading, meditation, and solitude; pages quite unknown, which
+      yet contained many deep and striking views, both as regard men and things,
+      taken from the peculiar standpoint in which fate had placed this
+      unfortunate creature. The following lines, here and there abruptly
+      interrupted or stained with tears, according to the current of her various
+      emotions, on hearing of Agricola&rsquo;s deep love for Angela, formed the last
+      pages of this journal:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Friday, March 3d, 1832.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I spent the night without any painful dreams. This morning, I rose with
+      no sorrowful presentiment. I was calm and tranquil when Agricola came. He
+      did not appear to me agitated. He was simple and affectionate as he always
+      is. He spoke to me of events relating to M. Hardy, and then, without
+      transition, without hesitation, he said to me: &lsquo;The last four days I have
+      been desperately in love. The sentiment is so serious, that I think of
+      marriage. I have come to consult you about it.&rsquo; That was how this
+      overwhelming revelation was made to me&mdash;naturally and cordially&mdash;I
+      on one side of the hearth, and Agricola an the other, as if we had talked
+      of indifferent things. And yet no more is needed to break one&rsquo;s heart.
+      Some one enters, embraces you like a brother, sits down, talks&mdash;and
+      then&mdash;Oh! Merciful heaven! my head wanders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I feel calmer now. Courage, my poor heart, courage!&mdash;Should a day of
+      misfortune again overwhelm me, I will read these lines written under the
+      impression of the most cruel grief I can ever feel, and I will say to
+      myself: &lsquo;What is the present woe compared to that past?&rsquo; My grief is
+      indeed cruel! it is illegitimate, ridiculous, shameful: I should not dare
+      to confess it, even to the most indulgent of mothers. Alas! there are some
+      fearful sorrows, which yet rightly make men shrug their shoulders in pity
+      or contempt. Alas! these are forbidden misfortunes. Agricola has asked me
+      to go to-morrow, to see this young girl to whom he is so passionately
+      attached, and whom he will marry, if the instinct of my heart should
+      approve the marriage. This thought is the most painful of all those which
+      have tortured me since he so pitilessly announced this love. Pitilessly?
+      No, Agricola&mdash;no, my brother&mdash;forgive me this unjust cry of
+      pain! Is it that you know, can even suspect, that I love you better than
+      you love, better than you can ever love, this charming creature?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Dark-haired&mdash;the figure of a nymph&mdash;fair as a lily&mdash;with
+      blue eyes&mdash;as large as that&mdash;and almost as mild as your own.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is the portrait he drew of her. Poor Agricola! how would he have
+      suffered, had he known that every one of his words was tearing my heart.
+      Never did I so strongly feel the deep commiseration and tender pity,
+      inspired by a good, affectionate being, who, in the sincerity of his
+      ignorance, gives you your death-wound with a smile. We do not blame him&mdash;no&mdash;we
+      pity him to the full extent of the grief that he would feel on learning
+      the pain he had caused me. It is strange! but never did Agricola appear to
+      me more handsome than this morning. His manly countenance was slightly
+      agitated, as he spoke of the uneasiness of that pretty young lady. As I
+      listened to him describing the agony of a woman who runs the risk of ruin
+      for the man she loves, I felt my heart beat violently, my hands were
+      burning, a soft languor floated over me&mdash;Ridiculous folly! As if I
+      had any right to feel thus!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I remember that, while he spoke, I cast a rapid glance at the glass. I
+      felt proud that I was so well dressed; he had not even remarked it; but no
+      matter&mdash;it seemed to me that my cap became me, that my hair shone
+      finely, my gaze beamed mild&mdash;I found Agricola so handsome, that I
+      almost began to think myself less ugly&mdash;no doubt, to excuse myself in
+      my own eyes for daring to love him. After all, what happened to-day would
+      have happened one day or another! Yes, that is consoling&mdash;like the
+      thoughts that death is nothing, because it must come at last&mdash;to
+      those who are in love with life! I have been always preserved from suicide&mdash;the
+      last resource of the unfortunate, who prefer trusting in God to remaining
+      amongst his creatures&mdash;by the sense of duty. One must not only think
+      of self. And I reflected also&rsquo;God is good&mdash;always good&mdash;since
+      the most wretched beings find opportunities for love and devotion.&rsquo; How is
+      it that I, so weak and poor, have always found means to be helpful and
+      useful to some one?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This very day I felt tempted to make an end with life&mdash;Agricola and
+      his mother had no longer need of me.&mdash;Yes, but the unfortunate
+      creatures whom Mdlle. de Cardoville has commissioned me to watch over?&mdash;but
+      my benefactress herself, though she has affectionately reproached me with
+      the tenacity of my suspicions in regard to that man? I am more than ever
+      alarmed for her&mdash;I feel that she is more than ever in danger&mdash;more
+      than ever&mdash;I have faith in the value of my presence near her. Hence,
+      I must live. Live&mdash;to go to-morrow to see this girl, whom Agricola
+      passionately loves? Good heaven! why have I always known grief, and never
+      hate? There must be a bitter pleasure in hating. So many people hate!&mdash;Perhaps
+      I may hate this girl&mdash;Angela, as he called her, when he said, with so
+      much simplicity: &lsquo;A charming name, is it not, Mother Bunch?&rsquo; Compare this
+      name, which recalls an idea so full of grace, with the ironical symbol of
+      my witch&rsquo;s deformity! Poor Agricola! poor brother! goodness is sometimes
+      as blind as malice, I see. Should I hate this young girl?&mdash;Why? Did
+      she deprive me of the beauty which charms Agricola? Can I find fault with
+      her for being beautiful? When I was not yet accustomed to the consequences
+      of my ugliness, I asked myself, with bitter curiosity, why the Creator had
+      endowed his creatures so unequally. The habit of pain has allowed me to
+      reflect calmly, and I have finished by persuading myself, that to beauty
+      and ugliness are attached the two most noble emotions of the soul&mdash;admiration
+      and compassion. Those who are like me admire beautiful persons&mdash;such
+      as Angela, such as Agricola&mdash;and these in their turn feel a couching
+      pity for such as I am. Sometimes, in spite of one&rsquo;s self, one has very
+      foolish hopes. Because Agricola, from a feeling of propriety had never
+      spoken to me of his love affairs, I sometimes persuaded myself that he had
+      none&mdash;that he loved me, and that the fear of ridicule alone was with
+      him, as with me, an obstacle in the way of confessing it. Yes, I have even
+      made verses on that subject&mdash;and those, I think, not the worst I have
+      written.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mine is a singular position! If I love, I am ridiculous; if any love me,
+      he is still more ridiculous. How did I come so to forget that, as to have
+      suffered and to suffer what I do?&mdash;But blessed be that suffering,
+      since it has not engendered hate&mdash;no; for I will not hate this girl&mdash;I
+      will Perform a sister&rsquo;s part to the last; I will follow the guidance of my
+      heart; I have the instinct of preserving others&mdash;my heart will lead
+      and enlighten me. My only fear is, that I shall burst into tears when I
+      see her, and not be able to conquer my emotion. Oh, then! what a
+      revelation to Agricola&mdash;a discovery of the mad love he has inspired!&mdash;Oh,
+      never! the day in which he knew that would be the last of my life. There
+      would then be within me something stronger than duty&mdash;the longing to
+      escape from shame&mdash;that incurable shame, that burns me like a hot
+      iron. No, no; I will be calm. Besides, did I not just now, when with him
+      bear courageously a terrible trial? I will be calm. My personal feelings
+      must not darken the second sight, so clear for those I love. Oh! painful&mdash;painful
+      task! for the fear of yielding involuntarily to evil sentiments must not
+      render me too indulgent toward this girl. I might compromise Agricola&rsquo;s
+      happiness, since my decision is to guide his choice. Poor creature that I
+      am. How I deceive myself! Agricola asks my advice, because he thinks that
+      I shall have not the melancholy courage to oppose his passion; or else he
+      would say to me: &lsquo;No matter&mdash;I love; and I brave the future!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But then, if my advice, if the instincts of my heart, are not to guide
+      him&mdash;if his resolution is taken beforehand&mdash;of what use will be
+      to morrow&rsquo;s painful mission? Of what use? To obey him. Did he not say&mdash;&lsquo;Come!&rsquo;
+      In thinking of my devotion for him, how many times, in the secret depths
+      of my heart, I have asked myself if the thought had ever occurred to him
+      to love me otherwise than as a sister; if it had ever struck him, what a
+      devoted wife he would have in me! And why should it have occurred to him?
+      As long as he wished, as long as he may still wish, I have been, and I
+      shall be, as devoted to him, as if I were his wife, sister, or mother. Why
+      should he desire what he already possesses?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Married to him&mdash;oh, God!&mdash;the dream is mad as ineffable. Are
+      not such thoughts of celestial sweetness&mdash;which include all
+      sentiments from sisterly to maternal love&mdash;forbidden to me, on pain
+      of ridicule as distressing as if I wore dresses and ornaments, that my
+      ugliness and deformity would render absurd? I wonder, if I were now
+      plunged into the most cruel distress, whether I should suffer as much as I
+      do, on hearing of Agricola&rsquo;s intended marriage? Would hunger, cold, or
+      misery diminish this dreadful dolor?&mdash;or is it the dread pain that
+      would make me forget hunger, cold, and misery?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; this irony is bitter. It is not well in me to speak thus. Why
+      such deep grief? In what way have the affection, the esteem, the respect
+      of Agricola, changed towards me? I complain&mdash;but how would it be,
+      kind heaven! if, as, alas! too often happens, I were beautiful, loving,
+      devoted, and he had chosen another, less beautiful, less loving, less
+      devoted?&mdash;Should I not be a thousand times more unhappy? for then I
+      might, I would have to blame him&mdash;whilst now I can find no fault with
+      him, for never having thought of a union which was impossible, because
+      ridiculous. And had he wished it, could I ever have had the selfishness to
+      consent to it? I began to write the first pages of this diary as I began
+      these last, with my heart steeped in bitterness&mdash;and as I went on,
+      committing to paper what I could have intrusted to no one, my soul grew
+      calm, till resignation came&mdash;Resignation, my chosen saint, who,
+      smiling through her tears, suffers and loves, but hopes&mdash;never!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These word&rsquo;s were the last in the journal. It was clear, from the blots of
+      abundant tears, that the unfortunate creature had often paused to weep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In truth, worn out by so many emotions, Mother Bunch late in the night,
+      had replaced the book behind the cardboard box, not that she thought it
+      safer there than elsewhere (she had no suspicion of the slightest need for
+      such precaution), but because it was more out of the way there than in any
+      of the drawers, which she frequently opened in presence of other people.
+      Determined to perform her courageous promise, and worthily accomplish her
+      task to the end, she waited the next day for Agricola, and firm in her
+      heroic resolution, went with the smith to M. Hardy&rsquo;s factory. Florine,
+      informed of her departure, but detained a portion of the day in attendance
+      on Mdlle. de Cardoville preferred waiting for night to perform the new
+      orders she had asked and received, since she had communicated by letter
+      the contents of Mother Bunch&rsquo;s journal. Certain not to be surprised, she
+      entered the workgirls&rsquo; chamber, as soon as the night was come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Knowing the place where she should find the manuscript, she went straight
+      to the desk, took out the box, and then, drawing from her pocket a sealed
+      letter, prepared to leave it in the place of the manuscript, which she was
+      to carry away with her. So doing, she trembled so much, that she was
+      obliged to support herself an instant by the table. Every good sentiment
+      was not extinct in Florine&rsquo;s heart; she obeyed passively the orders she
+      received, but she felt painfully how horrible and infamous was her
+      conduct. If only herself had been concerned, she would no doubt have had
+      the courage to risk all, rather than submit to this odious despotism; but
+      unfortunately, it was not so, and her ruin would have caused the mortal
+      despair of another person whom she loved better than life itself. She
+      resigned herself, therefore, not without cruel anguish, to abominable
+      treachery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though she hardly ever knew for what end she acted, and this was
+      particularly the case with regard to the abstraction of the journal, she
+      foresaw vaguely, that the substitution of this sealed letter for the
+      manuscript would have fatal consequences for Mother Bunch, for she
+      remembered Rodin&rsquo;s declaration, that &ldquo;it was time to finish with the young
+      sempstress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20445m.jpg" alt="20445m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20445.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      What did he mean by those words? How would the letter that she was charged
+      to put in the place of the diary, contribute to bring about this result?
+      she did not know&mdash;but she understood that the clear-sighted devotion
+      of the hunchback justly alarmed the enemies of Mdlle. de Cardoville, and
+      that she (Florine) herself daily risked having her perfidy detected by the
+      young needlewoman. This last fear put an end to the hesitations of
+      Florine; she placed the letter behind the box, and, hiding the manuscript
+      under her apron, cautiously withdrew from the chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0100" id="link2HCH0100">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVII. THE DIARY CONTINUED.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">R</span>eturned into her own room, some hours after she had concealed there the
+      manuscript abstracted from Mother Bunch&rsquo;s apartment, Florine yielded to
+      her curiosity, and determined to look through it. She soon felt a growing
+      interest, an involuntary emotion, as she read more of these private
+      thoughts of the young sempstress. Among many pieces of verse, which all
+      breathed a passionate love for Agricola&mdash;a love so deep, simple, and
+      sincere, that Florine was touched by it, and forgot the author&rsquo;s deformity&mdash;among
+      many pieces of verse, we say, were divers other fragments, thoughts, and
+      narratives, relating to a variety of facts. We shall quote some of them,
+      in order to explain the profound impression that their perusal made upon
+      Florine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fragments from the Diary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is my birthday. Until this evening, I had cherished a foolish hope.
+      Yesterday, I went down to Mrs. Baudoin&rsquo;s, to dress a little wound she had
+      on her leg. When I entered the room, Agricola was there. No doubt he was
+      talking of me to his mother, for they stopped when I came in, and
+      exchanged a meaning smile. In passing by the drawers, I saw a pasteboard
+      box, with a pincushion-lid, and I felt myself blushing with joy, as I
+      thought this little present was destined for me, but I pretended not to
+      see it. While I was on my knees before his mother, Agricola went out. I
+      remarked that he took the little box with him. Never has Mrs. Baudoin been
+      more tender and motherly than she was that morning. It appeared to me that
+      she went to bed earlier than usual. &lsquo;It is to send me away sooner,&rsquo; said I
+      to myself, &lsquo;that I may enjoy the surprise Agricola has prepared for me.&rsquo;
+      How my heart beat, as I ran fast, very fast, up to my closet! I stopped a
+      moment before opening the door, that my happiness might last the longer.
+      At last I entered the room, my eyes swimming with tears of joy. I looked
+      upon my table, my chair, my bed&mdash;there was nothing. The little box
+      was not to be found. My heart sank within me. Then I said to myself: &lsquo;It
+      will be to-morrow&mdash;this is only the eve of my birthday.&rsquo; The day is
+      gone. Evening is come. Nothing. The pretty box was not for me. It had a
+      pincushion-cover. It was only suited for a woman. To whom has Agricola
+      given it?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I suffer a good deal just now. It was a childish idea that I connected
+      with Agricola&rsquo;s wishing me many happy returns of the day. I am ashamed to
+      confess it; but it might have proved to me, that he has not forgotten I
+      have another name besides that of Mother Bunch, which they always apply to
+      me. My susceptibility on this head is unfortunately so stubborn, that I
+      cannot help feeling a momentary pang of mingled shame and sorrow, every
+      time that I am called by that fairy-tale name, and yet I have had no other
+      from infancy. It is for that very reason that I should have been so happy
+      if Agricola had taken this opportunity to call me for once by my own
+      humble name&mdash;Magdalen. Happily, he will never know these wishes and
+      regrets!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Deeper and deeper touched by this page of simple grief, Florine turned
+      over several leaves, and continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have just been to the funeral of poor little Victorine Herbin, our
+      neighbor. Her father, a journeyman upholsterer, is gone to work by the
+      month, far from Paris. She died at nineteen, without a relation near her.
+      Her agony was not long. The good woman who attended her to the last, told
+      us that she only pronounced these words: &lsquo;At last, oh at last!&rsquo; and that
+      with an air of satisfaction, added the nurse. Dear child! she had become
+      so pitiful. At fifteen, she was a rosebud&mdash;so pretty, so
+      fresh-looking, with her light hair as soft as silk; but she wasted away by
+      degrees&mdash;her trade of renovating mattresses killed her. She was
+      slowly poisoned by the emanations from the wool.(26) They were all the
+      worse, that she worked almost entirely for the poor, who have cheap stuff
+      to lie upon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She had the courage of a lion, and an angel&rsquo;s resignation, She always
+      said to me, in her low, faint voice, broken by a dry and frequent cough:
+      &lsquo;I have not long to live, breathing, as I do, lime and vitriol all day
+      long. I spit blood, and have spasms that make me faint.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Why not change your trade?&rsquo; have I said to her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Where will I find the time to make another apprenticeship?&rsquo; she would
+      answer; &lsquo;and it is now too late. I feel that I am done for. It is not my
+      fault,&rsquo; added the good creature, &lsquo;for I did not choose my employment. My
+      father would have it so; luckily he can do without me. And then, you see,
+      when one is dead, one cares for nothing, and has no fear of &ldquo;slop wages.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Victorine uttered that sad, common phrase very sincerely, and with a sort
+      of satisfaction. Therefore she died repeating: &lsquo;At last!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is painful to think that the labor by which the poor man earns his
+      daily bread, often becomes a long suicide! I said this the other day to
+      Agricola; he answered me that there were many other fatal employments;
+      those who prepare aquafortis, white lead, or minium, for instance, are
+      sure to take incurable maladies of which they die.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Do you know,&rsquo; added Agricola, &lsquo;what they say when they start for those
+      fatal works?&rsquo;&mdash;Why, &lsquo;We are going to the slaughter-house.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That made me tremble with its terrible truth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;And all this takes place in our day,&rsquo; said I to him, with an aching
+      heart; &lsquo;and it is well-known. And, out of so many of the rich and
+      powerful, no one thinks of the mortality which decimates his brothers,
+      thus forced to eat homicidal bread!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;What can you expect, my poor sister,&rsquo; answered Agricola. &lsquo;When men are
+      to be incorporated, that they may get killed in war, all pains are taken
+      with them. But when they are to be organized, so as to live in peace, no
+      one cares about it, except M. Hardy, my master. People say, &lsquo;Pooh! hunger,
+      misery, and suffering of the laboring classes&mdash;what is that to us?
+      that is not politics.&rsquo; &lsquo;They are wrong,&rsquo; added Agricola; &lsquo;IT IS MORE THAN
+      POLITICS.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As Victorine had not left anything to pay for the church service, there
+      was only the presentation of the body under the porch; for there is not
+      even a plain mass for the poor. Besides, as they could not give eighteen
+      francs to the curate, no priest accompanied the pauper&rsquo;s coffin to the
+      common grave. If funerals, thus abridged and cut short, are sufficient in
+      a religious point of view, why invent other and longer forms? Is it from
+      cupidity?&mdash;If, on the other hand, they are not sufficient, why make
+      the poor man the only victim of this insufficiency? But why trouble
+      ourselves about the pomp, the incense, the chants, of which they are
+      either too sparing or too liberal? Of what use? and for what purpose? They
+      are vain, terrestrial things, for which the soul recks nothing, when,
+      radiant, it ascends towards its Creator. Yesterday, Agricola made me read
+      an article in a newspaper, in which violent blame and bitter irony are by
+      turns employed, to attack what they call the baneful tendencies of some of
+      the lower orders, to improve themselves, to write, to read the poets, and
+      sometimes to make verses. Material enjoyments are forbidden us by poverty.
+      Is it humane to reproach us for seeking the enjoyments of the mind? What
+      harm can it do any one if every evening, after a day&rsquo;s toil, remote from
+      all pleasure, I amuse myself, unknown to all, in making a few verses, or
+      in writing in this journal the good or bad impressions I have received? Is
+      Agricola the worse workman, because, on returning home to his mother, he
+      employs Sunday in composing some of those popular songs, which glorify the
+      fruitful labors of the artisan, and say to all, Hope and brotherhood! Does
+      he not make a more worthy use of his time than if he spent it in a tavern?
+      Ah! those who blame us for these innocent and noble diversions, which
+      relieve our painful toils and sufferings, deceive themselves when they
+      think, that, in proportion as the intellect is raised and refined, it is
+      more difficult to bear with privations and misery, and that so the
+      irritation increases against the luckier few.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Admitting even this to be the case&mdash;and it is not so&mdash;is it not
+      better to have an intelligent, enlightened enemy, to whose heart and
+      reason you may address yourself, than a stupid, ferocious, implacable foe?
+      But no; enmities disappear as the mind becomes enlightened, and the
+      horizon of compassion extends itself. We thus learn to understand moral
+      afflictions. We discover that the rich also have to suffer intense pains,
+      and that brotherhood in misfortune is already a link of sympathy. Alas!
+      they also have to mourn bitterly for idolized children, beloved
+      mistresses, reverend mothers; with them, also, especially amongst the
+      women, there are, in the height of luxury and grandeur, many broken
+      hearts, many suffering souls, many tears shed in secret. Let them not be
+      alarmed. By becoming their equals in intelligence, the people will learn
+      to pity the rich, if good and unhappy&mdash;and to pity them still more if
+      rejoicing in wickedness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What happiness! what a joyful day! I am giddy with delight. Oh, truly,
+      man is good, humane, charitable. Oh, yes! the Creator has implanted within
+      him every generous instinct&mdash;and, unless he be a monstrous exception,
+      he never does evil willingly. Here is what I saw just now. I will not wait
+      for the evening to write it down, for my heart would, as it were, have
+      time to cool. I had gone to carry home some work that was wanted in a
+      hurry. I was passing the Place du Temple. A few steps from me I saw a
+      child, about twelve years old at most, with bare head, and feet, in spite
+      of the severe weather, dressed in a shabby, ragged smock frock and
+      trousers, leading by the bridle a large cart-horse, with his harness still
+      on. From time to time the horse stopped short, and refused to advance. The
+      child, who had no whip, tugged in vain at the bridle. The horse remained
+      motionless. Then the poor little fellow cried out: &lsquo;O dear, O dear!&rsquo; and
+      began to weep bitterly, looking round him as if to implore the assistance
+      of the passers-by. His dear little face was impressed with so heart
+      piercing a sorrow, that, without reflecting, I made an attempt at which I
+      can now only smile, I must have presented so grotesque a figure. I am
+      horribly afraid of horses, and I am still more afraid of exposing myself
+      to public gaze. Nevertheless, I took courage, and, having an umbrella in
+      my hand, I approached the horse, and with the impetuosity of an ant that
+      strives to move a large stone with a little piece of straw, I struck with
+      all my strength on the croup of the rebellious animal. &lsquo;Oh, thanks, my
+      good lady!&rsquo; exclaimed the child, drying his eyes: &lsquo;hit him again, if you
+      please. Perhaps he will get up.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I began again, heroically; but, alas! either from obstinacy or laziness,
+      the horse bent his knees, and stretched himself out upon the ground; then,
+      getting entangled with his harness, he tore it, and broke his great wooden
+      collar. I had drawn back quickly, for fear of receiving a kick. Upon this
+      new disaster, the child could only throw himself on his knees in the
+      middle of the street, clasping his hands and sobbing, and exclaiming in a
+      voice of despair: &lsquo;Help! help!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The call was heard; several of the passers-by gathered round, and a more
+      efficacious correction than mine was administered to the restive horse,
+      who rose in a vile state, and without harness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;My master will beat me,&rsquo; cried the poor child, as his tears redoubled;
+      &lsquo;I am already two hours after time, for the horse would not go, and now he
+      has broken his harness. My master will beat me, and turn me away. Oh dear!
+      what will become of me! I have no father nor mother.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At these words, uttered with a heart-rending accent, a worthy old
+      clothes-dealer of the Temple, who was amongst the spectators, exclaimed,
+      with a kindly air: &lsquo;No father nor mother! Do not grieve so, my poor little
+      fellow; the Temple can supply everything. We will mend the harness, and,
+      if my gossips are like me, you shall not go away bareheaded or barefooted
+      in such weather as this.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This proposition was greeted with acclamation; they led away both horse
+      and child; some were occupied in mending the harness, then one supplied a
+      cap, another a pair of stockings, another some shoes, and another a good
+      jacket; in a quarter of an hour the child was warmly clad, the harness
+      repaired, and a tall lad of eighteen, brandishing a whip, which he cracked
+      close to the horse&rsquo;s ears, by way of warning, said to the little boy, who,
+      gazing first at his new clothes, and then at the good woman, believed
+      himself the hero of a fairy-tale. &lsquo;Where does your governor live, little
+      &lsquo;un?&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;On the Quai du Canal-Saint-Martin, sir,&rsquo; answered he, in a voice
+      trembling with joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Very good,&rsquo; said the young man, &lsquo;I will help you take home the horse,
+      who will go well enough with me, and I will tell the master that the delay
+      was no fault of your&rsquo;n. A balky horse ought not to be trusted to a child
+      of your age.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At the moment of setting out, the poor little fellow said timidly to the
+      good dame, as he took off his cap to her: &lsquo;Will you let me kiss you,
+      ma&rsquo;am?&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His eyes were full of tears of gratitude. There was heart in that child.
+      This scene of popular charity gave me delightful emotions. As long as I
+      could, I followed with my eyes the tall young man and the child, who now
+      could hardly keep up with the pace of the horse, rendered suddenly docile
+      by fear of the whip.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! I repeat it with pride; man is naturally good and helpful. Nothing
+      could have been more spontaneous than this movement of pity and tenderness
+      in the crowd, when the poor little fellow exclaimed: &lsquo;What will become of
+      me? I have no father or mother!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Unfortunate child!&rsquo; said I to myself. &lsquo;No father nor mother. In the
+      hands of a brutal master, who hardly covers him with a few rags, and ill
+      treats him into the bargain. Sleeping, no doubt in the corner of a stable.
+      Poor little, fellow! and yet so mild and good, in spite of misery and
+      misfortune. I saw it&mdash;he was even more grateful than pleased at the
+      service done him. But perhaps this good natural disposition, abandoned
+      without support or counsel, or help, and exasperated by bad treatment, may
+      become changed and embittered&mdash;and then will come the age of the
+      passions&mdash;the bad temptations&mdash;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! in the deserted poor, virtue is doubly saintly and respectable!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This morning, after having (as usual) gently reproached me for not going
+      to mass, Agricola&rsquo;s mother said to me these words, so touching in her
+      simple and believing mouth, &lsquo;Luckily, I pray for you and myself too, my
+      poor girl; the good God will hear me, and you will only go, I hope, to
+      Purgatory.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good mother; angelic soul! she spoke those words in so grave and mild a
+      tone, with so strong a faith in the happy result of her pious
+      intercession, that I felt my eyes become moist, and I threw myself on her
+      neck, as sincerely grateful as if I had believed in Purgatory. This day
+      has been a lucky one for me. I hope I have found work, which luck I shall
+      owe to a young person full of heart and goodness, she is to take me
+      to-morrow to St. Mary&rsquo;s Convent, where she thinks she can find me
+      employment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Florine, already much moved by the reading, started at this passage in
+      which Mother Bunch alluded to her, ere she continued as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never shall I forget with what touching interest, what delicate
+      benevolence, this handsome young girl received me, so poor, and so
+      unfortunate. It does not astonish me, for she is attached to the person of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville. She must be worthy to reside with Agricola&rsquo;s
+      benefactress. It will always be dear and pleasant to me to remember her
+      name. It is graceful and pretty as her face; it is Florine. I am nothing,
+      I have nothing&mdash;but if the fervent prayers of a grateful heart might
+      be heard, Mdlle. Florine would be happy, very happy. Alas! I am reduced to
+      say prayers for her&mdash;only prayers&mdash;for I can do nothing but
+      remember and love her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These lines, expressing so simply the sincere gratitude of the hunchback,
+      gave the last blow to Florine&rsquo;s hesitations. She could no longer resist
+      the generous temptation she felt. As she read these last fragments of the
+      journal, her affection and respect for Mother Bunch made new progress.
+      More than ever she felt how infamous it was in her to expose to sarcasms
+      and contempt the most secret thoughts of this unfortunate creature.
+      Happily, good is often as contagious as evil. Electrified by all that was
+      warm, noble, and magnanimous in the pages she had just read, Florine
+      bathed her failing virtue in that pure and vivifying source, and,
+      yielding, at last to one of those good impulses which sometimes carried
+      her away, she left the room with the manuscript in her hand, determined,
+      if Mother Bunch had not yet returned, to replace it&mdash;resolved to tell
+      Rodin that, this second time, her search for the journal had been vain,
+      the sempstress having no doubt discovered the first attempt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (26) In the Ruche Populaire, a working man&rsquo;s organ, are the following
+      particulars:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Carding Mattresses.&mdash;The dust which flies out of the wool makes
+      carding destructive to health in any case, but trade adulterations enhance
+      the danger. In sticking sheep, the skin gets blood-spotted; it has to be
+      bleached to make it salable. Lime is the main whitener, and some of it
+      clings to the wool after the process. The dresser (female, most often)
+      breathes in the fine dust, and, by lung and other complaints, is far from
+      seldom deplorably situated; the majority sicken of it and give up the
+      trade, while those who keep to it, at the very least, suffer with a
+      catarrh or asthma that torments them until death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for horsehair, the very best is not pure. You can judge what the
+      inferior quality is, from the workgirls calling it vitriol hair, because
+      it is the refuse or clippings from goats and swine, washed in vitriol,
+      boiled in dyes, etc., to burn and disguise such foreign bodies as straw.
+      thorns, splinters, and even bits of skin, not worth picking out. The dust
+      rising when a mass of this is beaten, makes as many ravages as the
+      lime-wool.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0101" id="link2HCH0101">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVIII. THE DISCOVERY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span> little while before Florine made up her mind to atone for her shameful
+      breach of confidence, Mother Bunch had returned from the factory, after
+      accomplishing to the end her painful task. After a long interview with
+      Angela, struck, like Agricola, with the ingenuous grace, sense, and
+      goodness, with which the young girl was endowed, Mother Bunch had the
+      courageous frankness to advise the smith to enter into this marriage. The
+      following scene took place whilst Florine, still occupied in reading the
+      journal, had not yet taken the praiseworthy resolution of replacing it. It
+      was ten o&rsquo;clock at night. The workgirl, returned to Cardoville House, had
+      just entered her chamber. Worn out by so many emotions, she had thrown
+      herself into a chair. The deepest silence reigned in the house. It was now
+      and then interrupted by the soughing of a high wind, which raged without
+      and shook the trees in the garden. A single candle lighted the room, which
+      was papered with dark green. That peculiar tint, and the hunchback&rsquo;s black
+      dress, increased her apparent paleness. Seated in an arm-chair by the side
+      of the fire, with her head resting upon her bosom, her hands crossed upon
+      her knees, the work-girl&rsquo;s countenance was melancholy and resigned; on it
+      was visible the austere satisfaction which is felt by the consciousness of
+      a duty well performed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Like all those who, brought up in the merciless school of misfortune, no
+      longer exaggerate the sentiment of sorrow, too familiar and assiduous a
+      guest to be treated as a stranger, Mother Bunch was incapable of long
+      yielding to idle regrets and vain despair, with regard to what was already
+      past. Beyond doubt, the blow had been sudden, dreadful; doubtless it must
+      leave a long and painful remembrance in the sufferer&rsquo;s soul; but it was
+      soon to pass, as it were, into that chronic state of pain-durance, which
+      had become almost an integral part of her life. And then this noble
+      creature, so indulgent to fate, found still some consolations in the
+      intensity of her bitter pain. She had been deeply touched by the marks of
+      affection shown her by Angela, Agricola&rsquo;s intended: and she had felt a
+      species of pride of the heart, in perceiving with what blind confidence,
+      with what ineffable joy, the smith accepted the favorable presentiments
+      which seemed to consecrate his happiness. Mother Bunch also said to
+      herself: &ldquo;At least, henceforth I shall not be agitated by hopes, or rather
+      by suppositions as ridiculous as they were senseless. Agricola&rsquo;s marriage
+      puts a term to all the miserable reveries of my poor head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Finally, she found a real and deep consolation in the certainty that she
+      had been able to go through this terrible trial, and conceal from Agricola
+      the love she felt for him. We know how formidable to this unfortunate
+      being were those ideas of ridicule and shame, which she believed would
+      attach to the discovery of her mad passion. After having remained for some
+      time absorbed in thought, Mother Bunch rose, and advanced slowly towards
+      the desk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My only recompense,&rdquo; said she, as she prepared the materials for writing,
+      &ldquo;will be to entrust the mute witness of my pains with this new grief. I
+      shall at least have kept the promise that I made to myself. Believing,
+      from the bottom of my soul, that this girl is able to make Agricola happy,
+      I told him so with the utmost sincerity. One day, a long time hence, when
+      I shall read over these pages, I shall perhaps find in that a compensation
+      for all that I now suffer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, she drew the box from the pigeon-hole. Not finding her
+      manuscript, she uttered a cry of surprise; but, what was her alarm, when
+      she perceived a letter to her address in the place of the journal! She
+      became deadly pale; her knees trembled; she almost fainted away. But her
+      increasing terror gave her a fictitious energy, and she had the strength
+      to break the seal. A bank-note for five hundred francs fell from the
+      letter on the table, and Mother Bunch read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mademoiselle,&mdash;There is something so original and amusing in reading
+      in your memoirs the story of your love for Agricola, that it is impossible
+      to resist the pleasure of acquainting him with the extent of it, of which
+      he is doubtless ignorant, but to which he cannot fail to show himself
+      sensible. Advantage will be taken to forward it to a multitude of other
+      persons, who might, perhaps, otherwise be unfortunately deprived of the
+      amusing contents of your diary. Should copies and extracts not be
+      sufficient, we will have it printed, as one cannot too much diffuse such
+      things. Some will weep&mdash;others will laugh&mdash;what appears superb
+      to one set of people, will seem ridiculous to another, such is life&mdash;but
+      your journal will surely make a great sensation. As you are capable of
+      wishing to avoid your triumph, and as you were only covered with rags when
+      you were received, out of charity into this house, where you wish to
+      figure as the great lady, which does not suit your shape for more reasons
+      than one, we enclose in the present five hundred francs to pay for your
+      day-book, and prevent your being without resources, in case you should be
+      modest enough to shrink from the congratulations which await you, certain
+      to overwhelm you by to-morrow, for, at this hour, your journal is already
+      in circulation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of your brethren,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A REAL MOTHER BUNCH.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The vulgar, mocking, and insolent tone of this letter, which was purposely
+      written in the character of a jealous lackey, dissatisfied with the
+      admission of the unfortunate creature into the house, had been calculated
+      with infernal skill and was sure to produce the effect intended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, good heaven!&rdquo; were the only words the unfortunate girl could
+      pronounce, in her stupor and alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now, if we remember in what passionate terms she had expressed her love
+      for her adopted brother, if we recall many passages of this manuscript, in
+      which she revealed the painful wounds often inflicted on her by Agricola
+      without knowing it, and if we consider how great was her terror of
+      ridicule, we shall understand her mad despair on reading this infamous
+      letter. Mother Bunch did not think for a moment of all the noble words and
+      touching narratives contained in her journal. The one horrible idea which
+      weighed down the troubled spirit of the unfortunate creature, was, that on
+      the morrow Agricola, Mdlle. de Cardoville, and an insolent and mocking
+      crowd, would be informed of this ridiculous love, which would, she
+      imagined, crush her with shame and confusion. This new blow was so
+      stunning, that the recipient staggered a moment beneath the unexpected
+      shock. For some minutes, she remained completely inert and helpless; then,
+      upon reflection, she suddenly felt conscious of a terrible necessity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This hospitable mansion, where she had found a sure refuge after so many
+      misfortunes, must be left for ever. The trembling timidity and sensitive
+      delicacy of the poor creature did not permit her to remain a minute more
+      in this dwelling, where the most secret recesses of her soul had been laid
+      open, profaned, and exposed no doubt to sarcasm and contempt. She did not
+      think of demanding justice and revenge from Mdlle. de Cardoville. To cause
+      a ferment of trouble and irritation in this house, at the moment of
+      quitting it, would have appeared to her ingratitude towards her
+      benefactress. She did not seek to discover the author or the motive of
+      this odious robbery and insulting letter. Why should she, resolved, as she
+      was, to fly from the humiliations with which she was threatened? She had a
+      vague notion (as indeed was intended), that this infamy might be the work
+      of some of the servants, jealous of the affectionate deference shown her
+      by Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;and this thought filled her with despair.
+      Those pages&mdash;so painfully confidential, which she would not have
+      ventured to impart to the most tender and indulgent mother, because,
+      written as it were with her heart&rsquo;s blood, they painted with too cruel a
+      fidelity the thousand secret wounds of her soul&mdash;those pages were to
+      serve, perhaps served even now, for the jest and laughing-stock of the
+      lackeys of the mansion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The money which accompanied this letter, and the insulting way in which it
+      was offered, rather tended to confirm her suspicions. It was intended that
+      the fear of misery should not be the obstacle of her leaving the house.
+      The workgirl&rsquo;s resolution was soon taken, with that calm and firm
+      resignation which was familiar to her. She rose, with somewhat bright and
+      haggard eyes, but without a tear in them. Since the day before, she had
+      wept too much. With a trembling, icy hand, she wrote these words on a
+      paper, which she left by the side of the bank-note: &ldquo;May Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville be blessed for all that she has done for me, and forgive me for
+      having left her house, where I can remain no longer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having written this, Mother Bunch threw into the fire the infamous letter,
+      which seemed to burn her hands. Then, taking a last look at her chamber,
+      furnished so comfortably, she shuddered involuntarily as she thought of
+      the misery that awaited her&mdash;a misery more frightful than that of
+      which she had already been the victim, for Agricola&rsquo;s mother had departed
+      with Gabriel, and the unfortunate girl could no longer, as formerly, be
+      consoled in her distress by the almost maternal affection of Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      wife. To live alone&mdash;quite alone&mdash;with the thought that her
+      fatal passion for Agricola was laughed at by everybody, perhaps even by
+      himself&mdash;such were the future prospects of the hunchback. This future
+      terrified her&mdash;a dark desire crossed her mind&mdash;she shuddered,
+      and an expression of bitter joy contracted her features. Resolved to go,
+      she made some steps towards the door, when, in passing before the
+      fireplace, she saw her own image in the glass, pale as death, and clothed
+      in black; then it struck her that she wore a dress which did not belong to
+      her, and she remembered a passage in the letter, which alluded to the rags
+      she had on before she entered that house. &ldquo;True!&rdquo; said she, with a heart
+      breaking smile, as she looked at her black garments; &ldquo;they would call me a
+      thief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, taking her candle, she entered the little dressing room, and put on
+      again the poor, old clothes, which she had preserved as a sort of pious
+      remembrance of her misfortunes. Only at this instant did her tears flow
+      abundantly. She wept&mdash;not in sorrow at resuming the garb of misery,
+      but in gratitude; for all the comforts around her, to which she was about
+      to bid an eternal adieu, recalled to her mind at every step the delicacy
+      and goodness of Mdlle. de Cardoville: therefore, yielding to an almost
+      involuntary impulse, after she had put on her poor, old clothes, she fell
+      on her knees in the middle of the room, and, addressing herself in thought
+      to Mdlle. de Cardoville, she exclaimed, in a voice broken by convulsive
+      sobs: &ldquo;Adieu! oh, for ever, adieu!&mdash;You, that deigned to call me
+      friend&mdash;and sister!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, she rose in alarm; she heard steps in the corridor, which led
+      from the garden to one of the doors of her apartment, the other door
+      opening into the parlor. It was Florine, who (alas! too late) was bringing
+      back the manuscript. Alarmed at this noise of footsteps, and believing
+      herself already the laughing-stock of the house. Mother Bunch rushed from
+      the room, hastened across the parlor, gained the court-yard, and knocked
+      at the window of the porter&rsquo;s lodge. The house-door opened, and
+      immediately closed upon her. And so the workgirl left Cardoville House.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne was thus deprived of a devoted, faithful, and vigilant guardian.
+      Rodin was delivered from an active and sagacious antagonist, whom he had
+      always, with good reason, feared. Having, as we have seen, guessed Mother
+      Bunch&rsquo;s love for Agricola, and knowing her to be a poet, the Jesuit
+      supposed, logically enough that she must have written secretly some verses
+      inspired by this fatal and concealed passion. Hence the order given to
+      Florine, to try and discover some written evidence of this love; hence
+      this letter, so horribly effective in its coarse ribaldry, of which, it
+      must be observed, Florine did not know the contents, having received it
+      after communicating a summary of the contents of the manuscript, which,
+      the first time, she had only glanced through without taking it away. We
+      have said, that Florine, yielding too late to a generous repentance, had
+      reached Mother Bunch&rsquo;s apartment, just as the latter quitted the house in
+      consternation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Perceiving a light in the dressing-room, the waiting-maid hastened
+      thither. She saw upon a chair the black dress that Mother Bunch had just
+      taken off, and, a few steps further, the shabby little trunk, open and
+      empty, in which she had hitherto preserved her poor garments. Florine&rsquo;s
+      heart sank within her; she ran to the secretary; the disorder of the
+      card-board boxes, the note for five hundred francs left by the side of the
+      two lines written to Mdlle. de Cardoville, all proved that her obedience
+      to Rodin&rsquo;s orders had borne fatal fruit, and that Mother Bunch had quitted
+      the house for ever. Finding the uselessness of her tardy resolution,
+      Florine resigned herself with a sigh to the necessity of delivering the
+      manuscript to Rodin. Then, forced by the fatality of her miserable
+      position to console herself for evil by evil, she considered that the
+      hunchback&rsquo;s departure would at least make her treachery less dangerous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two days after these events, Adrienne received the following note from
+      Rodin, in answer to a letter she had written him, to inform him of the
+      work-girl&rsquo;s inexplicable departure:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;MY DEAR YOUNG LADY;&mdash;Obliged to set out this morning for the factory
+      of the excellent M. Hardy, whither I am called by an affair of importance,
+      it is impossible for me to pay you my humble respects. You ask me what I
+      think of the disappearance of this poor girl? I really do not know. The
+      future will, I doubt not, explain all to her advantage. Only, remember
+      what I told you at Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s, with regard to a certain society and
+      its secret emissaries, with whom it has the art of surrounding those it
+      wishes to keep a watch on. I accuse no one; but let us only recall facts.
+      This poor girl accused me; and I am, as you know, the most faithful of
+      your servants. She possessed nothing; and yet five hundred francs were
+      found in her secretary. You loaded her with favors; and she leaves your
+      house without even explaining the cause of this extraordinary flight. I
+      draw no conclusion, my dear young lady; I am always unwilling to condemn
+      without evidence; but reflect upon all this, and be on your guard, for you
+      have perhaps escaped a great danger. Be more circumspect and suspicious
+      than ever; such at least is the respectful advice of your most obedient,
+      humble servant,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0102" id="link2HCH0102">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIX. THE TRYSTING-PLACE OF THE WOLVES.
+    </h2>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20453m.jpg" alt="20453m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20453.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      It was a Sunday morning the very day on which Mdlle. de Cardoville had
+      received Rodin&rsquo;s letter with regard to Mother Bunch&rsquo;s disappearance. Two
+      men were talking to together, seated at a table in one of the public
+      houses in the little village of Villiers, situated at no great distance
+      from Hardy&rsquo;s factory. The village was for the most part inhabited by
+      quarrymen and stonecutters, employed in working the neighboring quarries.
+      Nothing can be ruder and more laborious, and at the same time less
+      adequately paid, than the work of this class of people. Therefore, as
+      Agricola had told Mother Bunch, they drew painful comparisons between
+      their condition, almost always miserable, and the comfort and comparative
+      ease enjoyed by M. Hardy&rsquo;s workmen, thanks to his generous and intelligent
+      management, and to the principles of association and community which he
+      had put in practice amongst them. Misery and ignorance are always the
+      cause of great evils. Misery is easily excited to anger, and ignorance
+      soon yields to perfidious counsels. For a long time, the happiness of M.
+      Hardy&rsquo;s workmen had been naturally envied, but not with a jealousy
+      amounting to hatred. As soon, however, as the secret enemies of the
+      manufacturer, uniting with his rival Baron Tripeaud, had an interest in
+      changing this peaceful state of things&mdash;it changed accordingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With diabolical skill and perseverance they succeeded in kindling the most
+      evil passions. By means of chosen emissaries, they applied to those
+      quarrymen and stonecutters of the neighborhood, whose bad conduct had
+      aggravated their misery. Notorious for their turbulence, audacity, and
+      energy, these men might exercise a dangerous influence on the majority of
+      their companions, who were peaceful, laborious, and honest, but easily
+      intimidated by violence. These turbulent leaders, previously embittered by
+      misfortune, were soon impressed with an exaggerated idea of the happiness
+      of M. Hardy&rsquo;s workmen, and excited to a jealous hatred of them. They went
+      still further; the incendiary sermons of an abbe, a member of the Jesuits,
+      who had come expressly from Paris to preach during Lent against M. Hardy,
+      acted powerfully on the minds of the women, who filled the church, whilst
+      their husbands were haunting the taverns. Profiting by the growing fear,
+      which the approach of the Cholera then inspired, the preacher struck with
+      terror these weak and credulous imaginations by pointing to M. Hardy&rsquo;s
+      factory as a centre of corruption and damnation, capable of drawing down
+      the vengeance of Heaven, and bringing the fatal scourge upon the country.
+      Thus the men, already inflamed with envy, were still more excited by the
+      incessant urgency of their wives, who, maddened by the abbe&rsquo;s sermons,
+      poured their curses on that band of atheists, who might bring down so many
+      misfortunes upon them and their children. Some bad characters, belonging
+      to the factory of Baron Tripeaud, and paid by him (for it was a great
+      interest the honorable manufacturer had in the ruin of M. Hardy), came to
+      augment the general irritation, and to complete it by raising one of those
+      alarming union-questions, which in our day have unfortunately caused so
+      much bloodshed. Many of M. Hardy&rsquo;s workmen, before they entered his
+      employ, had belonged to a society or union, called the Devourers; while
+      many of the stonecutters in the neighboring quarries belonged to a society
+      called the Wolves. Now, for a long time, an implacable rivalry had existed
+      between the Wolves and Devourers, and brought about many sanguinary
+      struggles, which are the more to be deplored, as, in some respects, the
+      idea of these unions is excellent, being founded on the fruitful and
+      mighty principle of association. But unfortunately, instead of embracing
+      all trades in one fraternal communion, these unions break up the
+      working-class into distinct and hostile societies, whose rivalry often
+      leads to bloody collisions.(27) For the last week, the Wolves, excited by
+      so many different importunities, burned to discover an occasion or a
+      pretext to come to blows with the Devourers; but the latter, not
+      frequenting the public-houses, and hardly leaving the factory during the
+      week, had hitherto rendered such a meeting impossible, and the Wolves had
+      been forced to wait for the Sunday with ferocious impatience.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20463m.jpg" alt="20463m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20463.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Moreover, a great number of the quarrymen and stonecutters, being
+      peaceable and hard-working people, had refused, though Wolves themselves
+      to join this hostile manifestation against the Devourers of M. Hardy&rsquo;s
+      factory; the leaders had been obliged to recruit their forces from the
+      vagabonds and idlers of the barriers, whom the attraction of tumult and
+      disorder had easily enlisted under the flag of the warlike Wolves. Such
+      then was the dull fermentation, which agitated the little village of
+      Villiers, whilst the two men of whom we have spoken were at table in the
+      public-house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These men had asked for a private room, that they might be alone. One of
+      them was still young, and pretty well dressed. But the disorder in his
+      clothes, his loose cravat, his shirt spotted with wine, his dishevelled
+      hair, his look of fatigue, his marble complexion, his bloodshot eyes,
+      announced that a night of debauch had preceded this morning; whilst his
+      abrupt and heavy gesture, his hoarse voice, his look, sometimes brilliant,
+      and sometimes stupid, proved that to the last fumes of the intoxication of
+      the night before, were joined the first attacks of a new state of
+      drunkenness. The companion of this man said to him, as he touched his
+      glass with his own: &ldquo;Your health, my boy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yours!&rdquo; answered the young man; &ldquo;though you look to me like the devil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I!&mdash;the devil?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How did you come to know me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you repent that you ever knew me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you that I was a prisoner at Sainte-Pelagie?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t I take you out of prison?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did you take me out?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because I have a good heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are very fond of me, perhaps&mdash;just as the butcher likes the ox
+      that he drives to the slaughter-house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you mad?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man does not pay a hundred thousand francs for another without a
+      motive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have a motive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it? what do you want to do with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A jolly companion that will spend his money like a man, and pass every
+      night like the last. Good wine, good cheer, pretty girls, and gay songs.
+      Is that such a bad trade?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After he had remained a moment without answering, the young man replied
+      with a gloomy air: &ldquo;Why, on the eve of my leaving prison, did you attach
+      this condition to my freedom, that I should write to my mistress to tell
+      her that I would never see her again! Why did you exact this letter from
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A sigh! what, are you still thinking of her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are wrong. Your mistress is far from Paris by this time. I saw her
+      get into the stage-coach, before I came to take you out of Sainte
+      Pelagie.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I was stifled in that prison. To get out, I would have given my soul
+      to the devil. You thought so, and therefore you came to me; only, instead
+      of my soul, you took Cephyse from me. Poor Bacchanal-Queen! And why did
+      you do it? Thousand thunders! Will you tell me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man as much attached to his mistress as you are is no longer a man. He
+      wants energy, when the occasion requires.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What occasion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us drink!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You make me drink too much brandy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bah! look at me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what frightens me. It seems something devilish. A bottle of brandy
+      does not even make you wink. You must have a stomach of iron and a head of
+      marble.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have long travelled in Russia. There we drink to roast ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And here to only warm. So&mdash;let&rsquo;s drink&mdash;but wine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nonsense! wine is fit for children. Brandy for men like us!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, brandy; but it burns, and sets the head on fire, and then we
+      see all the flames of hell!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how I like to see you, hang it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But when you told me that I was too much attached to my mistress, and
+      that I should want energy when the occasion required, of what occasion did
+      you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us drink!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stop a moment, comrade. I am no more of a fool than others. Your half
+      words have taught me something.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know that I have been a workman, that I have many companions, and
+      that, being a good fellow, I am much liked amongst them. You want me for a
+      catspaw, to catch other chestnuts?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must be some getter-up of riots&mdash;some speculator in revolts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are travelling for some anonymous society, that trades in musket
+      shots.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you a coward?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I burned powder in July, I can tell you&mdash;make no mistakes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would not mind burning some again?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just as well that sort of fireworks as any other. Only I find revolutions
+      more agreeable than useful; all that I got from the barricades of the
+      three days was burnt breeches and a lost jacket. All the cause won by me,
+      with its &lsquo;Forward! March!&rsquo; says.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know many of Hardy&rsquo;s workmen?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! that&rsquo;s why you have brought me down here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;you will meet with many of the workmen from the factory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Men from Hardy&rsquo;s take part in a row? No, no; they are too well off for
+      that. You have been sold.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will see presently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you they are well off. What have they to complain of?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What of their brethren&mdash;those who have not so good a master, and die
+      of hunger and misery, and call on them for assistance? Do you think they
+      will remain deaf to such a summons? Hardy is only an exception. Let the
+      people but give a good pull all together, and the exception will become
+      the rule, and all the world be happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What you say there is true, but it would be a devil of a pull that would
+      make an honest man out of my old master, Baron Tripeaud, who made me what
+      I am&mdash;an out-and-out rip.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hardy&rsquo;s workmen are coming; you are their comrade, and have no interest
+      in deceiving them. They will believe you. Join with me in persuading them&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To what?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To leave this factory, in which they grow effeminate and selfish, and
+      forget their brothers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if they leave the factory, how are they to live?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will provide for that&mdash;on the great day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what&rsquo;s to be done till then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What you have done last night&mdash;drink, laugh, sing, and, by way of
+      work, exercise themselves privately in the use of arms.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who will bring these workmen here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some one has already spoken to them. They have had printed papers,
+      reproaching them with indifference to their brothers. Come, will you
+      support me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll support you&mdash;the more readily as I cannot very well support
+      myself. I only cared for Cephyse in the world; I know that I am on a bad
+      road; you are pushing me on further; let the ball roll!&mdash;Whether we
+      go to the devil one way or the other is not of much consequence. Let&rsquo;s
+      drink.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Drink to our next night&rsquo;s fun; the last was only apprenticeship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what then are you made? I looked at you, and never saw you either
+      blush or smile, or change countenance. You are like a man of iron.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am not a lad of fifteen. It would take something more to make me laugh.
+      I shall laugh to-night.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s the brandy; but, devil take me, if you don&rsquo;t
+      frighten me when you say you shall laugh tonight!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the young man rose, staggering; he began to be once more
+      intoxicated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was a knock at the door. &ldquo;Come in!&rdquo; The host made his appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a young man below, who calls himself Olivier. He asks for M.
+      Morok.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s right. Let him came up.&rdquo; The host went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is one of our men, but he is alone,&rdquo; said Morok, whose savage
+      countenance expressed disappointment. &ldquo;It astonishes me, for I expected a
+      good number. Do you know him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Olivier? Yes&mdash;a fair chap, I think.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall see him directly. Here he is.&rdquo; A young man, with an open, bold,
+      intelligent countenance, at this moment entered the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! old Sleepinbuff!&rdquo; he exclaimed, at sight of Morok&rsquo;s companion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Myself. I have not seen you for an age, Olivier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Simple enough, my boy. We do not work at the same place.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you are alone!&rdquo; cried Morok; and pointing to Sleepinbuff, he added:
+      &ldquo;You may speak before him&mdash;he is one of us. But why are you alone?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I come alone, but in the name of my comrades.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; said Morok, with a sigh of satisfaction, &ldquo;they consent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They refuse&mdash;just as I do!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, the devil! they refuse? Have they no more courage than women?&rdquo;
+       cried Morok, grinding his teeth with rage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hark ye,&rdquo; answered Olivier, coolly. &ldquo;We have received your letters, and
+      seen your agent. We have had proof that he is really connected with great
+      societies, many members of which are known to us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! why do you hesitate?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all, nothing proves that these societies are ready to make a
+      movement.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you they are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He&mdash;tells you&mdash;they are,&rdquo; said Sleepinbuff, stammering &ldquo;and I
+      (hic!) affirm it. Forward! March!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not enough,&rdquo; replied Olivier. &ldquo;Besides, we have reflected upon it.
+      For a week the factory was divided. Even yesterday the discussion was too
+      warm to be pleasant. But this morning Father Simon called to him; we
+      explained ourselves fully before him, and he brought us all to one mind.
+      We mean to wait, and if any disturbance breaks out, we shall see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that your final word?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is our last word.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence!&rdquo; cried Sleepinbuff, suddenly, as he listened, balancing himself
+      on his tottering legs. &ldquo;It is like the noise of a crowd not far off.&rdquo; A
+      dull sound was indeed audible, which became every moment more and more
+      distinct, and at length grew formidable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that?&rdquo; said Olivier, in surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; replied Morok, smiling with a sinister air, &ldquo;I remember the host
+      told me there was a great ferment in the village against the factory. If
+      you and your other comrades had separated from Hardy&rsquo;s other workmen, as I
+      hoped, these people who are beginning to howl would have been for you,
+      instead of against you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This was a trap, then, to set one half of M. Hardy&rsquo;s workmen against the
+      other!&rdquo; cried Olivier; &ldquo;you hoped that we should make common cause with
+      these people against the factory, and that&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young man had not time to finish. A terrible outburst of shouts,
+      howls, and hisses shook the tavern. At the same instant the door was
+      abruptly opened, and the host, pale and trembling, hurried into the
+      chamber, exclaiming: &ldquo;Gentlemen! do any of you work at M. Hardy&rsquo;s
+      factory?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do,&rdquo; said Olivier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you are lost. Here are the Wolves in a body, saying there are
+      Devourers here from M. Hardy&rsquo;s, and offering them battle&mdash;unless the
+      Devourers will give up the factory, and range themselves on their side.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a trap, there can be no doubt of it!&rdquo; cried Olivier, looking at
+      Morok and Sleepinbuff, with a threatening air; &ldquo;if my mates had come, we
+      were all to be let in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I lay a trap, Olivier?&rdquo; stammered Jacques Rennepont. &ldquo;Never!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Battle to the Devourers! or let them join the Wolves!&rdquo; cried the angry
+      crowd with one voice, as they appeared to invade the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come!&rdquo; exclaimed the host. Without giving Olivier time to answer, he
+      seized him by the arm, and opening a window which led to a roof at no very
+      great height from the ground, he said to him: &ldquo;Make your escape by this
+      window, let yourself slide down, and gain the fields; it is time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20469m.jpg" alt="20469m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20469.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      As the young workman hesitated, the host added, with a look of terror:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alone, against a couple of hundred, what can you do? A minute more, and
+      you are lost. Do you not hear them? They have entered the yard; they are
+      coming up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, at this moment, the groans, the hisses, and cheers redoubled in
+      violence; the wooden staircase which led to the first story shook beneath
+      the quick steps of many persons, and the shout arose, loud and piercing:
+      &ldquo;Battle to the Devourers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fly, Olivier!&rdquo; cried Sleepinbuff, almost sobered by the danger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had he pronounced the words when the door of the large room, which
+      communicated with the small one in which they were, was burst open with a
+      frightful crash.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here they are!&rdquo; cried the host, clasping his hands in alarm. Then,
+      running to Olivier, he pushed him, as it were, out of the window; for,
+      with one foot on the sill, the workman still hesitated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The window once closed, the publican returned towards Morok the instant
+      the latter entered the large room, into which the leaders of the Wolves
+      had just forced an entry, whilst their companions were vociferating in the
+      yard and on the staircase. Eight or ten of these madmen, urged by others
+      to take part in these scenes of disorder, had rushed first into the room,
+      with countenances inflamed by wine and anger; most of them were armed with
+      long sticks. A blaster, of Herculean strength and stature, with an old red
+      handkerchief about his head, its ragged ends streaming over his shoulders,
+      miserably dressed in a half-worn goat-skin, brandished an iron
+      drilling-rod, and appeared to direct the movements. With bloodshot eyes,
+      threatening and ferocious countenance, he advanced towards the small room,
+      as if to drive back Morok, and exclaimed, in a voice of thunder:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where are the Devourers?&mdash;the Wolves will eat &lsquo;em up!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The host hastened to open the door of the small room, saying: &ldquo;There is no
+      one here, my friends&mdash;no one. Look for yourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true,&rdquo; said the quarryman, surprised, after peeping into the room;
+      &ldquo;where are they, then? We were told there were a dozen of them here. They
+      should have marched with us against the factory, or there&rsquo;d &lsquo;a been a
+      battle, and the Wolves would have tried their teeth!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If they have not come,&rdquo; said another, &ldquo;they will come. Let&rsquo;s wait.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; we will wait for them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will look close at each other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the Wolves want to see the Devourers,&rdquo; said Morok, &ldquo;why not go and
+      howl round the factory of the miscreant atheists? At the first howl of the
+      Wolves they will come out, and give you battle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They will give you&mdash;battle,&rdquo; repeated Sleepinbuff, mechanically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unless the Wolves are afraid of the Devourers,&rdquo; added Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since you talk of fear, you shall go with us, and see who&rsquo;s afraid!&rdquo;
+       cried the formidable blaster, and in a thundering voice, he advanced
+      towards Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A number of voices joined in with, &ldquo;Who says the Wolves are afraid of the
+      Devourers?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would be the first time!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Battle! battle! and make an end of it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are tired of all this. Why should we be so miserable, and they so well
+      off?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have said that quarrymen are brutes, only fit to torn wheels in a
+      shaft, like dogs to turn spits,&rdquo; cried an emissary of Baron Tripeaud&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that the Devourers would make themselves caps with wolf-skin,&rdquo; added
+      another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Neither they nor their wives ever go to mass. They are pagans and dogs!&rdquo;
+       cried an emissary of the preaching abbe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The men might keep their Sunday as they pleased; but their wives not to
+      go to mass!&mdash;it is abominable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, therefore, the curate has said that their factory, because of its
+      abominations, might bring down the cholera to the country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True? he said that in his sermon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our wives heard it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; down with the Devourers, who want to bring the cholera on the
+      country!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hooray, for a fight!&rdquo; cried the crowd in chorus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the factory, my brave Wolves!&rdquo; cried Morok, with the voice of a
+      Stentor; &ldquo;on to the factory!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! to the factory! to the factory!&rdquo; repeated the crowd, with furious
+      stamping; for, little by little, all who could force their way into the
+      room, or up the stairs, had there collected together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These furious cries recalling Jacques for a moment to his senses, he
+      whispered to Morok: &ldquo;It is slaughter you would provoke? I wash my hands of
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall have time to let them know at the factory. We can give these
+      fellows the slip on the road,&rdquo; answered Morok. Then he cried aloud,
+      addressing the host, who was terrified at this disorder: &ldquo;Brandy!&mdash;let
+      us drink to the health of the brave Wolves! I will stand treat.&rdquo; He threw
+      some money to the host, who disappeared, and soon returned with several
+      bottles of brandy, and some glasses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! glasses?&rdquo; cried Morok. &ldquo;Do jolly companions, like we are, drink out
+      of glasses?&rdquo; So saying, he forced out one of the corks, raised the neck of
+      the bottle to his lips, and, having drunk a deep draught, passed it to the
+      gigantic quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the thing!&rdquo; said the latter. &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s in honor of the treat!&mdash;None
+      but a sneak will refuse, for this stuff will sharpen the Wolves&rsquo; teeth!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s to your health, mates!&rdquo; said Morok, distributing the bottles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There will be blood at the end of all this,&rdquo; muttered Sleepinbuff, who,
+      in spite of his intoxication, perceived all the danger of these fatal
+      incitements. Indeed, a large portion of the crowd was already quitting the
+      yard of the public-house, and advancing rapidly towards M. Hardy&rsquo;s
+      factory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Those of the workmen and inhabitants of the village, who had not chosen to
+      take any part in this movement of hostility (they were the majority), did
+      not make their appearance, as this threatening troop passed along the
+      principal street; but a good number of women, excited to fanaticism by the
+      sermons of the abbe, encouraged the warlike assemblage with their cries.
+      At the head of the troop advanced the gigantic blaster, brandishing his
+      formidable bar, followed by a motley mass, armed with sticks and stones.
+      Their heads still warmed by their recent libations of brandy, they had now
+      attained a frightful state of frenzy. Their countenances were ferocious,
+      inflamed, terrible. This unchaining of the worst passions seemed to
+      forbode the most deplorable consequences. Holding each other arm-in-arm,
+      and walking four or five together, the Wolves gave vent to their
+      excitement in war-songs, which closed with the following verse:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forward! full of assurance! Let us try our vigorous arms! They have
+      wearied out our prudence; Let us show we&rsquo;ve no alarms. Sprung from a
+      monarch glorious,(28) To-day we&rsquo;ll not grow pale, Whether we win the
+      fight, or fail, Whether we die, or are victorious! Children of Solomon,
+      mighty king, All your efforts together bring, Till in triumph we shall
+      sing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok and Jacques had disappeared whilst the tumultuous troop were leaving
+      the tavern to hasten to the factory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (27) Let it be noted, to the working-man&rsquo;s credit, that such outrageous
+      scenes become more and more rare as he is enlightened to the full
+      consciousness of his worth. Such better tendencies are to be attributed to
+      the just influence of an excellent tract on trades&rsquo; union written by M.
+      Agricole Perdignier, and published in 1841, Paris. This author, a joiner,
+      founded at his own expense an establishment in the Faubourg St. Antoine,
+      where some forty or fifty of his trade lodged, and were given, after the
+      day&rsquo;s work, a course of geometry, etc., applied to wood carving. We went
+      to one of the lectures, and found as much clearness in the professor as
+      attention and intelligence in the audience. At ten, after reading
+      selections, all the lodgers retire, forced by their scanty wages to sleep,
+      perhaps, four in a room. M. Perdignier informed us that study and
+      instruction were such powerful ameliorators, that, during six years, he
+      had only one of his lodgers to expel. &ldquo;In a few days,&rdquo; he remarked, &ldquo;the
+      bad eggs find out, this is no place for them to addle sound ones!&rdquo; We are
+      happy to hear, reader, public homage to a learned and upright man, devoted
+      to his fellow-workmen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (28) The Wolves (among others) ascribe the institution of their company to
+      King Solomon. See the curious work by M. Agricole Perdignier, from which
+      the war-song is extracted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0103" id="link2HCH0103">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER L. THE COMMON DWELLING-HOUSE
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hilst the Wolves, as we have just seen, prepared a savage attack on the
+      Devourers, the factory of M. Hardy had that morning a festal air,
+      perfectly in accordance with the serenity of the sky; for the wind was
+      from the north, and pretty sharp for a fine day in March. The clock had
+      just struck nine in the Common Dwelling-house of the workmen, separated
+      from the workshops by a broad path planted with trees. The rising sun
+      bathed in light this imposing mass of buildings, situated a league from
+      Paris, in a gay and salubrious locality, from which were visible the woody
+      and picturesque hills, that on this side overlook the great city. Nothing
+      could be plainer, and yet more cheerful than the aspect of the Common
+      Dwelling-house of the workmen. Its slanting roof of red tiles projected
+      over white walls, divided here and there by broad rows of bricks, which
+      contrasted agreeably with the green color of the blinds on the first and
+      second stories.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These buildings, open to the south and east, were surrounded by a large
+      garden of about ten acres, partly planted with trees, and partly laid out
+      in fruit and kitchen-garden. Before continuing this description, which
+      perhaps will appear a little like a fairy-tale, let us begin by saying,
+      that the wonders, of which we are about to present the sketch, must not to
+      be considered Utopian dreams; nothing, on the contrary, could be of a more
+      positive character, and we are able to assert, and even to prove (what in
+      our time is of great weight and interest), that these wonders were the
+      result of an excellent speculation, and represented an investment as
+      lucrative as it was secure. To undertake a vast, noble, and most useful
+      enterprise; to bestow on a considerable number of human creatures an ideal
+      prosperity, compared with the frightful, almost homicidal doom, to which
+      they are generally condemned; to instruct them, and elevate them in their
+      own esteem; to make them prefer to the coarse pleasures of the tavern, or
+      rather to the fatal oblivion which they find there, as an escape from the
+      consciousness of their deplorable destiny, the pleasures, of the intellect
+      and the enjoyments of art; in a word, to make men moral by making them
+      happy, and finally, thanks to this generous example, so easy of imitation,
+      to take a place amongst the benefactors of humanity&mdash;and yet, at the
+      same time to do, as it were, without knowing it, an excellent stroke of
+      business&mdash;may appear fabulous. And yet this was the secret of the
+      wonders of which we speak.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us enter the interior of the factory. Ignorant of Mother Bunch&rsquo;s cruel
+      disappearance, Agricola gave himself up to the most happy, thoughts as he
+      recalled Angela&rsquo;s image, and, having finished dressing with unusual care,
+      went in search of his betrothed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us say two words on the subject of the lodging, which the smith
+      occupied in the Common Dwelling-house, at the incredibly low rate of
+      seventy-five francs per annum like the other bachelors on the
+      establishment. This lodging, situated on the second story, was comprised
+      of a capital chamber and bedroom, with a southern aspect, and looking on
+      the garden; the pine floor was perfectly white and clean; the iron
+      bedstead was supplied with a good mattress and warm coverings; a gas
+      burner and a warm-air pipe were also introduced into the rooms, to furnish
+      light and heat as required; the walls were hung with pretty fancy
+      papering, and had curtains to match; a chest of drawers, a walnut table, a
+      few chairs, a small library, comprised Agricola&rsquo;s furniture. Finally, in
+      the large and light closet, was a place for his clothes, a dressing table,
+      and large zinc basin, with an ample supply of water. If we compare this
+      agreeable, salubrious, comfortable lodging, with the dark, icy,
+      dilapidated garret, for which the worthy fellow paid ninety francs at his
+      mother&rsquo;s, and to get to which he had more than a league and a half to go
+      every evening, we shall understand the sacrifice he made to his affection
+      for that excellent woman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola, after casting a last glance of tolerable satisfaction at his
+      looking-glass, while he combed his moustache and imperial, quitted his
+      chamber, to go and join Angela in the women&rsquo;s workroom. The corridor,
+      along which he had to pass, was broad, well-lighted from above, floored
+      with pine, and extremely clean. Notwithstanding some seeds of discord
+      which had been lately sown by M. Hardy&rsquo;s enemies amongst his workmen,
+      until now so fraternally united, joyous songs were heard in almost all the
+      apartments which skirted the corridor, and, as Agricola passed before
+      several open doors, he exchanged a cordial good-morrow with many of his
+      comrades. The smith hastily descended the stairs, crossed the court yard,
+      in which was a grass-plot planted with trees, with a fountain in the
+      centre, and gained the other wing of the building. There was the workroom,
+      in which a portion of the wives and daughters of the associated artisans,
+      who happened not to be employed in the factory, occupied themselves in
+      making up the linen. This labor, joined to the enormous saving effected by
+      the purchase of the materials wholesale, reduced to an incredible extent
+      the price of each article. After passing through this workroom, a vast
+      apartment looking on the garden, well-aired in summer,(29) and well-warmed
+      in winter, Agricola knocked at the door of the rooms occupied by Angela&rsquo;s
+      mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If we say a few words with regard to this lodging, situated on the first
+      story, with an eastern aspect, and also looking on the garden, it is that
+      we may tape it as a specimen of the habitation of a family in this
+      association, supplied at the incredibly small price of one hundred and
+      twenty-five francs per annum.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A small entrance, opening on the corridor, led to a large room, on each
+      side of which was a smaller chamber, destined for the family, when the
+      boys and girls were too big to continue to sleep in the two dormitories,
+      arranged after the fashion of a large school, and reserved for the
+      children of both sexes. Every night the superintendence of these
+      dormitories was entrusted to a father and mother of a family, belonging to
+      the association. The lodging of which we speak, being, like all the
+      others, disencumbered of the paraphernalia of a kitchen&mdash;for the
+      cooking was done in common, and on a large scale, in another part of the
+      building&mdash;was kept extremely clean. A pretty large piece of carpet, a
+      comfortable arm-chair, some pretty-looking china on a stand of well
+      polished wood, some prints hung against the walls, a clock of gilt bronze,
+      a bed, a chest of drawers, and a mahogany secretary, announced that the
+      inhabitants of this apartment enjoyed not only the necessaries, but some
+      of the luxuries of life. Angela, who, from this time, might be called
+      Agricola&rsquo;s betrothed, justified in every point the flattering portrait
+      which the smith had drawn of her in his interview with poor Mother Bunch.
+      The charming girl, seventeen years of age at most, dressed with as much
+      simplicity as neatness, was seated by the side of her mother. When
+      Agricola entered, she blushed slightly at seeing him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mademoiselle,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;I have come to keep my promise, if your
+      mother has no objection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, M. Agricola,&rdquo; answered the mother of the young girl cordially.
+      &ldquo;She would not go over the Common Dwelling-house with her father, her
+      brother, or me, because she wished to have that pleasure with you today.
+      It is quite right that you, who can talk so well, should do the honors of
+      the house to the new-comer. She has been waiting for you an hour, and with
+      such impatience!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray excuse me, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said Agricola, gayly; &ldquo;in thinking of the
+      pleasure of seeing you, I forgot the hour. That is my only excuse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, mother!&rdquo; said the young girl, in a tone of mild reproach, and
+      becoming red as a cherry, &ldquo;why did you say that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it true, yes or no? I do not blame you for it; on the contrary. Go
+      with M. Agricola, child, and he will tell you, better than I can, what all
+      the workmen of the factory owe to M, Hardy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Agricola,&rdquo; said Angela, tying the ribbons of her pretty cap, &ldquo;what a
+      pity that your good little adopted sister is not with us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mother Bunch?&mdash;yes, you are right, mademoiselle; but that is only a
+      pleasure put off, and the visit she paid us yesterday will not be the
+      last.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having embraced her mother, the girl took Agricola&rsquo;s arm, and they went
+      out together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me, M. Agricola,&rdquo; said Angela; &ldquo;if you knew how much I was surprised
+      on entering this fine house, after being accustomed to see so much misery
+      amongst the poor workmen in our country, and in which I too have had my
+      share, whilst here everybody seems happy and contented. It is really like
+      fairy-land; I think I am in a dream, and when I ask my mother the
+      explanation of these wonders, she tells me, &lsquo;M. Agricola will explain it
+      all to you.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know why I am so happy to undertake that delightful task,
+      mademoiselle?&rdquo; said Agricola, with an accent at once grave and tender.
+      &ldquo;Nothing could be more in season.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so, M. Agricola?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because, to show you this house, to make you acquainted with all the
+      resources of our association, is to be able to say to you: &lsquo;Here, the
+      workman, sure of the present, sure of the future, is not, like so many of
+      his poor brothers, obliged to renounce the sweetest want of the heart&mdash;the
+      desire of choosing a companion for life&mdash;in the fear of uniting
+      misery to misery.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Angela cast down her eyes, and blushed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here the workman may safely yield to the hope of knowing the sweet joys
+      of a family, sure of not having his heart torn hereafter by the sight of
+      the horrible privations of those who are dear to him; here, thanks to
+      order and industry, and the wise employment of the strength of all, men,
+      women, and children live happy and contented. In a ward, to explain all
+      this to you, mademoiselle,&rdquo; added Agricola, smiling with a still more
+      tender air, &ldquo;is to prove, that here we can do nothing more reasonable than
+      love, nothing wiser than marry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Agricola,&rdquo; answered Angela, in a slightly agitated voice, and blushing
+      still more as she spoke, &ldquo;suppose we were to begin our walk.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Directly, mademoiselle,&rdquo; replied the smith, pleased at the trouble he had
+      excited in that ingenuous soul. &ldquo;But, come; we are near the dormitory of
+      the little girls. The chirping birds have long left their nests. Let us go
+      there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Willingly, M. Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20477m.jpg" alt="20477m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20477.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The young smith and Angela soon entered a spacious dormitory, resembling
+      that of a first-rate boarding school. The little iron bedsteads were
+      arranged in symmetrical order; at each end were the beds of the two
+      mothers of families, who took the superintendence by turns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me! how well it is arranged, M. Agricola, and how neat and clean!
+      Who is it that takes such good care of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The children themselves; we have no servants here. There is an
+      extraordinary emulation between these urchins&mdash;as to who shall make
+      her bed most neatly, and it amuses them quite as much as making a bed for
+      their dolls. Little girls, you know, delight in playing at keeping house.
+      Well, here they play at it in good earnest, and the house is admirably
+      kept in consequence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I understand. They turn to account their natural taste for all such
+      kinds of amusement.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is the whole secret. You will see them everywhere usefully occupied,
+      and delighted at the importance of the employments given them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, M. Agricola!&rdquo; said Angela, timidly, &ldquo;only compare these fine
+      dormitories, so warm and healthy, with the horrible icy garrets, where
+      children are heaped pell-mell on a wretched straw-mattress, shivering with
+      cold, as in the case with almost all the workmen&rsquo;s families in our
+      country!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And in Paris, mademoiselle, it is even worse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! how kind, generous, and rich must M. Hardy be, to spend so much money
+      in doing good!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am going to astonish you, mademoiselle!&rdquo; said Agricola, with a smile;
+      &ldquo;to astonish you so much, that perhaps you will not believe me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so, M. Agricola?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is not certainly in the world a man with a better and more generous
+      heart than M. Hardy; he does good for its own sake and without thinking of
+      his personal interest. And yet, Mdlle. Angela, were he the most selfish
+      and avaricious of men, he would still find it greatly to his advantage to
+      put us in a position to be as comfortable as we are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it possible, M. Agricola? You tell me so, and I believe it; but if
+      good can so easily be done, if there is even an advantage in doing it, why
+      is it not more commonly attempted?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! mademoiselle, it requires three gifts very rarely met with in the
+      same person&mdash;knowledge, power and will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! yes. Those who have the knowledge, have not the power.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And those who have the power, have neither the knowledge nor the will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how does M. Hardy find any advantage in the good he does for you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will explain that presently, mademoiselle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, what a nice, sweet smell of fruit!&rdquo; said Angela, suddenly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our common fruit-store is close at hand. I wager we shall find there some
+      of the little birds from the dormitory&mdash;not occupied in picking and
+      stealing, but hard at work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Opening a door, Agricola led Angela into a large room, furnished with
+      shelves, on which the winter fruits were arranged in order. A number of
+      children, from seven to eight years old, neatly and warmly clad, and
+      glowing with health, exerted themselves cheerfully, under the
+      superintendence of a woman, in separating and sorting the spoiled fruit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see,&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;wherever it is possible, we make use of the
+      children. These occupations are amusements for them, answering to the need
+      of movement and activity natural to their age; and, in this way, we can
+      employ the grown girls and the women to much better advantage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, M. Agricola; how well it is all arranged.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if you saw what services the urchins in the kitchen render! Directed
+      by one or two women, they do the work of eight or ten servants.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In fact,&rdquo; said Angela, smiling, &ldquo;at their age, we like so much to play at
+      cooking dinner. They must be delighted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, in the same way, under pretext of playing at gardening, they weed
+      the ground, gather the fruit and vegetables, water the flowers, roll the
+      paths, and so on. In a word, this army of infant-workers, who generally
+      remain till ten or twelve years of age without being of any service, are
+      here very useful. Except three hours of school, which is quite sufficient
+      for them, from the age of six or seven their recreations are turned to
+      good account, and the dear little creatures, by the saving of full-grown
+      arms which they effect, actually gain more than they cost; and then,
+      mademoiselle, do you not think there is something in the presence of
+      childhood thus mixed up with every labor&mdash;something mild, pure,
+      almost sacred, which has its influence on our words and actions, and
+      imposes a salutary reserve? The coarsest man will respect the presence of
+      children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The more one reflects, the more one sees that everything here is really
+      designed for the happiness of all!&rdquo; said Angela, in admiration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It has not been done without trouble. It was necessary to conquer
+      prejudices, and break through customs. But see, Mdlle. Angela! here we are
+      at the kitchen,&rdquo; added the smith, smiling; &ldquo;is it not as imposing as that
+      of a barrack or a public school?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, the culinary department of the Common Dwelling-house was immense.
+      All its utensils were bright and clean; and thanks to the marvellous and
+      economical inventions of modern science (which are always beyond the reach
+      of the poorer classes, to whom they are most necessary, because they can
+      only be practised on a large scale), not only the fire on the hearth, and
+      in the stoves, was fed with half the quantity of fuel that would have been
+      consumed by each family individually, but the excess of the caloric
+      sufficed, with the aid of well-constructed tubes, to spread a mild and
+      equal warmth through all parts of the house. And here also children, under
+      the direction of two women, rendered numerous services. Nothing could be
+      more comic than the serious manner in which they performed their culinary
+      functions; it was the same with the assistance they gave in the bakehouse,
+      where, at an extraordinary saving in the price (for they bought flour
+      wholesale), they made an excellent household bread, composed of pure wheat
+      and rye, so preferable to that whiter bread, which too often owes its
+      apparent qualities to some deleterious substance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-day, Dame Bertrand,&rdquo; said Agricola, gayly, to a worthy matron, who
+      was gravely contemplating the slow evolution of several spits, worthy of
+      Gamache&rsquo;s Wedding so heavily were they laden with pieces of beef, mutton,
+      and veal, which began to assume a fine golden brown color of the most
+      attractive kind; &ldquo;good-day, Dame Bertrand. According to the rule, I do not
+      pass the threshold of the kitchen. I only wish it to be admired by this
+      young lady, who is a new-comer amongst us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Admire, my lad, pray admire&mdash;and above all take notice, how good
+      these brats are, and how well they work!&rdquo; So saying, the matron pointed
+      with the long ladle, which served her as a sceptre, to some fifteen
+      children of both sexes, seated round a table, and deeply absorbed in the
+      exercise of their functions, which consisted in peeling potatoes and
+      picking herbs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are, I see, to have a downright Belshazzar&rsquo;s feast, Dame Bertrand?&rdquo;
+       said Agricola, laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faith, a feast like we have always, my lad. Here is our bill of fare for
+      to-day. A good vegetable soup, roast beef with potatoes, salad, fruit,
+      cheese; and for extras, it being Sunday, some currant tarts made by Mother
+      Denis at the bakehouse, where the oven is heating now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What you tell me, Dame Bertrand, gives me a furious appetite,&rdquo; said
+      Agricola, gayly. &ldquo;One soon knows when it is your turn in the kitchen,&rdquo;
+       added he, with a flattering air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Get along, do!&rdquo; said the female Soyer on service, merrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What astonishes me, so much, M. Agricola,&rdquo; said Angela, as they continued
+      their walk, &ldquo;is the comparison of the insufficient, unwholesome food of
+      the workmen in our country, with that which is provided here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet we do not spend more than twenty-five sous a day, for much better
+      food than we should get for three francs in Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But really it is hard to believe, M. Agricola. How is it possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is thanks to the magic wand of M. Hardy. I will explain it all
+      presently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! how impatient I am to see M. Hardy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will soon see him&mdash;perhaps to-day; for he is expected every
+      moment. But here is the refectory, which you do not yet know, as your
+      family, like many others, prefer dining at home. See what a fine room,
+      looking out on the garden, just opposite the fountain!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was indeed a vast hall, built in the form of a gallery, with ten
+      windows opening on the garden. Tables, covered with shining oil-cloth,
+      were ranged along the walls, so that, in winter, this apartment served in
+      the evening, after work, as a place of meeting for those who preferred to
+      pass an hour together, instead of remaining alone or with their families.
+      Then, in this large hall, well warmed and brilliantly lighted with gas,
+      some read, some played cards, some talked, and some occupied themselves
+      with easy work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is not all,&rdquo; said Agricola to the young girl; &ldquo;I am sure you will
+      like this apartment still better when I tell you, that on Thursdays and
+      Sundays we make a ball-room of it, and on Tuesdays and Saturdays a
+      concert-room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; continued the smith, proudly, &ldquo;we have amongst us musicians, quite
+      capable of tempting us to dance. Moreover, twice a week, nearly all of us
+      sing in chorus&mdash;men, women, and children. Unfortunately, this week,
+      some disputes that have arisen in the factory have prevented our
+      concerts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So many voices! that must be superb.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very fine, I assure you. M. Hardy has always encouraged this
+      amusement amongst us, which has, he says&mdash;and he is right&mdash;so
+      powerful an effect on the mind and the manners. One winter, he sent for
+      two pupils of the celebrated Wilhelm, and, since then, our school has made
+      great progress. I assure you, Mdlle. Angela, that, without flattering
+      ourselves, there is something truly exciting in the sound of two hundred
+      voices, singing in chorus some hymn to Labor or Freedom. You shall hear
+      it, and you will, I think, acknowledge that there is something great and
+      elevating in the heart of man, in this fraternal harmony of voices,
+      blending in one grave, sonorous, imposing sound.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I believe it. But what happiness to inhabit here. It is a life of
+      joy; for labor, mixed with recreation, becomes itself a pleasure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! here, as everywhere, there are tears and sorrows,&rdquo; replied
+      Agricola, sadly. &ldquo;Do you see that isolated building, in a very exposed
+      situation?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; what is it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is our hospital for the sick. Happily, thanks to our healthy mode of
+      life, it is not often full; an annual subscription enables us to have a
+      good doctor. Moreover, a mutual benefit society is arranged in such a
+      manner amongst us, that any one of us, in case of illness, receives two
+      thirds of what he would have gained in health.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How well it is all managed! And there, M. Agricola, on the other side of
+      the grass-plot?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is the wash-house, with water laid on, cold and hot; and under
+      yonder shed is the drying-place: further on, you see the stables, and the
+      lofts and granaries for the provender of the factory horses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But M. Agricola, will you tell me the secret of all these wonders?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In ten minutes you shall understand it all, mademoiselle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Unfortunately, Angela&rsquo;s curiosity was for a while disappointed. The girl
+      was now standing with Agricola close to the iron gate, which shut in the
+      garden from the broad avenue that separated the factory from the Common
+      Dwelling-house. Suddenly, the wind brought from the distance the sound of
+      trumpets and military music; then was heard the gallop of two horses,
+      approaching rapidly, and soon after a general officer made his appearance,
+      mounted on a fine black charger, with a long flowing tail and crimson
+      housings; he wore cavalry boots and white breeches, after the fashion of
+      the empire; his uniform glittered with gold embroidery, the red ribbon of
+      the Legion of Honor was passed over his right epaulet, with its four
+      silver stars, and his hat had a broad gold border, and was crowned with a
+      white plume, the distinctive sign reserved for the marshals of France. No
+      warrior could have had a more martial and chivalrous air, or have sat more
+      proudly on his war-horse. At the moment Marshal Simon (for it was he)
+      arrived opposite the place where Angela and Agricola were standing, he
+      drew up his horse suddenly, sprang lightly to the ground, and threw the
+      golden reins to a servant in livery, who followed also on horseback.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where shall I wait for your grace?&rdquo; asked the groom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At the end of the avenue,&rdquo; said the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And, uncovering his head respectfully, he advanced hastily with his hat in
+      his hand, to meet a person whom Angela and Agricola had not previously
+      perceived. This person soon appeared at a turn of the avenue; he was an
+      old man, with an energetic, intelligent countenance. He wore a very neat
+      blouse, and a cloth cap over his long, white hair. With his hands in his
+      pocket, he was quietly smoking an old meerschaum pipe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-morning, father,&rdquo; said the marshal, respectfully, as he
+      affectionately embraced the old workman, who, having tenderly returned the
+      pressure, said to him: &ldquo;Put on your hat, my boy. But how gay we are!&rdquo;
+       added he, with a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have just been to a review, father, close by; and I took the
+      opportunity to call on you as soon as possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But shall I then not see my granddaughters to-day, as I do every Sunday?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are coming in a carriage, father, and Dagobert accompanies them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what is the matter? you appear full of thought.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed, father,&rdquo; said the marshal, with a somewhat agitated air, &ldquo;I have
+      serious things to talk about.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in, then,&rdquo; said the old man, with some anxiety. The marshal and his
+      father disappeared at the turn of the avenue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Angela had been struck with amazement at seeing this brilliant General,
+      who was entitled &ldquo;your grace,&rdquo; salute an old workman in a blouse as his
+      father; and, looking at Agricola with a confused air she said to him:
+      &ldquo;What, M. Agricola! this old workman&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is the father of Marshal Duke de Ligny&mdash;the friend&mdash;yes, I may
+      say the friend,&rdquo; added Agricola, with emotion, &ldquo;of my father, who for
+      twenty years served under him in war.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be placed so high, and yet to be so respectful and tender to his
+      father!&rdquo; said Angela. &ldquo;The marshal must have a very noble heart; but why
+      does he let his father remain a workman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because Father Simon will not quit his trade and the factory for anything
+      in the world. He was born a workman, and he will die a workman, though he
+      is the father of a duke and marshal of France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (29) See Adolphe Bobierre &ldquo;On Air and Health,&rdquo; Paris, 1844.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0104" id="link2HCH0104">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LI. THE SECRET.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hen the very natural astonishment which the arrival of Marshal Simon had
+      caused in Angela had passed away, Agricola said to her with a smile: &ldquo;I do
+      not wish to take advantage of this circumstance, Mdlle. Angela, to spare
+      you the account of the secret, by which all the wonders of our Common
+      Dwelling-house are brought to pass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I should not have let you forget your promise, M. Agricola,&rdquo; answered
+      Angela, &ldquo;what you have already told me interests me too much for that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen, then. M. Hardy, like a true magician, has pronounced three
+      cabalistic words: ASSOCIATION&mdash;COMMUNITY&mdash;FRATERNITY. We have
+      understood the sense of these words, and the wonders you have seen have
+      sprung from them, to our great advantage; and also, I repeat, to the great
+      advantage of M. Hardy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is that which appears so extraordinary, M. Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suppose, mademoiselle, that M. Hardy, instead of being what he is, had
+      only been a cold-hearted speculator, looking merely to the profit, and
+      saying to himself: &lsquo;To make the most of my factory, what is needed? Good
+      work&mdash;great economy in the raw material&mdash;full employment of the
+      workman&rsquo;s time; in a word, cheapness of manufacture, in order to produce
+      cheaply&mdash;excellence of the thing produced, in order to sell dear.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Truly, M. Agricola, no manufacturer could desire more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, mademoiselle, these conditions might have been fulfilled, as they
+      have been, but how? Had M. Hardy only been a speculator, he might have
+      said: &lsquo;At a distance from my factory, my workmen might have trouble to get
+      there: rising earlier, they will sleep less; it is a bad economy to take
+      from the sleep so necessary to those who toil. When they get feeble, the
+      work suffers for it; then the inclemency of the seasons makes it worse;
+      the workman arrives wet, trembling with cold, enervated before he begins
+      to work&mdash;and then, what work!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is unfortunately but too true, M. Agricola. At Lille, when I reached
+      the factory, wet through with a cold rain, I used sometimes to shiver all
+      day long at my work.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20485m.jpg" alt="20485m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20485.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore, Mdlle. Angela, the speculator might say: &lsquo;To lodge my workmen
+      close to the door of my factory would obviate this inconvenience. Let us
+      make the calculation. In Paris the married workman pays about two hundred
+      and fifty francs a-year,(30) for one or two wretched rooms and a closet,
+      dark, small, unhealthy, in a narrow, miserable street; there he lives
+      pell-mell with his family. What ruined constitutions are the consequence!
+      and what sort of work can you expect from a feverish and diseased
+      creature? As for the single men, they pay for a smaller, and quite as
+      unwholesome lodging, about one hundred and fifty francs a-year. Now, let
+      us make the addition. I employ one hundred and forty-six married workmen,
+      who pay together, for their wretched holes, thirty-six thousand five
+      hundred francs; I employ also one hundred and fifteen bachelors, who pay
+      at the rate of seventeen thousand two hundred and eighty francs; the total
+      will amount to about fifty thousand francs per annum, the interest on a
+      million.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me, M. Agricola! what a sum to be produced by uniting all these
+      little rents together!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, mademoiselle, that fifty thousand francs a-year is a
+      millionaire&rsquo;s rent. Now, what says our speculator: To induce our workmen
+      to leave Paris, I will offer them, enormous advantages. I will reduce
+      their rent one-half, and, instead of small, unwholesome rooms, they shall
+      have large, airy apartments, well-warmed and lighted, at a trifling
+      charge. Thus, one hundred and forty-six families, paying me only one
+      hundred and twenty-five francs a-year, and one hundred and fifteen
+      bachelors, seventy-five francs, I shall have a total of twenty-six to
+      twenty-seven thousand francs. Now, a building large enough to hold all
+      these people would cost me at most five hundred thousand francs.(31) I
+      shall then have invested my money at five per cent at the least, and with
+      perfect security, since the wages is a guarantee for the payment of the
+      rent.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, M. Agricola! I begin to understand how it may sometimes be
+      advantageous to do good, even in a pecuniary sense.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I am almost certain, mademoiselle, that, in the long run, affairs
+      conducted with uprightness and honesty turn out well. But to return to our
+      speculator. &lsquo;Here,&rsquo; will he say, &lsquo;are my workmen, living close to my
+      factory, well lodged, well warmed, and arriving always fresh at their
+      work. That is not all; the English workman who eats good beef, and drinks
+      good beer, does twice as much, in the same time, as the French
+      workman,(32) reduced to a detestable kind of food, rather weakening than
+      the reverse, thanks to the poisonous adulteration of the articles he
+      consumes. My workmen will then labor much better, if they eat much better.
+      How shall I manage it without loss? Now I think of it, what is the food in
+      barracks, schools, even prisons? Is it not the union of individual
+      resources which procures an amount of comfort impossible to realize
+      without such an association? Now, if my two hundred and sixty workmen,
+      instead of cooking two hundred and sixty detestable dinners, were to unite
+      to prepare one good dinner for all of them, which might be done, thanks to
+      the savings of all sorts that would ensue, what an advantage for me and
+      them! Two or three women, aided by children, would suffice to make ready
+      the daily repasts; instead of buying wood and charcoal in fractions,(33)
+      and so paying for it double its value, the association of my workmen
+      would, upon my security (their wages would be an efficient security for me
+      in return), lay in their own stock of wood, flour, butter, oil, wine,
+      etc., all which they would procure directly from the producers. Thus, they
+      would pay three or four sous for a bottle of pure wholesome wine, instead
+      of paying twelve or fifteen sous for poison. Every week the association
+      would buy a whole ox, and some sheep, and the women would make bread, as
+      in the country. Finally, with these resources, and order, and economy, my
+      workmen may have wholesome, agreeable, and sufficient food, for from
+      twenty to twenty-five sous a day.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! this explains it, M. Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not all, mademoiselle. Our cool-headed speculator would continue:
+      &lsquo;Here are my workmen well lodged, well warmed, well fed, with a saving of
+      at least half; why should they not also be warmly clad? Their health will
+      then have every chance of being good, and health is labor. The association
+      will buy wholesale, and at the manufacturing price (still upon my
+      security, secured to me by their wages), warm, good, strong materials,
+      which a portion of the workmen&rsquo;s wives will be able to make into clothes
+      as well as any tailor. Finally, the consumption of caps and shoes being
+      considerable, the association will obtain them at a great reduction in
+      price.&rsquo; Well, Mdlle. Angela! what do you say to our speculator?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, M. Agricola,&rdquo; answered the young girl; with ingenuous admiration,
+      &ldquo;that it is almost incredible, and yet so simple!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, nothing is more simple than the good and beautiful, and yet we
+      think of it so seldom. Observe, that our man has only been speaking with a
+      view to his own interest&mdash;only considering the material side of the
+      question&mdash;reckoning for nothing the habit of fraternity and mutual
+      aid, which inevitably springs from living together in common&mdash;not
+      reflecting that a better mode of life improves and softens the character
+      of man&mdash;not thinking of the support and instruction which the strong
+      owe to the weak&mdash;not acknowledging, in fine, that the honest, active,
+      and industrious man has a positive right to demand employment from
+      society, and wages proportionate to the wants of his condition. No, our
+      speculator only thinks of the gross profits; and yet, you see, he invests
+      his money in buildings at five per cent., and finds the greatest
+      advantages in the material comfort of his workmen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, M. Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what will you say, mademoiselle, when I prove to you that our
+      speculator finds also a great advantage in giving to his workmen, in
+      addition to their regular wages, a proportionate share of his profits?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That appears to me more difficult to prove, M. Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet I will convince you of it in a few minutes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus conversing, Angela and Agricola had reached the garden-gate of the
+      Common Dwelling-house. An elderly woman, dressed plainly, but with care
+      and neatness, approached Agricola, and asked him: &ldquo;Has M. Hardy returned
+      to the factory, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, madame; but we expect him hourly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day, perhaps?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day or to-morrow, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You cannot tell me at what hour he will be here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not think it is known, madame, but the porter of the factory, who
+      also belongs to M. Hardy&rsquo;s private house, may, perhaps, be able to inform
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thank you, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite welcome, madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Agricola,&rdquo; said Angela, when the woman who had just questioned him was
+      gone, &ldquo;did you remark that this lady was very pale and agitated?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I noticed it as you did, mademoiselle; I thought I saw tears standing in
+      her eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, she seemed to have been crying. Poor woman! perhaps she came to ask
+      assistance of M. Hardy. But what ails you, M. Agricola? You appear quite
+      pensive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola had a vague presentiment that the visit of this elderly woman
+      with so sad a countenance, had some connection with the adventure of the
+      young and pretty lady, who, three days before had come all agitated and in
+      tears to inquire after M. Hardy, and who had learned&mdash;perhaps too
+      late&mdash;that she was watched and followed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said Agricola to Angela; &ldquo;but the presence of
+      this old lady reminded me of a circumstance, which, unfortunately, I
+      cannot tell you, for it is a secret that does not belong to me alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! do not trouble yourself, M. Agricola,&rdquo; answered the young girl, with
+      a smile; &ldquo;I am not inquisitive, and what we were talking of before
+      interests me so much, that I do not wish to hear you speak of anything
+      else.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then mademoiselle, I will say a few words more, and you will be as
+      well informed as I am of the secrets of our association.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am listening, M. Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us still keep in view the speculator from mere interest. &lsquo;Here are my
+      workmen, says he, &lsquo;in the best possible condition to do a great deal of
+      work. Now what is to be done to obtain large profits? Produce cheaply, and
+      sell dear. But there will be no cheapness, without economy in the use of
+      the raw material, perfection of the manufacturing process, and celerity of
+      labor. Now, in spite of all my vigilance, how am I to prevent my workmen
+      from wasting the materials? How am I to induce them, each in his own
+      province, to seek for the most simple and least irksome processes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, M. Agricola; how is that to be done?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;And that is not all,&rsquo; says our man; &lsquo;to sell my produce at high prices,
+      it should be irreproachable, excellent. My workmen do pretty well; but
+      that is not enough. I want them to produce masterpieces.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, M. Agricola, when they have once performed the task set them what
+      interest have workmen to give themselves a great deal of trouble to
+      produce masterpieces?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There it is, Mdlle. Angela; what interest have they? Therefore, our
+      speculator soon says to himself: &lsquo;That my workmen may have an interest to
+      be economical in the use of the materials, an interest to employ their
+      time well, an interest to invent new and better manufacturing processes,
+      an interest to send out of their hands nothing but masterpieces&mdash;I
+      must give them an interest in the profits earned by their economy,
+      activity, zeal and skill. The better they manufacture, the better I shall
+      sell, and the larger will be their gain and mine also.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! now I understand, M. Agricola.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And our speculator would make a good speculation. Before he was
+      interested, the workman said: &lsquo;What does it matter to me, that I do more
+      or do better in the course of the day? What shall I gain by it? Nothing.
+      Well, then, little work for little wages. But now, on the contrary (he
+      says), I have an interest in displaying zeal and economy. All is changed.
+      I redouble my activity, and strive to excel the others. If a comrade is
+      lazy, and likely to do harm to the factory, I have the right to say to
+      him: &lsquo;Mate, we all suffer more or less from your laziness, and from the
+      injury you are doing the common weal.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then, M. Agricola, with what ardor, courage, and hope, you must set
+      to work!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what our speculator counts on; and he may say to himself,
+      further: &lsquo;Treasures of experience and practical wisdom are often buried in
+      workshops, for want of goodwill, opportunity, or encouragement. Excellent
+      workmen, instead of making all the improvements in their power, follow
+      with indifference the old jog-trot. What a pity! for an intelligent man,
+      occupied all his life with some special employment, must discover, in the
+      long run, a thousand ways of doing his work better and quicker. I will
+      form, therefore, a sort of consulting committee; I will summon to it my
+      foremen and my most skillful workmen. Our interest is now the same. Light
+      will necessarily spring from this centre of practical intelligence.&rsquo; Now,
+      the speculator is not deceived in this, and soon struck with the
+      incredible resources, the thousand new, ingenious, perfect inventions
+      suddenly revealed by his workmen, &lsquo;Why&rsquo; he exclaims, &lsquo;if you knew this,
+      did you not tell it before? What for the last ten years has cost me a
+      hundred francs to make, would have cost me only fifty, without reckoning
+      an enormous saving of time.&rsquo; &lsquo;Sir,&rsquo; answers the workman, who is not more
+      stupid than others, &lsquo;what interest had I, that you should effect a saving
+      of fifty per cent? None. But now it is different. You give me, besides my
+      wages, a share in your profits; you raise me in my own esteem, by
+      consulting my experience and knowledge. Instead of treating me as an
+      inferior being, you enter into communion with me. It is my interest, it is
+      my duty, to tell you all I know, and to try to acquire more.&rsquo; And thus it
+      is, Mdlle. Angela, that the speculator can organize his establishment, so
+      as to shame his oppositionists, and provoke their envy. Now if, instead of
+      a cold hearted calculator, we tape a man who unites with the knowledge of
+      these facts the tender and generous sympathies of an evangelical heart,
+      and the elevation of a superior mind, he will extend his ardent
+      solicitude; not only to the material comfort, but to the moral
+      emancipation, of his workmen. Seeking everywhere every possible means to
+      develop their intelligence, to improve their hearts, and strong in the
+      authority acquired by his beneficence, feeling that he on whom depends the
+      happiness or the misery of three hundred human creatures has also the care
+      of souls, he will be the guide of those whom he no longer calls his
+      workmen, but his brothers, in a straightforward and noble path, and will
+      try to create in them the taste for knowledge and art, which will render
+      them happy and proud of a condition of life that is often accepted by
+      others with tears and curses of despair. Well, Mdlle. Angela, such a man
+      is&mdash;but, see! he could not arrive amongst us except in the middle of
+      a blessing. There he is&mdash;there is M. Hardy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, M. Agricola!&rdquo; said Angela, deeply moved, and drying her tears; &ldquo;we
+      should receive him with our hands clasped in gratitude.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look if that mild and noble countenance is not the image of his admirable
+      soul!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A carriage with post horses, in which was M. Hardy, with M. de Blessac,
+      the unworthy friend who was betraying him in so infamous a manner, entered
+      at this moment the courtyard of the factory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A little while after, a humble hackney-coach was seen advancing also
+      towards the factory, from the direction of Paris. In this coach was Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (30) The average price of a workman&rsquo;s lodging, composed of two small rooms
+      and a closet at most, on the third or fourth story.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (31) This calculation is amply sufficient, if not excessive. A similar
+      building, at one league from Paris, on the side of Montrouge, with all the
+      necessary offices, kitchen, wash-houses, etc., with gas and water laid on,
+      apparatus for warming, etc., and a garden of ten acres, cost, at the
+      period of this narrative, hardly five hundred thousand francs. An
+      experienced builder less obliged us with an estimate, which confirms what
+      we advance. It is, therefore, evident, that, even at the same price which
+      workmen are in the habit of paying, it would be possible to provide them
+      with perfectly healthy lodgings, and yet invest one&rsquo;s money at ten per
+      cent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (32) The fact was proved in the works connected with the Rouen Railway.
+      Those French workmen who, having no families, were able to live like the
+      English, did at least as much work as the latter, being strengthened by
+      wholesome and sufficient nourishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (33) Buying penny-worths, like all other purchases at minute retail, are
+      greatly to the poor man&rsquo;s disadvantage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0105" id="link2HCH0105">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LII. REVELATIONS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>uring the visit of Angela and Agricola to the Common Dwelling-house, the
+      band of Wolves, joined upon the road by many of the haunters of taverns,
+      continued to march towards the factory, which the hackney-coach, that
+      brought Rodin from Paris, was also fast approaching. M. Hardy, on getting
+      out of the carriage with his friend, M. de Blessac, had entered the parlor
+      of the house that he occupied next the factory. M. Hardy was of middle
+      size, with an elegant and slight figure, which announced a nature
+      essentially nervous and impressionable. His forehead was broad and open,
+      his complexion pale, his eyes black, full at once of mildness and
+      penetration, his countenance honest, intelligent, and attractive.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One word will paint the character of M. Hardy. His mother had called him
+      her Sensitive Plant. His was indeed one of those fine and exquisitely
+      delicate organizations, which are trusting, loving, noble, generous, but
+      so susceptible, that the least touch makes them shrink into themselves. If
+      we join to this excessive sensibility a passionate love for art, a
+      first-rate intellect, tastes essentially refined, and then think of the
+      thousand deceptions, and numberless infamies of which M. Hardy must have
+      been the victim in his career as a manufacturer, we shall wonder how this
+      heart, so delicate and tender, had not been broken a thousand times, in
+      its incessant struggle with merciless self-interest. M. Hardy had indeed
+      suffered much. Forced to follow the career of productive industry, to
+      honor the engagements of his father, a model of uprightness and probity,
+      who had yet left his affairs somewhat embarrassed, in consequence of the
+      events of 1815, he had succeeded, by perseverance and capacity, in
+      attaining one of the most honorable positions in the commercial world.
+      But, to arrive at this point, what ignoble annoyances had he to bear with,
+      what perfidious opposition to combat, what hateful rivalries to tire out!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sensitive as he was, M. Hardy would a thousand times have fallen a victim
+      to his emotions of painful indignation against baseness, of bitter disgust
+      at dishonesty, but for the wise and firm support of his mother. When he
+      returned to her, after a day of painful struggles with odious deceptions,
+      he found himself suddenly transported into an atmosphere of such
+      beneficent purity, of such radiant serenity, that he lost almost on the
+      instant the remembrance of the base things by which he had been so cruelly
+      tortured during the day; the pangs of his heart were appeased at the mere
+      contact of her great and lofty soul; and therefore his love for her
+      resembled idolatry. When he lost her, he experienced one of those calm,
+      deep sorrows which have no end&mdash;which become, as it were, part of
+      life, and have even sometimes their days of melancholy sweetness. A little
+      while after this great misfortune, M. Hardy became more closely connected
+      with his workmen. He had always been a just and good master; but, although
+      the place that his mother left in his heart would ever remain void, he
+      felt as it were a redoubled overflowing of the affections, and the more he
+      suffered, the more he craved to see happy faces around him. The wonderful
+      ameliorations, which he now produced in the physical and moral condition
+      of all about him, served, not to divert, but to occupy his grief. Little
+      by little, he withdrew from the world, and concentrated his life in three
+      affections: a tender and devoted friendship, which seemed to include all
+      past friendships&mdash;a love ardent and sincere, like a last passion&mdash;and
+      a paternal attachment to his workmen. His days therefore passed in the
+      heart of that little world, so full of respect and gratitude towards him&mdash;a
+      world, which he had, as it were, created after the image of his mind, that
+      he might find there a refuge from the painful realities he dreaded,
+      surrounded with good, intelligent, happy beings, capable of responding to
+      the noble thoughts which had become more and more necessary to his
+      existence. Thus, after many sorrows, M. Hardy, arrived at the maturity of
+      age, possessing a sincere friend, a mistress worthy of his love, and
+      knowing himself certain of the passionate devotion of his workmen, had
+      attained, at the period of this history, all the happiness he could hope
+      for since his mother&rsquo;s death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Blessac, his bosom friend, had long been worthy of his touching and
+      fraternal affection; but we have seen by what diabolical means Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin had succeeded in making M. de Blessac, until then
+      upright and sincere, the instrument of their machinations. The two
+      friends, who had felt on their journey a little of the sharp influence of
+      the north wind, were warming themselves at a good fire lighted in M.
+      Hardy&rsquo;s parlor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! my dear Marcel, I begin really to get old,&rdquo; said M. Hardy, with a
+      smile, addressing M. de Blessac; &ldquo;I feel more and more the want of being
+      at home. To depart from my usual habits has become painful to me, and I
+      execrate whatever obliges me to leave this happy little spot of ground.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And when I think,&rdquo; answered M. de Blessac, unable to forbear blushing,
+      &ldquo;when I think, my friend, that you undertook this long journey only for my
+      sake!&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear Marcel! have you not just accompanied me in your turn, in
+      an excursion which, without you, would have been as tiresome as it has
+      been charming?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a difference, my friend! I have contracted towards you a debt that I
+      can never repay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nonsense, my dear Marcel! Between us, there are no distinctions of meum
+      and tuum. Besides, in matters of friendship, it is as sweet to give as to
+      receive.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Noble heart! noble heart!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Say, happy heart!&mdash;most happy, in the last affections for which it
+      beats.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who, gracious heaven! could deserve happiness on earth, if it be not
+      you, my friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And to what do I owe that happiness? To the affections which I found
+      here, ready to sustain me, when deprived of the support of my mother, who
+      was all my strength, I felt myself (I confess my weakness) almost
+      incapable of standing up against adversity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, my friend&mdash;with so firm and resolute a character in doing good&mdash;you,
+      that I have seen struggle with so much energy and courage, to secure the
+      triumph of some great and noble idea?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but the farther I advance in my career, the more am I disgusted with
+      all base and shameful actions, and the less strength I feel to encounter
+      them&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Were it necessary, you would have the courage, my friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear Marcel,&rdquo; replied M. Hardy, with mild and restrained emotion, &ldquo;I
+      have often said to you: My courage was my mother. You see, my friend, when
+      I went to her, with my heart torn by some horrible ingratitude, or
+      disgusted by some base deceit, she, taking my hands between her own
+      venerable palms, would say to me in her grave and tender voice: &lsquo;My dear
+      child, it is for the ungrateful and dishonest to suffer; let us pity the
+      wicked, let us forget evil, and only think of good.&rsquo;&mdash;Then, my
+      friend, this heart, painfully contracted, expanded beneath the sacred
+      influence of the maternal words, and every day I gathered strength from
+      her, to recommence on the morrow a cruel struggle with the sad necessities
+      of my condition. Happily, it has pleased God, that, after losing that
+      beloved mother, I have been able to bind up my life with affections,
+      deprived of which, I confess, I should find myself feeble and disarmed for
+      you cannot tell, Marcel, the support, the strength that I have found in
+      your friendship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not speak of me, my dear friend,&rdquo; replied M. de Blessac, dissembling
+      his embarrassment. &ldquo;Let us talk of another affection, almost as sweet and
+      tender as that of a mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand you, my good Marcel,&rdquo; replied M. Hardy: &ldquo;I have concealed
+      nothing from you since, under such serious circumstances, I had recourse
+      to the counsels of your friendship. Well! yes; I think that every day I
+      live augment my adoration for this woman, the only one that I have ever
+      passionately loved, the only one that I shall now ever love. And then I
+      must tell you, that my mother, not knowing what Margaret was to me, as
+      often loud in her praise, and that circumstance renders this love almost
+      sacred in my eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then there are such strange resemblances between Mme. de Noisy&rsquo;s
+      character and yours, my friend; above all, in her worship of her mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, Marcel; that affection has often caused me both admiration
+      and torment. How often she has said to me, with her habitual frankness: &lsquo;I
+      have sacrificed all for you, but I would sacrifice you for my mother.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank heaven, my friend, you will never see Mme. de Noisy exposed to that
+      cruel choice. Her mother, you say, has long renounced her intention of
+      returning to America, where M. de Noisy, perfectly careless of his wife,
+      appears to have settled himself permanently. Thanks to the discreet
+      devotion of the excellent woman by whom Margaret was brought up, your love
+      is concealed in the deepest mystery. What could disturb it now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing&mdash;oh! nothing,&rdquo; cried M. Hardy. &ldquo;I have almost security for
+      its duration.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean, my friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know if I ought to tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you ever found me indiscreet, my friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, good Marcel! how can you suppose such a thing?&rdquo; said M. Hardy, in a
+      tone of friendly reproach; &ldquo;no! but I do not like to tell you of my
+      happiness, till it is complete; and I am not yet quite certain&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A servant entered at this moment and said to M. Hardy: &ldquo;Sir, there is an
+      old gentleman who wishes to speak to you on very pressing business.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So soon!&rdquo; said M. Hardy, with a slight movement of impatience. &ldquo;With your
+      permission, my friend.&rdquo; Then, as M. de Blessac seemed about to withdraw
+      into the next room, M. Hardy added with a smile: &ldquo;No, no; do not stir.
+      Your presence will shorten the interview.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if it be a matter of business, my friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do everything openly, as you know.&rdquo; Then, addressing the servant, M.
+      Hardy bade him: &ldquo;Ask the gentleman to walk in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The postilion wishes to know if he is to wait?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly: he will take M. de Blessac back to Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The servant withdrew, and presently returned, introducing Rodin, with whom
+      M. de Blessac was not acquainted, his treacherous bargain having been
+      negotiated through another agent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Hardy?&rdquo; said Rodin, bowing respectfully to the two friends, and
+      looking from one to the other with an air of inquiry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is my name, sir; what can I do to serve you?&rdquo; answered the
+      manufacturer, kindly; for, at first sight of the humble and ill-dressed
+      old man, he expected an application for assistance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Francois Hardy,&rdquo; repeated Rodin, as if he wished to make sure of the
+      identity of the person.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have had the honor to tell you that I am he.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have a private communication to make to you, sir,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may speak, sir. This gentleman is my friend,&rdquo; said M. Hardy, pointing
+      to M. de Blessac.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I wish to speak to you alone, sir,&rdquo; resumed Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Blessac was again about to withdraw, when M. Hardy retained him with
+      a glance, and said to Rodin kindly, for he thought his feelings might be
+      hurt by asking a favor in presence of a third party: &ldquo;Permit me to inquire
+      if it is on your account or on mine, that you wish this interview to be
+      secret?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On your account entirely, sir,&rdquo; answered Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, sir,&rdquo; said M. Hardy, with some surprise, &ldquo;you may speak out. I have
+      no secrets from this gentleman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, Rodin resumed, addressing himself to M. Hardy:
+      &ldquo;Sir, you deserve, I know, all the good that is said of you; and you
+      therefore command the sympathy of every honest man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope so, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, as an honest man, I come to render you a service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this service, sir&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To reveal to you an infamous piece of treachery, of which you have been
+      the victim.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think, sir, you must be deceived.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have the proofs of what I assert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Proofs?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The written proofs of the treachery that I come to reveal: I have them
+      here,&rdquo; answered Rodin &ldquo;In a word, a man whom you believed your friend, has
+      shamefully deceived you, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the name of this man?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Marcel de Blessac,&rdquo; replied Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words, M. de Blessac started, and became pale as death. He could
+      hardly murmur: &ldquo;Sir&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But, without looking at his friend, or perceiving his agitation, M. Hardy
+      seized his hand, and exclaimed hastily: &ldquo;Silence, my friend!&rdquo; Then, whilst
+      his eye flashed with indignation, he turned towards Rodin, who had not
+      ceased to look him full in the face, and said to him, with an air of lofty
+      disdain: &ldquo;What! do you accuse M. de Blessac?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I accuse him,&rdquo; replied Rodin, briefly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have never seen him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what do you accuse him? And how dare you say that he has betrayed me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two words, if you please,&rdquo; said Rodin, with an emotion which he appeared
+      hardly able to restrain. &ldquo;If one man of honor sees another about to be
+      slain by an assassin, ought he not give the alarm of murder?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; but what has that to do&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In my eyes, sir, certain treasons are as criminal as murders: I have come
+      to place myself between the assassin and his victim.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The assassin? the victim?&rdquo; said M. Hardy more and more astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You doubtless know M. de Blessac&rsquo;s writing?&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then read this,&rdquo; said Rodin, drawing from his pocket a letter, which he
+      handed to M. Hardy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Casting now for the first time a glance at M. de Blessac, the manufacturer
+      drew back a step, terrified at the death-like paleness of this man, who,
+      struck dumb with shame, could not find a word to justify himself; for he
+      was far from possessing the audacious effrontery necessary to carry him
+      through his treachery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marcel!&rdquo; cried M. Hardy, in alarm, and deeply agitated by this unexpected
+      blow. &ldquo;Marcel! how pale you are! you do not answer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marcel! this, then, is M. de Blessac?&rdquo; cried Rodin, feigning the most
+      painful surprise. &ldquo;Oh, sir, if I had known&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But don&rsquo;t you hear this man, Marcel?&rdquo; cried M. Hardy. &ldquo;He says that you
+      have betrayed me infamously.&rdquo; He seized the hand of M. de Blessac. That
+      hand was cold as ice. &ldquo;Oh, God! Oh God!&rdquo; said M. Hardy, drawing back in
+      horror: &ldquo;he makes no answer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20493m.jpg" alt="20493m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20493.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since I am in presence of M. de Blessac,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;I am forced to
+      ask him, if he can deny having addressed many letters to the Rue du Milieu
+      des Ursins, at Paris under cover of M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Blessac remained dumb. M. Hardy, still unwilling to believe what he
+      saw and heard, convulsively tore open the letter, which Rodin had just
+      delivered to him, and read the first few lines&mdash;interrupting the
+      perusal with exclamations of grief and amazement. He did not require to
+      finish the letter, to convince himself of the black treachery of M. de
+      Blessac. He staggered; for a moment his senses seemed to abandon him. The
+      horrible discovery made him giddy, and his head swam on his first look
+      down into that abyss of infamy. The loathsome letter dropped from his
+      trembling hands. But soon indignation, rage, and scorn succeeded this
+      moment of despair, and rushing, pale and terrible, upon M. de Blessac:
+      &ldquo;Wretch!&rdquo; he exclaimed, with a threatening gesture. But, pausing as in the
+      act to strike: &ldquo;No!&rdquo; he added, with fearful calmness. &ldquo;It would be to soil
+      my hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He turned towards Rodin, who had approached hastily, as if to interpose.
+      &ldquo;It is not worth while chastising a wretch,&rdquo; said M. Hardy; &ldquo;But I will
+      press your honest hand, sir&mdash;for you have had the courage to unmask a
+      traitor and a coward.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir!&rdquo; cried M. de Blessac, overcome with shame; &ldquo;I am at your orders&mdash;and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He could not finish. The sound of voices was heard behind the door, which
+      opened violently, and an aged woman entered, in spite of the efforts of
+      the servant, exclaiming in an agitated voice: &ldquo;I tell you, I must speak
+      instantly to your master.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On hearing this voice, and at sight of the pale, weeping woman, M. Hardy,
+      forgetting M. de Blessac, Rodin, the infamous treachery, and all, fell
+      back a step, and exclaimed: &ldquo;Madame Duparc! you here! What is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sir! a great misfortune&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Margaret!&rdquo; cried M. Hardy, in a tone of despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is gone, sir!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gone!&rdquo; repeated M. Hardy, as horror-struck as if a thunderbolt had fallen
+      at his feet. &ldquo;Margaret gone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20501m.jpg" alt="20501m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20501.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All is discovered. Her mother took her away&mdash;three days ago!&rdquo; said
+      the unhappy woman, in a failing voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gone! Margaret! It is not true. You deceive me,&rdquo; cried M. Hardy. Refusing
+      to hear more, wild, despairing, he rushed out of the house, threw himself
+      into his carriage, to which the post-horses were still harnessed, waiting
+      for M. de Blessac, and said to the postilion: &ldquo;To Paris! as fast as you
+      can go!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the carriage, rapid as lightning, started upon the road to Paris, the
+      wind brought nearer the distant sound of the war-song of the Wolves, who
+      were rushing towards the factory. In this impending destruction, see
+      Rodin&rsquo;s subtle hand, administering his fatal blows to clear his way up to
+      the chair of St. Peter to which he aspired. His tireless, wily course can
+      hardly be darker shadowed by aught save that dread coming horror the
+      Cholera, whose aid he evoked, and whose health the Bacchanal Queen wildly
+      drank.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That once gay girl, and her poor famished sister; the fair patrician and
+      her Oriental lover; Agricola, the workman, and his veteran father; the
+      smiling Rose-Pompon, and the prematurely withered Jacques Rennepont;
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, the mock priest; and Gabriel, the true disciple; with
+      the rest that have been named and others yet to be pictured, in the blaze
+      of the bolts of their life&rsquo;s paths, will be seen in the third and
+      concluding part of this romance entitled,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;THE WANDERING JEW: REDEMPTION.&rdquo; <a name="link2H_4_0120" id="link2H_4_0120">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK VIII.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_PART3" id="link2H_PART3">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      PART THIRD.&mdash;THE REDEMPTION.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     I. The Wandering Jew&rsquo;s Chastisement II. The Descendants of
+     the Wandering Jew III. The Attack IV. The Wolves and the
+     Devourers V. The Return VI. The Go-Between VII. Another
+     Secret VIII. The Confession IX. Love X. The Execution XI.
+     The Champs-Elysees XII. Behind the Scenes XIII. Up with the
+     Curtain XIV. Death
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0106" id="link2HCH0106">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I. THE WANDERING JEW&rsquo;S CHASTISEMENT.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &lsquo;Tis night&mdash;the moon is brightly shining, the brilliant stars are
+      sparkling in a sky of melancholy calmness, the shrill whistlings of a
+      northerly wind&mdash;cold, bleak, and evil-bearing&mdash;are increasing:
+      winding about, and bursting into violent blasts, with their harsh and
+      hissing gusts, they are sweeping the heights of Montmartre. A man is
+      standing on the very summit of the hill; his lengthened shadow, thrown out
+      by the moon&rsquo;s pale beams, darkens the rocky ground in the distance. The
+      traveller is surveying the huge city lying at his feet&mdash;the City of
+      Paris&mdash;from whose profundities are cast up its towers, cupolas,
+      domes, and steeples, in the bluish moisture of the horizon; while from the
+      very centre of this sea of stones is rising a luminous vapor, reddening
+      the starry azure of the sky above. It is the distant light of a myriad
+      lamps which at night, the season for pleasure, is illuminating the noisy
+      capital.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No!&rdquo; said the traveller, &ldquo;it will not be. The Lord surely will not suffer
+      it. Twice is quite enough. Five centuries ago, the avenging hand of the
+      Almighty drove me hither from the depths of Asia. A solitary wanderer, I
+      left in my track more mourning, despair, disaster, and death, than the
+      innumerable armies of a hundred devastating conquerors could have
+      produced. I then entered this city, and it was decimated. Two centuries
+      ago that inexorable hand which led me through the world again conducted me
+      here; and on that occasion, as on the previous one, that scourge, which at
+      intervals the Almighty binds to my footsteps, ravaged this city, attacking
+      first my brethren, already wearied by wretchedness and toil. My brethren!
+      through me&mdash;the laborer of Jerusalem, cursed by the Lord, who in my
+      person cursed the race of laborers&mdash;a race always suffering, always
+      disinherited, always slaves, who like me, go on, on, on, without rest or
+      intermission, without recompense, or hope; until at length, women, men,
+      children, and old men, die under their iron yoke of self-murder, that
+      others in their turn then take up, borne from age to age on their willing
+      but aching shoulders. And here again, for the third time, in the course of
+      five centuries, I have arrived at the summit of one of the hills which
+      overlooks the city; and perhaps I bring again with me terror, desolation,
+      and death. And this unhappy city, intoxicated in a whirl of joys, and
+      nocturnal revelries, knows nothing about it&mdash;oh! it knows not that I
+      am at its very gate. But no! no! my presence will not be a source of fresh
+      calamity to it. The Lord, in His unsearchable wisdom, has brought me
+      hither across France, making me avoid on my route all but the humblest
+      villages, so that no increase of the funeral knell has, marked my journey.
+      And then, moreover, the spectre has left me&mdash;that spectre, livid and
+      green, with its deep bloodshot eyes. When I touched the soil of France,
+      its moist and icy hand abandoned mine&mdash;it disappeared. And yet I feel
+      the atmosphere of death surrounding me still. There is no cessation; the
+      biting gusts of this sinister wind, which envelop me in their breath, seem
+      by their envenomed breath to propagate the scourge. Doubtless the anger of
+      the Lord is appeased. Maybe, my presence here is meant only as a threat,
+      intending to bring those to their senses whom it ought to intimidate. It
+      must be so; for were it otherwise, it would, on the contrary, strike a
+      loud-sounding blow of greater terror, casting at once dread and death into
+      the very heart of the country, into the bosom of this immense city. Oh,
+      no! no! the Lord will have mercy; He will not condemn me to this new
+      affliction. Alas! in this city my brethren are more numerous and more
+      wretched than in any other. And must I bring death to them? No! the Lord
+      will have mercy; for, alas! the seven descendants of my sister are at last
+      all united in this city. And must I bring death to them? Death! instead of
+      that immediate assistance they stand so much in need of? For that woman
+      who, like myself, wanders from one end of the world into the other, has
+      gone now on her everlasting journey, after having confounded their
+      enemies&rsquo; plots. In vain did she foretell that great evils still threatened
+      those who are akin to me through my sister&rsquo;s blood. The unseen hand by
+      which I am led, drives that woman away from me, even as though it were a
+      whirlwind that swept her on. In vain she entreated and implored at the
+      moment she was leaving those who are so dear to me.&mdash;At least, 0
+      Lord, permit me to stay until I shall have finished my task! Onward! A few
+      days, for mercy&rsquo;s sake, only a few days! Onward! I leave these whom I am
+      protecting on the very brink of an abyss! Onward! Onward!! And the
+      wandering star is launched afresh on its perpetual course. But her voice
+      traversed through space, calling me to the assistance of my own! When her
+      voice reached me I felt that the offspring of my sister were still exposed
+      to fearful dangers: those dangers are still increasing. Oh, say, say,
+      Lord! shall the descendants of my sister escape those woes which for so
+      many centuries have oppressed my race? Wilt Thou pardon me in them? Wilt
+      Thou punish me in them? Oh! lead them, that they may obey the last wishes
+      of their ancestor. Guide them, that they may join their charitable hearts,
+      their powerful strength, their best wisdom, and their immense wealth, and
+      work together for the future happiness of mankind, thereby, perhaps,
+      enabled to ransom me from my eternal penalties. Let those divine words of
+      the Son of Man, &lsquo;Love ye one another!&rsquo; be their only aim; and by the
+      assistance of their all-powerful words, let them contend against and
+      vanquish those false priests who have trampled on the precepts of love, of
+      peace, and hope commanded by the Saviour, setting up in their stead the
+      precepts of hatred, violence, and despair. Those false shepherds,
+      supported ay the powerful and wealthy of the world, who in all times have
+      been their accomplices, instead of asking here below a little happiness
+      for my brethren, who have been suffering and groaning for centuries, dare
+      to utter, in Thy name, O Lord! that the poor must always be doomed to the
+      tortures of this world, and that it is criminal in Thine eyes that they
+      should either wish for or hope a mitigation of their sufferings on earth,
+      because the happiness of the few and the wretchedness of nearly all
+      mankind is Thine almighty will. Blasphemies! is it not the contrary of
+      these homicidal words that is more worthy of the name of Divine will?
+      Hear, me, O Lord! for mercy&rsquo;s sake. Snatch from their enemies the
+      descendants of my sister, from the artisan up to the king&rsquo;s son. Do not
+      permit them to crush the germ of a mighty and fruitful association, which,
+      perhaps, under Thy protection, may take its place among the records of the
+      happiness of mankind. Suffer me, O Lord! to unite those whom they are
+      endeavoring to divide&mdash;to defend those whom they are attacking.
+      Suffer me to bring hope to those from whom hope has fled, to give courage
+      to those who are weak, to uphold those whom evil threatens, and to sustain
+      those who would persevere in well-doing. And then, perhaps, their
+      struggles, their devotedness, their virtues, this miseries might expiate
+      my sin. Yes, mine&mdash;misfortune, misfortune alone, made me unjust and
+      wicked. O Lord! since Thine almighty hand hath brought me hither, for some
+      end unknown to me, disarm Thyself, I implore Thee, of Thine anger, and let
+      not me be the instrument of Thy vengeance! There is enough of mourning in
+      the earth these two years past&mdash;Thy creatures have fallen by millions
+      in my footsteps. The world is decimated. A veil of mourning extends from
+      one end of the globe to the other. I have traveled from Asia even to the
+      Frozen Pole, and death has followed in my wake. Dost Thou not hear, O
+      Lord! the universal wailings that mount up to Thee? Have mercy upon all,
+      and upon me. One day, grant me but a single day, that I may collect the
+      descendants of my sister together, and save them!&rdquo; And uttering these
+      words, the wanderer fell upon his knees, and raised his hands to heaven in
+      a suppliant attitude.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, the wind howled with redoubled violence; its sharp whistlings
+      changed to a tempest. The Wanderer trembled, and exclaimed in a voice of
+      terror, &ldquo;O Lord! the blast of death is howling in its rage. It appears as
+      though a whirlwind were lifting me up. Lord, wilt Thou not, then, hear my
+      prayer? The spectre! O! do I behold the spectre? Yes, there it is; its
+      cadaverous countenance is agitated by convulsive throes, its red eyes are
+      rolling in their orbits. Begone! begone! Oh! its hand&mdash;its icy hand
+      has seized on mine! Mercy, Lord, have mercy! &lsquo;Onward!&rsquo; Oh, Lord! this
+      scourge, this terrible avenging scourge! Must I, then, again carry it into
+      this city, must my poor wretched brethren be the first to fall under it&mdash;though
+      already so miserable? Mercy, mercy! &lsquo;Onward!&rsquo; And the descendants of my
+      sister&mdash;oh, pray, have mercy, mercy! &lsquo;Onward!&rsquo; O Lord, have pity on
+      me! I can no longer keep my footing on the ground, the spectre is dragging
+      me over the brow of the hill; my course is as rapid as the death-bearing
+      wind that whistles in my track; I already approach the walls of the city.
+      Oh, mercy, Lord, mercy on the descendants of my sister&mdash;spare them!
+      do not compel me to be their executioner, and let them triumph over their
+      enemies. Onward, onward! The ground is fleeing from under me; I am already
+      at the city gate; oh, yet, Lord, yet there is time; oh, have mercy on this
+      slumbering city, that it may not even now awaken with the lamentations of
+      terror, of despair and death! O Lord, I touch the threshold of the gate;
+      verily Thou willest it so then. &lsquo;Tis done&mdash;Paris! the scourge is in
+      thy bosom! oh, cursed, cursed evermore am I. Onward! on! on!&rdquo;(34)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (34) In 1346, the celebrated Black Death ravaged the earth, presenting the
+      same symptoms as the cholera, and the same inexplicable phenomena as to
+      its progress and the results in its route. In 1660 a similar epidemic
+      decimated the world. It is well known that when the cholera first broke
+      out in Paris, it had taken a wide and unaccountable leap; and, also
+      memorable, a north-east wind prevailed during its utmost fierceness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0107" id="link2HCH0107">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II. THE DESCENDANTS OF THE WANDERING JEW.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>hat lonely wayfarer whom we have heard so plaintively urging to be
+      relieved of his gigantic burden of misery, spoke of &ldquo;his sister&rsquo;s
+      descendants&rdquo; being of all ranks, from the working man to the king&rsquo;s son.
+      They were seven in number, who had, in the year 1832, been led to Paris,
+      directly or indirectly, by a bronze medal which distinguished them from
+      others, bearing these words:-VICTIM of L. C. D. J. Pray for me!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &mdash;&mdash;-PARIS, February the 13th, 1682.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      IN PARIS, Rue St. Francois, No. 3, In a century and a half you will be.
+      February the 13th, 1832.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+ &mdash;&mdash;-PRAY FOR ME!
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The son of the King of Mundi had lost his father and his domains in India
+      by the irresistible march of the English, and was but in title Prince
+      Djalma. Spite of attempts to make his departure from the East delayed
+      until after the period when he could have obeyed his medal&rsquo;s command, he
+      had reached France by the second month of 1832. Nevertheless, the results
+      of shipwreck had detained him from Paris till after that date. A second
+      possessor of this token had remained unaware of its existence, only
+      discovered by accident. But an enemy who sought to thwart the union of
+      these seven members, had shut her up in a mad-house, from which she was
+      released only after that day. Not alone was she in imprisonment. An old
+      Bonapartist, General Simon, Marshal of France, and Duke de Ligny, had left
+      a wife in Russian exile, while he (unable to follow Napoleon to St.
+      Helena) continued to fight the English in India by means of Prince
+      Djalma&rsquo;s Sepoys, whom he drilled. On the latter&rsquo;s defeat, he had meant to
+      accompany his young friend to Europe, induced the more by finding that the
+      latter&rsquo;s mother, a Frenchwoman, had left him such another bronze medal as
+      he knew his wife to have had.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Unhappily, his wife had perished in Siberia, without his knowing it, any
+      more than he did, that she had left twin daughters, Rose and Blanche.
+      Fortunately for them, one who had served their father in the Grenadiers of
+      the Guard. Francis Baudoin, nicknamed Dagobert, undertook to fulfil the
+      dying mother&rsquo;s wishes, inspired by the medal. Saving a check at Leipsic,
+      where one Morok the lion-tamer&rsquo;s panther had escaped from its cage and
+      killed Dagobert&rsquo;s horse, and a subsequent imprisonment (which the
+      Wandering Jew&rsquo;s succoring hand had terminated) the soldier and his orphan
+      charges had reached Paris in safety and in time. But there, a renewal of
+      the foe&rsquo;s attempt had gained its end. By skillful devices, Dagobert and
+      his son Agricola were drawn out of the way while Rose and Blanche Simon
+      were decoyed into a nunnery, under the eyes of Dagobert&rsquo;s wife. But she
+      had been bound against interfering by the influence of the Jesuit
+      confessional. The fourth was M. Hardy, a manufacturer, and the fifth,
+      Jacques Rennepont, a drunken scamp of a workman, who were more easily
+      fended off, the latter in a sponging house, the former by a friend&rsquo;s lure.
+      Adrienne de Cardoville, daughter of the Count of Rennepont, who had also
+      been Duke of Cardoville, was the lady who had been unwarrantably placed in
+      the lunatic asylum. The fifth, unaware of the medal, was Gabriel, a youth,
+      who had been brought up, though a foundling, in Dagobert&rsquo;s family, as a
+      brother to Agricola. He had entered holy orders, and more, was a Jesuit,
+      in name though not in heart. Unlike the others, his return from abroad had
+      been smoothed. He had signed away all his future prospects, for the
+      benefit of the order of Loyola, and, moreover, executed a more complete
+      deed of transfer on the day, the 13th of February, 1832, when he, alone of
+      the heirs, stood in the room of the house, No. 3, Rue St. Francois,
+      claiming what was a vast surprise for the Jesuits, who, a hundred and
+      fifty years before, had discovered that Count Marius de Rennepont had
+      secreted a considerable amount of his wealth, all of which had been
+      confiscated to them, in those painful days of dragoonings, and the
+      revocation of the Edict of Nantes. They had bargained for some thirty or
+      forty millions of francs to be theirs, by educating Gabriel into resigning
+      his inheritance to them, but it was two hundred and twelve millions which
+      the Jesuit representatives (Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and his secretary, Rodin)
+      were amazed to hear their nursling placed in possession of. They had the
+      treasure in their hands, in fact, when a woman of strangely sad beauty had
+      mysteriously entered the room where the will had been read, and laid a
+      paper before the notary. It was a codicil, duly drawn up and signed,
+      deferring the carrying out of the testament until the first day of June
+      the same year. The Jesuits fled from the house, in rage and intense
+      disappointment. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny was so stupor-stricken at the defeat,
+      that he bade his secretary at once write off to Rome that the Rennepont
+      inheritance had escaped them, and hopes to seize it again were utterly at
+      an end. Upon this, Rodin had revolted, and shown that he had authority to
+      command where he had, so far, most humbly obeyed. Many such spies hang
+      about their superior&rsquo;s heels, with full powers to become the governor in
+      turn, at a moment&rsquo;s notice. Thenceforward, he, Rodin, had taken the
+      business into his own hands. He had let Rose and Blanche Simon out of the
+      convent into their father&rsquo;s arms. He had gone in person to release
+      Adrienne de Cardoville from the asylum. More, having led her to sigh for
+      Prince Djalma, he prompted the latter to burn for her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He let not M. Hardy escape. A friend whom the latter treated as a brother,
+      had been shown up to him as a mere spy of the Jesuits; the woman whom he
+      adored, a wedded woman, alas! who had loved him in spite of her vows, had
+      been betrayed. Her mother had compelled her to hide her shame in America,
+      and, as she had often said&mdash;&ldquo;Much as you are endeared to me, I cannot
+      waver between you and my mother!&rdquo; so she had obeyed, without one farewell
+      word to him. Confess, Rodin was a more dextrous man than his late master!
+      In the pages that ensue farther proofs of his superiority in baseness and
+      satanic heartlessness will not be wanting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0108" id="link2HCH0108">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER III. THE ATTACK.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>n M. Hardy&rsquo;s learning from the confidential go-between of the lovers,
+      that his mistress had been taken away by her mother, he turned from Rodin
+      and dashed away in a post carriage. At the same moment, as loud as the
+      rattle of the wheels, there arose the shouts of a band of workmen and
+      rioters, hired by the Jesuit&rsquo;s emissaries, coming to attack Hardy&rsquo;s
+      operatives. An old grudge long existing between them and a rival
+      manufacturer&rsquo;s&mdash;Baron Tripeaud&mdash;laborers, fanned the flames.
+      When M. Hardy had left the factory, Rodin, who was not prepared for this
+      sudden departure, returned slowly to his hackney-coach; but he stopped
+      suddenly, and started with pleasure and surprise, when he saw, at some
+      distance, Marshall Simon and his father advancing towards one of the wings
+      of the Common Dwelling-house; for an accidental circumstance had so far
+      delayed the interview of the father and son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well!&rdquo; said Rodin. &ldquo;Better and better! Now, only let my man have
+      found out and persuaded little Rose-Pompon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And Rodin hastened towards his hackney-coach. At this moment, the wind,
+      which continued to rise, brought to the ear of the Jesuit the war song of
+      the approaching Wolves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The workman was in the garden. The marshal said to him, in a voice of such
+      deep emotion that the old man started; &ldquo;Father, I am very unhappy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A painful expression, until then concealed, suddenly darkened the
+      countenance of the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You unhappy?&rdquo; cried father Simon, anxiously, as he pressed nearer to the
+      marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For some days, my daughters have appeared constrained in manner, and lost
+      in thought. During the first moments of our re-union, they were mad with
+      joy and happiness. Suddenly, all has changed; they are becoming more and
+      more sad. Yesterday, I detected tears in their eyes; then deeply moved, I
+      clasped them in my arms, and implored them to tell me the cause of their
+      sorrow. Without answering, they threw themselves on my neck, and covered
+      my face with their tears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange. To what do you attribute this alteration?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sometimes, I think I have not sufficiently concealed from them the grief
+      occasioned me by the loss of their mother, and they are perhaps miserable
+      that they do not suffice for my happiness. And yet (inexplicable as it is)
+      they seem not only to understand, but to share my sorrow. Yesterday,
+      Blanche said to me: &lsquo;How much happier still should we be, if our mother
+      were with us!&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sharing your sorrow, they cannot reproach you with it. There must be some
+      other cause for their grief.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the marshal, looking fixedly at his father; &ldquo;yes&mdash;but to
+      penetrate this secret&mdash;it would be necessary not to leave them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First learn, father, what are the duties which would keep me here; then
+      you shall know those which may take me away from you, from my daughters,
+      and from my other child.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What other child?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The son of my old friend, the Indian Prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma? Is there anything the matter with him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, he frightens me. I told you, father, of his mad and unhappy
+      passion for Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does that frighten you, my son?&rdquo; said the old man, looking at the marshal
+      with surprise. &ldquo;Djalma is only eighteen, and, at that age, one love drives
+      away another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have no idea of the ravages which the passion has already made in the
+      ardent, indomitable boy; sometimes, fits of savage ferocity follow the
+      most painful dejection. Yesterday, I came suddenly upon him; his eyes were
+      bloodshot, his features contracted with rage; yielding to an impulse of
+      mad furry, he was piercing with his poinard a cushion of red cloth, whilst
+      he exclaimed, panting for breath, &lsquo;Ha blood!&mdash;I will have blood!&rsquo;
+      &lsquo;Unhappy boy!&rsquo; I said to him, &lsquo;what means this insane passion?&rsquo; &lsquo;I&rsquo;m
+      killing the man!&rsquo; replied he, in a hollow and savage voice: it is thus he
+      designates his supposed rival.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is indeed something terrible,&rdquo; said the old man, &ldquo;in such a
+      passion, in such a heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At other times,&rdquo; resumed the marshal, &ldquo;it is against Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      that his rage bursts forth; and at others, against himself. I have been
+      obliged to remove his weapons, for a man who came with him from Java, and
+      who appears much attached to him, has informed me that he suspected him of
+      entertaining some thoughts of suicide.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunate boy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, father,&rdquo; said Marshal Simon, with profound bitterness; &ldquo;it is at
+      the moment when my daughters and my adopted son require all my solicitude,
+      that I am perhaps on the eve of quitting them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of quitting them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, to fulfil a still more sacred duty than that imposed by friendship
+      or family,&rdquo; said the marshal, in so grave and solemn a tone, that his
+      father exclaimed, with deep emotion: &ldquo;What can this duty be?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said the marshal, after remaining a moment in thoughtful
+      silence, &ldquo;who made me what I am? Who gave me the ducal title, and the
+      marshal&rsquo;s baton?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Napoleon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For you, the stern republican, I know that he lost all his value, when
+      from the first citizen of a Republic he became an emperor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cursed his weakness,&rdquo; said Father Simon, sadly; &ldquo;the demi-god sank into
+      a man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But for me, father&mdash;for me, the soldier, who have always fought
+      beside him, or under his eye&mdash;for me, whom he raised from the lowest
+      rank in the army to the highest&mdash;for me, whom he loaded with benefits
+      and marks of affection&mdash;for me, he was more than a hero, he was a
+      friend&mdash;and there was as much gratitude as admiration in my idolatry
+      for him. When he was exiled, I would fain have shared his exile; they
+      refused me that favor; then I conspired, then I drew my sword against
+      those who had robbed his son of the crown which France had given him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, in your position, you did well, Pierre; without sharing your
+      admiration, I understood your gratitude. The projects of exile, the
+      conspiracies&mdash;I approved them all&mdash;you know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, that disinherited child, in whose name I conspired seventeen
+      years ago, is now of an age to wield his father&rsquo;s sword.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Napoleon II!&rdquo; exclaimed the old man, looking at his son with surprise and
+      extreme anxiety; &ldquo;the king of Rome!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King? no; he is no longer king. Napoleon? no; he is no longer Napoleon.
+      They have given him some Austrian name, because the other frightened them.
+      Everything frightens them. Do you know what they are doing with the son of
+      the Emperor?&rdquo; resumed the marshal, with painful excitement. &ldquo;They are
+      torturing him&mdash;killing him by inches!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Somebody who knows, whose words are but too true. Yes; the son of the
+      Emperor struggles with all his strength against a premature death. With
+      his eyes turned towards France, he waits&mdash;he waits&mdash;and no one
+      comes&mdash;no one&mdash;out of all the men that his father made as great
+      as they once were little, not one thinks of that crowned child, whom they
+      are stifling, till he dies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you think of him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but I had first to learn&mdash;oh! there is no doubt of it, for I
+      have not derived all my information from the same source&mdash;I had first
+      to learn the cruel fate of this youth, to whom I also swore allegiance;
+      for one day, as I have told you, the Emperor, proud and loving father as
+      he was, showed him to me in his cradle, and said: &lsquo;My old friend, you will
+      be to the son what you have been to the father; who loves us, loves our
+      France.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I know it. Many times you have repeated those words to me, and, like
+      yourself, I have been moved by them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, father! suppose, informed of the sufferings of the son of the
+      Emperor, I had seen&mdash;with the positive certainty that I was not
+      deceived&mdash;a letter from a person of high rank in the court of Vienna,
+      offering to a man that was still faithful to the Emperor&rsquo;s memory, the
+      means of communicating with the king of Rome, and perhaps of saving him
+      from his tormentors&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; said the workman, looking fixedly at his son. &ldquo;Suppose
+      Napoleon II. once at liberty&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo; exclaimed the marshal. Then he added, in a suppressed voice:
+      &ldquo;Do you think, father, that France is insensible to the humiliations she
+      endures? Do you think that the memory of the Emperor is extinct? No, no;
+      it is, above all, in the days of our country&rsquo;s degredation, that she
+      whispers that sacred name. How would it be, then, were that name to rise
+      glorious on the frontier, reviving in his son? Do you not think that the
+      heart of all France would beat for him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This implies a conspiracy&mdash;against the present government&mdash;with
+      Napoleon II. for a watchword,&rdquo; said the workman. &ldquo;This is very serious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I told you, father, that I was very unhappy; judge if it be not so,&rdquo;
+       cried the marshal. &ldquo;Not only I ask myself, if I ought to abandon my
+      children and you, to run the risk of so daring an enterprise, but I ask
+      myself if I am not bound to the present government, which, in
+      acknowledging my rank and title, if it bestowed no favor, at least did me
+      an act of justice. How shall I decide?&mdash;abandon all that I love, or
+      remain insensible to the tortures of Emperor&mdash;of that Emperor to the
+      son of the whom I owe everything&mdash;to whom I have sworn fidelity, both
+      to himself and child? Shall I lose this only opportunity, perhaps, of
+      saving him, or shall I conspire in his favor? Tell me, if I exaggerate
+      what I owe to the memory of the Emperor? Decide for me, father! During a
+      whole sleepless night, I strove to discover, in the midst of this chaos,
+      the line prescribed by honor; but I only wandered from indecision to
+      indecision. You alone, father&mdash;you alone, I repeat, can direct me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After remaining for some moments in deep thought, the old man was about to
+      answer, when some person, running across the little garden, opened the
+      door hastily, and entered the room in which were the marshal and his
+      father. It was Olivier, the young workman, who had been able to effect his
+      escape from the village in which the Wolves had assembled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Simon! M. Simon!&rdquo; cried he, pale, and panting for breath. &ldquo;They are
+      here&mdash;close at hand. They have come to attack the factory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who?&rdquo; cried the old man, rising hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Wolves, quarrymen, and stone-cutters, joined on the road by a crowd
+      of people from the neighborhood, and vagabonds from town. Do you not hear
+      them? They are shouting, &lsquo;Death to the Devourers!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The clamor was indeed approaching, and grew more and more distinct.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the same noise that I heard just now,&rdquo; said the marshal, rising in
+      his turn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are more than two hundred of them, M. Simon,&rdquo; said Olivier; &ldquo;they
+      are armed with clubs and stones, and unfortunately the greater part of our
+      workmen are in Paris. We are not above forty here in all; the women and
+      children are already flying to their chambers, screaming for terror. Do
+      you not hear them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The ceiling shook beneath the tread of many hasty feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will this attack be a serious one?&rdquo; said the marshal to his father, who
+      appeared more and more dejected.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very serious,&rdquo; said the old man; &ldquo;there is nothing more fierce than these
+      combats between different unions; and everything has been done lately to
+      excite the people of the neighborhood against the factory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you are so inferior in number,&rdquo; said the marshal, &ldquo;you must begin by
+      barricading all the doors&mdash;and then&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He was unable to conclude. A burst of ferocious cries shook the windows of
+      the room, and seemed so near and loud, that the marshal, his father, and
+      the young workman, rushed out into the little garden, which was bounded on
+      one side by a wall that separated it from the fields. Suddenly whilst the
+      shouts redoubled in violence, a shower of large stones, intended to break
+      the windows of the house, smashed some of the panes on the first story,
+      struck against the wall, and fell into the garden, all around the marshal
+      and his father. By a fatal chance, one of these large stones struck the
+      old man on the head. He staggered, bent forward, and fell bleeding into
+      the arms of Marshal Simon, just as arose from without, with increased
+      fury, the savage cries of, &ldquo;Death to the Devourers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0109" id="link2HCH0109">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IV. THE WOLVES AND THE DEVOURERS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t was a frightful thing to view the approach of the lawless crowd, whose
+      first act of hostility had been so fatal to Marshal Simon&rsquo;s father. One
+      wing of the Common Dwelling-house, which joined the garden-wall on that
+      side, was next to the fields. It was there that the Wolves began their
+      attack. The precipitation of their march, the halt they had made at two
+      public-houses on the road, their ardent impatience for the approaching
+      struggle, had inflamed these men to a high pitch of savage excitement.
+      Having discharged their first shower of stones, most of the assailants
+      stooped down to look for more ammunition. Some of them, to do so with
+      greater ease, held their bludgeons between their teeth; others had placed
+      them against the wall; here and there, groups had formed tumultuously
+      round the principal leaders of the band; the most neatly dressed of these
+      men wore frocks, with caps, whilst others were almost in rags, for, as we
+      have already said, many of the hangers-on at the barriers, and people
+      without any profession, had joined the troop of the Wolves, whether
+      welcome or not. Some hideous women, with tattered garments, who always
+      seem to follow in the track of such people, accompanied them on this
+      occasion, and, by their cries and fury, inflamed still more the general
+      excitement. One of them, tall, robust, with purple complexion, blood shot
+      eyes, and toothless jaws, had a handkerchief over her head, from beneath
+      which escaped her yellow, frowsy hair. Over her ragged gown, she wore an
+      old plaid shawl, crossed over her bosom, and tied behind her back. This
+      hag seemed possessed with a demon. She had tucked up her half-torn
+      sleeves; in one hand she brandished a stick, in the other she grasped a
+      huge stone; her companions called her Ciboule (scullion).
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This horrible hag exclaimed, in a hoarse voice: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll bite the women of
+      the factory; I&rsquo;ll make them bleed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The ferocious words were received with applause by her companions, and
+      with savage cries of &ldquo;Ciboule forever!&rdquo; which excited her to frenzy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amongst the other leaders, was a small, dry pale man, with the face of a
+      ferret, and a black beard all round the chin; he wore a scarlet Greek cap,
+      and beneath his long blouse, perfectly new, appeared a pair of neat cloth
+      trousers, strapped over thin boots. This man was evidently of a different
+      condition of life from that of the other persons in the troop; it was he,
+      in particular, who ascribed the most irritating and insulting language to
+      the workmen of the factory, with regard to the inhabitants of the
+      neighborhood. He howled a great deal, but he carried neither stick nor
+      stone. A full-faced, fresh-colored man, with a formidable bass voice, like
+      a chorister&rsquo;s, asked him: &ldquo;Will you not have a shot at those impious dogs,
+      who might bring down the Cholera on the country, as the curate told us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will have a better shot than you,&rdquo; said the little man, with a
+      singular, sinister smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And with what, I&rsquo;d like to see?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Probably, with this,&rdquo; said the little man, stooping to pick up a large
+      stone; but, as he bent, a well-filled though light bag, which he appeared
+      to carry under his blouse, fell to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look, you are losing both bag and baggage,&rdquo; said the other; &ldquo;it does not
+      seem very heavy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are samples of wool,&rdquo; answered the man with the ferret&rsquo;s face, as he
+      hastily picked up the bag, and replaced it under his blouse; then he
+      added: &ldquo;Attention! the big blaster is going to speak.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, in fact, he who exercised the most complete ascendency over this
+      irritated crowd was the terrible quarryman. His gigantic form towered so
+      much above the multitude, that his great head, bound in its ragged
+      handkerchief, and his Herculean shoulders, covered with a fallow goat
+      skin, were always visible above the level of that dark and swarming crowd,
+      only relieved here and there by a few women&rsquo;s caps, like so many white
+      points. Seeing to what a degree of exasperation the minds of the crowd had
+      reached, the small number of honest, but misguided workmen, who had
+      allowed themselves to be drawn into this dangerous enterprise, under the
+      pretext of a quarrel between rival unions, now fearing for the
+      consequences of the struggle, tried, but too late, to abandon the main
+      body. Pressed close, and as it were, girt in with the more hostile groups,
+      dreading to pass for cowards, or to expose themselves to the bad treatment
+      of the majority, they were forced to wait for a more favorable moment to
+      effect their escape. To the savage cheers, which had accompanied the first
+      discharge of stones, succeeded a deep silence commanded by the stentorian
+      voice of the quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Wolves have howled,&rdquo; he exclaimed; &ldquo;let us wait and see how the
+      Devourers will answer, and when they will begin the fight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must draw them out of their factory, and fight them on neutral
+      ground,&rdquo; said the little man with the ferret&rsquo;s face, who appeared to be
+      the thieves&rsquo; advocate; &ldquo;otherwise there would be trespass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20511m.jpg" alt="20511m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20511.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do we care about trespass?&rdquo; cried the horrible hag, Ciboule; &ldquo;in or
+      out, I will tear the chits of the factory.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes,&rdquo; cried other hideous creatures, as ragged as Ciboule herself;
+      &ldquo;we must not leave all to the men.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must have our fun, too!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The women of the factory say that all the women of the neighborhood are
+      drunken drabs,&rdquo; cried the little man with the ferret&rsquo;s face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good! we&rsquo;ll pay them for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The women shall have their share.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our business.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They like to sing in their Common House,&rdquo; cried Ciboule; &ldquo;we will make
+      them sing the wrong side of their mouths, in the key of &lsquo;Oh, dear me!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This pleasantry was received with shouts, hootings, and furious stamping
+      of feet, to which the stentorian voice of the quarryman put a term by
+      roaring: &ldquo;Silence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence! silence!&rdquo; repeated the crowd. &ldquo;Hear the blaster!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the Devourers are cowards enough not to dare to show themselves, after
+      a second volley of stones, there is a door down there which we can break
+      open, and we will soon hunt them from their holes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would be better to draw them out, so that none might remain in the
+      factory,&rdquo; said the little old man with the ferret&rsquo;s face, who appeared to
+      have some secret motive.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A man fights where he can,&rdquo; cried the quarryman, in a voice of thunder;
+      &ldquo;all, right, if we can but once catch hold. We could fight on a sloping
+      roof, or on the top of a wall&mdash;couldn&rsquo;t we, my Wolves?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes!&rdquo; cried the crowd, still more excited by those savage words; &ldquo;if
+      they don&rsquo;t come out, we will break in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will see their fine palace!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The pagans haven&rsquo;t even a chapel,&rdquo; said the bass voice. &ldquo;The curate has
+      damned them all!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why should they have a palace, and we nothing but dog-kennels?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hardy&rsquo;s workmen say that kennels are good enough for such as you.&rdquo; said
+      the little man with the ferret&rsquo;s face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! they said so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll break all their traps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll pull down their bazaar.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll throw the house out of the windows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When we have made the mealy-mouthed chits sing,&rdquo; cried Ciboule, &ldquo;we will
+      make them dance to the clatter of stones on their heads.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my Wolves! attention!&rdquo; cried the quarryman, still in the same
+      stentorian voice; &ldquo;one more volley, and if the Devourers do not come out,
+      down with the door!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This proposition was received with cheers of savage ardor, and the
+      quarryman, whose voice rose above the tumult, cried with all the strength
+      of his herculean lungs: &ldquo;Attention, my Wolves. Make ready! all together.
+      Now, are you ready?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;all ready!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, present!&mdash;fire!&rdquo; And, for the second time, a shower of
+      enormous stones poured upon that side of the Common Dwelling-house which
+      was turned towards the fields. A part of these projectiles broke such of
+      the windows as had been spared by the first volley. To the sharp smashing
+      and cracking of glass were joined the ferocious cries uttered in chorus by
+      this formidable mob, drunk with its own excesses: &ldquo;Death to the
+      Devourers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon these outcries became perfectly frantic, when, through the broken
+      windows, the assailants perceived women running in terror, some with
+      children in their arms, and others raising their hands to heaven, calling
+      aloud for help; whilst a few, bolder than the rest, leaned out of the
+      windows, and tried to fasten the outside blinds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There come the ants out of their holes!&rdquo; cried Ciboule, stooping to pick
+      up a stone. &ldquo;We must have a fling at them for luck!&rdquo; The stone, hurled by
+      the steady, masculine hand of the virago, went straight to its mark, and
+      struck an unfortunate woman who was trying to close one of the shutters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hit in the white!&rdquo; cried the hideous creature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well done, Ciboule!&mdash;you&rsquo;ve rapped her coker-nut!&rdquo; cried a voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ciboule forever!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come out, you Devourers, if you dare!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have said a hundred times, that the neighbors were too cowardly even
+      to come and look at their house,&rdquo; squealed the little man with the
+      ferret&rsquo;s face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now they show the white feather!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If they will not come out,&rdquo; cried the quarryman, in voice of thunder,
+      &ldquo;let us smoke them out!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s break open the door!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are sure to find them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come on! come on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The crowd, with the quarryman at their head, and Ciboule not far from him,
+      brandishing a stick, advanced tumultously towards one of the great doors.
+      The ground shook beneath the rapid tread of the mob, which had now ceased
+      shouting; but the confused, and, as it were, subterraneous noise, sounded
+      even more ominous than those savage outcries. The Wolves soon arrived
+      opposite the massive oaken door. At the moment the blaster raised a
+      sledgehammer, the door opened suddenly. Some of the most determined of the
+      assailants were about to rush in at this entrance; but the quarryman
+      stepped back, extending his arm as if to moderate their ardor and impose
+      silence. Then his followers gathered round him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The half-open door discovered a party of workmen, unfortunately by no
+      means numerous, but with countenances full of resolution. They had armed
+      themselves hastily with forks, iron bars, and clubs. Agricola, who was
+      their leader, held in his hand a heavy sledge-hammer. The young workman
+      was very pale; but the fire of his eye, his menacing look, and the
+      intrepid assurance of his bearing, showed that his father&rsquo;s blood boiled
+      in his veins, and that in such a struggle he might become fear-inspiring.
+      Yet he succeeded in restraining himself, and challenged the quarryman, in
+      a firm voice: &ldquo;What do you want?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A fight!&rdquo; thundered the blaster.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! a fight!&rdquo; repeated the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence, my Wolves!&rdquo; cried the quarryman, as he turned round, and
+      stretched forth his large hand towards the multitude. Then addressing
+      Agricola, he said: &ldquo;The Wolves have come to ask for a fight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With whom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the Devourers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are no Devourers here,&rdquo; replied Agricola; &ldquo;we are only peaceable
+      workmen. So begone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! here are the Wolves, that will eat your quiet workmen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Wolves will eat no one here,&rdquo; said Agricola, looking full at the
+      quarryman, who approached him with a threatening air; &ldquo;they can only
+      frighten little children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you think so,&rdquo; said the quarryman, with a savage sneer. Then raising
+      his weapon, he shook it in Agricola&rsquo;s face, exclaiming: &ldquo;Is that any
+      laughing matter?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that?&rdquo; answered Agricola, with a rapid movement, parrying the stone
+      sledge with his own hammer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Iron against iron&mdash;hammer against hammer&mdash;that suits me,&rdquo; said
+      the quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It does not matter what suits you,&rdquo; answered Agricola, hardly able to
+      restrain himself. &ldquo;You have broken our windows, frightened our women, and
+      wounded&mdash;perhaps killed&mdash;the oldest workman in the factory, who
+      at this moment lies bleeding in the arms of his son.&rdquo; Here Agricola&rsquo;s
+      voice trembled in spite of himself. &ldquo;It is, I think, enough.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; the Wolves are hungry for more,&rdquo; answered the blaster; &ldquo;you must come
+      out (cowards that you are!), and fight us on the plain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! yes! battle!&mdash;let them come out!&rdquo; cried the crowd, howling,
+      hissing, waving their sticks and pushing further into the small space
+      which separated them from the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will have no battle,&rdquo; answered Agricola: &ldquo;we will not leave our home;
+      but if you have the misfortune to pass this,&rdquo; said Agricola, throwing his
+      cap upon the threshold, and setting his foot on it with an intrepid air,
+      &ldquo;if you pass this, you attack us in our own house, and you will be
+      answerable for all that may happen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There or elsewhere we will have the fight! the Wolves must eat the
+      Devourers. Now for the attack!&rdquo; cried the fierce quarryman, raising his
+      hammer to strike Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the latter, throwing himself on one side by a sudden leap, avoided the
+      blow, and struck with his hammer full at the chest of the quarryman, who
+      staggered for a moment, but instantly recovering his legs, rushed
+      furiously on Agricola, crying: &ldquo;Follow me, Wolves!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0110" id="link2HCH0110">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER V. THE RETURN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>s soon as the combat had begun between Agricola and the blaster, the
+      general fight became terrible, ardent, implacable. A flood of assailants,
+      following the quarryman&rsquo;s steps, rushed into the house with irresistible
+      fury; others, unable to force their way through this dreadful crowd, where
+      the more impetuous squeezed, stifled, and crushed these who were less so,
+      went round in another direction, broke through some lattice work, and thus
+      placed the people of the factory, as it were, between two fires. Some
+      resisted courageously; others, seeing Ciboule, followed by some of her
+      horrible companions, and by several of the most ill-looking ruffians,
+      hastily enter that part of the Common-Dwelling house in which the women
+      had taken refuge, hurried in pursuit of this band; but some of the hag&rsquo;s
+      companions, having faced about, and vigorously defended the entrance of
+      the staircase against the workmen, Ciboule, with three or four like
+      herself, and about the same number of no less ignoble men, rushed through
+      the rooms, with the intention of robbing or destroying all that came in
+      their way. A door, which at first resisted their efforts, was soon broken
+      through; Ciboule rushed into the apartment with a stick in her hand, her
+      hair dishevelled, furious, and, as it were, maddened with the noise and
+      tumult. A beautiful young girl (it was Angela), who appeared anxious to
+      defend the entrance to a second chamber, threw herself on her knees, pale
+      and supplicating, and raising her clasped hands, exclaimed: &ldquo;Do not hurt
+      my mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll serve you out first, and your mother afterwards,&rdquo; replied the
+      horrible woman, throwing herself on the poor girl, and endeavoring to tear
+      her face with her nails, whilst the rest of the ruffianly band broke the
+      glass and the clock with their sticks, and possessed themselves of some
+      articles of wearing apparel.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20517m.jpg" alt="20517m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20517.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Angela, struggling with Ciboule, uttered loud cries of distress, and still
+      attempted to guard the room in which her mother had taken refuge; whilst
+      the latter, leaning from the window, called Agricola to their assistance.
+      The smith was now engaged with the huge blaster. In a close struggle,
+      their hammers had become useless, and with bloodshot eyes and clinched
+      teeth, chest to chest, and limbs twined together like two serpents, they
+      made the most violent efforts to overthrow each other. Agricola, bent
+      forward, held under his right arm the left leg of the quarryman, which he
+      had seized in parrying a violent kick; but such was the Herculean strength
+      of the leader of the Wolves, that he remained firm as a tower, though
+      resting only on one leg. With the hand that was still free (for the other
+      was gripped by Agricola as in a vise), he endeavored with violent blows to
+      break the jaws of the smith, who, leaning his head forward, pressed his
+      forehead hard against the breast of his adversary.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Wolf will break the Devourer&rsquo;s teeth, and he shall devour no more,&rdquo;
+       said the quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are no true Wolf,&rdquo; answered the smith, redoubling his efforts; &ldquo;the
+      true Wolves are honest fellows, and do not come ten against one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True or false, I will break your teeth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I your paw,&rdquo; said the smith, giving so violent a wrench to the leg of
+      the quarryman, that the latter uttered a cry of acute pain, and, with the
+      rage of a wild beast, butting suddenly forward with his head, succeeded in
+      biting Agricola in the side of the neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The pang of this bite forced Agricola to make a movement, which enabled
+      the quarryman to disengage his leg. Then, with a superhuman effort, he
+      threw himself with his whole weight on Agricola, and brought him to the
+      ground, falling himself upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this juncture, Angela&rsquo;s mother, leaning from one of the windows of the
+      Common Dwelling-house, exclaimed in a heart-rending voice: &ldquo;Help,
+      Agricola!&mdash;they are killing my child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me go&mdash;and on, my honor&mdash;I will fight you tomorrow, or when
+      you will,&rdquo; said Agricola, panting for breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No warmed-up food for me; I eat all hot,&rdquo; answered the quarryman, seizing
+      the smith by the throat, whilst he tried to place one of his knees upon
+      his chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Help!&mdash;they are killing my child!&rdquo; cried Angela&rsquo;s mother, in a voice
+      of despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mercy! I ask mercy! Let me go!&rdquo;&rsquo; said Agricola, making the most violent
+      efforts to escape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am too hungry,&rdquo; answered the quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Exasperated by the terror which Angela&rsquo;s danger occasioned him, Agricola
+      redoubled his efforts, when the quarryman suddenly felt his thigh seized
+      by the sharp teeth of a dog, and at the same instant received from a
+      vigorous hand three or four heavy blows with a stick upon his head. He
+      relaxed his grasp, and fell stunned upon his hand and knee, whilst he
+      mechanically raised his other arm to parry the blows, which ceased as soon
+      as Agricola was delivered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, you have saved me!&rdquo; cried the smith, springing up. &ldquo;If only I am
+      in time to rescue Angela!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Run!&mdash;never mind me!&rdquo; answered Dagobert; and Agricola rushed into
+      the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dogabert, accompanied by Spoil-sport, had come, as we have already said,
+      to bring Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters to their grandfather. Arriving in the
+      midst of the tumult, the soldier had collected a few workmen to defend the
+      entrance of the chamber, to which the marshal&rsquo;s father had been carried in
+      a dying state. It was from this post that the soldier had seen Agricola&rsquo;s
+      danger. Soon after, the rush of the conflict separated Dagobert from the
+      quarryman, who remained for some moments insensible. Arrived in two bounds
+      at the Common Dwelling-house, Agricola succeeded in forcing his way
+      through the men who defended the staircase, and rushed into the corridor
+      that led to Angela&rsquo;s chamber. At the moment he reached it, the unfortunate
+      girl was mechanically guarding her face with both hands against Ciboule,
+      who, furious as the hyena over its prey, was trying to scratch and
+      disfigure her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To spring upon the horrible hag, seize her by her yellow hair with
+      irresistible hand, drag her backwards, and then with one cuff, stretch her
+      full length upon the ground, was for Agricola an achievement as rapid as
+      thought. Furious with rage, Ciboule rose again almost instantly; but at
+      this moment, several workmen, who had followed close upon Agricola, were
+      able to attack with advantage, and whilst the smith lifted the fainting
+      form of Angela, and carried her into the next room, Ciboule and her band
+      were driven from that part of the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After the first fire of the assault, the small number of real Wolves, who,
+      as Agricola said, were in the main honest fellows, but had the weakness to
+      let themselves be drawn into this enterprise, under the pretext of a
+      quarrel between rival unions, seeing the excesses committed by the rabble
+      who accompanied them, turned suddenly round, and ranged themselves on the
+      side of the Devourers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are no longer here either Wolves or Devourers,&rdquo; said one of the
+      most determined Wolves to Olivier, with whom he had been fighting roughly
+      and fairly; &ldquo;there are none here but honest workmen, who must unite to
+      drive out a set of scoundrels, that have come only to break and pillage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; added another; &ldquo;it was against our will that they began by breaking
+      your windows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The big blaster did it all,&rdquo; said another; &ldquo;the true Wolves wash their
+      hands of him. We shall soon settle his account.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We may fight every day&mdash;but we ought to esteem each other.&rdquo;(35)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This defection of a portion of the assailants (unfortunately but a small
+      portion) gave new spirit to the workmen of the factory, and all together,
+      Wolves and Devourers, though very inferior in number, opposed themselves
+      to the band of vagabonds, who were proceeding to new excesses. Some of
+      these wretches, still further excited by the little man with the ferret&rsquo;s
+      face, a secret emissary of Baron Tripeaud, now rushed in a mass towards
+      the workshops of M. Hardy. Then began a lamentable devastation. These
+      people, seized with the mania of destruction, broke without remorse
+      machines of the greatest value, and most delicate construction; half
+      manufactured articles were pitilessly destroyed; a savage emulation seemed
+      to inspire these barbarians, and those workshops, so lately the model of
+      order and well-regulated economy, were soon nothing but a wreck; the
+      courts were strewed with fragments of all kinds of wares, which were
+      thrown from the windows with ferocious outcries, or savage bursts of
+      laughter. Then, still thanks to the incitements of the little man with the
+      ferret&rsquo;s face, the books of M. Hardy, archives of commercial industry, so
+      indispensable to the trader, were scattered to the wind, torn, trampled
+      under foot, in a sort of infernal dance, composed of all that was most
+      impure in this assembly of low, filthy, and ragged men and women, who held
+      each other by the hand, and whirled round and round with horrible clamor.
+      Strange and painful contrasts! At the height of the stunning noise of
+      these horrid deeds of tumult and devastation, a scene of imposing and
+      mournful calm was taking place in the chamber of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s father,
+      the door of which was guarded by a few devoted men. The old workman was
+      stretched on his bed, with a bandage across his blood stained white hair.
+      His countenance was livid, his breathing oppressed, his look fixed and
+      glazed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Marshal Simon, standing at the head of the bed, bending over his father,
+      watched in despairing anguish the least sign of consciousness on the part
+      of the dying man, near whom was a physician, with his finger on the
+      failing pulse. Rose and Blanche, brought hither by Dagobert, were kneeling
+      beside the bed, their hands clasped, and their eyes bathed in tears; a
+      little further, half hidden in the shadows of the room, for the hours had
+      passed quickly, and the night was at hand, stood Dagobert himself, with
+      his arms crossed upon his breast, and his features painfully contracted. A
+      profound and solemn silence reigned in this chamber, only interrupted by
+      the broken sobs of Rose and Blanche, or by Father Simon&rsquo;s hard breathing.
+      The eyes of the marshal were dry, gloomy, and full of fire. He only
+      withdrew them from his father&rsquo;s face, to interrogate the physician by a
+      look. There are strange coincidences in life. That physician was Dr.
+      Baleinier. The asylum of the doctor being close to the barrier that was
+      nearest to the factory, and his fame being widely spread in the
+      neighborhood, they had run to fetch him on the first call for medical
+      assistance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, Dr. Baleinier made a movement; the marshal, who had not taken
+      his eyes off him, exclaimed: &ldquo;Is there any hope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At least, my lord duke, the pulse revives a little.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is saved!&rdquo; said the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not cherish false hopes, my lord duke,&rdquo; answered the doctor, gravely:
+      &ldquo;the pulse revives, owing to the powerful applications to the feet, but I
+      know not what will be the issue of the crisis.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father! father! do you hear me?&rdquo; cried the marshal, seeing the old man
+      slightly move his head, and feebly raise his eyelids. He soon opened his
+      eyes, and this time their intelligence had returned.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father! you live&mdash;you know me!&rdquo; cried the marshal, giddy with joy
+      and hope.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pierre! are you there?&rdquo; said the old man, in a weak voice. &ldquo;Your hand&mdash;give&mdash;it&mdash;&rdquo;
+       and he made a feeble movement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, father!&rdquo; cried the marshal, as he pressed the hands of the old man
+      in his own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, yielding to an impulse of delight, he bent over his father, covered
+      his hands, face, and hair with kisses, and repeated: &ldquo;He lives! kind
+      heaven, he lives! he is saved!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant, the noise of the struggle which had recommenced between
+      the rabble, the Wolves, and the Devourers, reached the ears of the dying
+      man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That noise! that noise!&rdquo; said he: &ldquo;they are fighting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is growing less, I think,&rdquo; said the marshal, in order not to agitate
+      his father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pierre,&rdquo; said the old man, in a weak and broken voice, &ldquo;I have not long
+      to live.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me speak, child; if I can but tell you all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said Baleinier piously to the old workman, &ldquo;heaven may perhaps work
+      a miracle in your favor; show yourself grateful, and allow a priest&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A priest! Thank you, sir&mdash;I have my son,&rdquo; said the old man; &ldquo;in his
+      arms, I will render up my soul&mdash;which has always been true and
+      honest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You die?&rdquo; exclaimed the marshal; &ldquo;no! no!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pierre,&rdquo; said the old man, in a voice which, firm at first, gradually
+      grew fainter, &ldquo;just now&mdash;you ask my advice in a very serious matter.
+      I think, that the wish to tell you of your duty&mdash;has recalled me&mdash;for
+      a moment&mdash;to life&mdash;for I should die miserable&mdash;if I thought
+      you in a road unworthy of yourself and me. Listen to me, my son&mdash;my
+      noble son&mdash;at this last hour, a father cannot deceive himself. You
+      have a great duty to perform&mdash;-under pain&mdash;of not acting like a
+      man of honor&mdash;under pain of neglecting my last will. You ought,
+      without hesitation&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here the voice failed the old man. When he had pronounced the last
+      sentence, he became quite unintelligible. The only words that Marshal
+      Simon could distinguish, were these: &ldquo;Napoleon II.&mdash;oath&mdash;dishonor&mdash;my
+      son!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then the old workman again moved his lips mechanically&mdash;and all was
+      over. At the moment he expired, the night was quite come, and terrible
+      shouts were heard from without, of &ldquo;Fire! Fire!&rdquo; The conflagration had
+      broken out in one of the workshops, filled with inflammable stuff, into
+      which had glided the little man with the ferret&rsquo;s face. At the same time,
+      the roll of drums was heard in the distance, announcing the arrival of a
+      detachment of troops from town.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During an hour, in spite of every effort, the fire had been spreading
+      through the factory. The night is clear, cold, starlight; the wind blows
+      keenly from the north, with a moaning sound. A man, walking across the
+      fields, where the rising ground conceals the fire from him, advances with
+      slow and unsteady steps. It is M. Hardy. He had chosen to return home on
+      foot, across the country, hoping that a walk would calm the fever in his
+      blood&mdash;an icy fever, more like the chill of death. He had not been
+      deceived. His adored mistress&mdash;the noble woman, with whom he might
+      have found refuge from the consequences of the fearful deception which had
+      just been revealed to him&mdash;had quitted France. He could have no doubt
+      of it. Margaret was gone to America. Her mother had exacted from her, in
+      expiation of her fault, that she should not even write to him one word of
+      farewell&mdash;to him, for whom she had sacrificed her duty as a wife.
+      Margaret had obeyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Besides, she had often said to him: &ldquo;Between my mother and you, I should
+      not hesitate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She had not hesitated. There was therefore no hope, not the slightest;
+      even if an ocean had not separated him from Margaret, he knew enough of
+      her blind submission to her mother, to be certain that all relations
+      between them were broken off forever. It is well. He will no longer reckon
+      upon this heart&mdash;his last refuge. The two roots of his life have been
+      torn up and broken, with the same blow, the same day, almost at the same
+      moment. What then remains for thee, poor sensitive plant, as thy tender
+      mother used to call thee? What remains to console thee for the loss of
+      this last love&mdash;this last friendship, so infamously crushed? Oh!
+      there remains for thee that one corner of the earth, created after the
+      image of thy mind that little colony, so peaceful and flourishing, where,
+      thanks to thee, labor brings with it joy and recompense. These worthy
+      artisans, whom thou hast made happy, good, and grateful, will not fail
+      thee. That also is a great and holy affection; let it be thy shelter in
+      the midst of this frightful wreck of all thy most sacred convictions! The
+      calm of that cheerful and pleasant retreat, the sight of the unequalled
+      happiness of thy dependents, will soothe thy poor, suffering soul, which
+      now seems to live only for suffering. Come! you will soon reach the top of
+      the hill, from which you can see afar, in the plain below, that paradise
+      of workmen, of which you are the presiding divinity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Hardy had reached the summit of the hill. At that moment the
+      conflagration, repressed for a short time, burst forth with redoubled fury
+      from the Common Dwelling-house, which it had now reached. A bright streak,
+      at first white, then red, then copper-colored, illuminated the distant
+      horizon. M. Hardy looked at it with a sort of incredulous, almost idiotic
+      stupor. Suddenly, an immense column of flame shot up in the thick of a
+      cloud of smoke, accompanied by a shower of sparks, and streamed towards
+      the sky, casting a bright reflection over all the country, even to M.
+      Hardy&rsquo;s feet. The violence of the north wind, driving the flames in waves
+      before it, soon brought to the ears of M. Hardy the hurried clanging of
+      the alarm-bell of the burning factory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (35) We wish it to be understood, that the necessities of our story alone
+      have made the Wolves the assailants. While endeavoring to paint the evils
+      arising the abuse of the spirit of association, we do not wish to ascribe
+      a character of savage hostility to one sect rather than to the other to
+      the Wolves more than to the Devourers. The Wolves, a club of united
+      stone-cutters, are generally industrious, intelligent workmen, whose
+      situation is the more worthy of interest, as not only their labors,
+      conducted with mathematical precision, are of the rudest and most
+      wearisome kind, but they are likewise out of work during three or four
+      months of the year, their profession being, unfortunately, one of those
+      which winter condemns to a forced cessation. A number of Wolves, in order
+      to perfect themselves in their trade, attend every evening a course of
+      linear geometry, applied to the cutting of stone, analogous to that given
+      by M. Agricole Perdignier, for the benefit of carpenters. Several working
+      stone-cutters sent an architectural model in plaster to the last
+      exhibition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0111" id="link2HCH0111">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VI. THE GO-BETWEEN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span> few days have elapsed since the conflagration of M. Hardy&rsquo;s factory. The
+      following scene takes place in the Rue Clovis, in the house where Rodin
+      had lodged, and which was still inhabited by Rose-Pompon, who, without the
+      least scruple, availed herself of the household arrangements of her friend
+      Philemon. It was about noon, and Rose-Pompon, alone in the chamber of the
+      student, who was still absent, was breakfasting very gayly by the
+      fireside; but how singular a breakfast! what a queer fire! how strange an
+      apartment!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Imagine a large room, lighted by two windows without curtains&mdash;for as
+      they looked on empty space, the lodger had fear of being overlooked. One
+      side of this apartment served as a wardrobe, for there was suspended
+      Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s flashy costume of debardeur, not far from the boat-man&rsquo;s
+      jacket of Philemon, with his large trousers of coarse, gray stuff, covered
+      with pitch (shiver my timbers!), just as if this intrepid mariner had
+      bunked in the forecastle of a frigate, during a voyage round the globe. A
+      gown of Rose Pompon&rsquo;s hung gracefully over a pair of pantaloons, the legs
+      of which seemed to come from beneath the petticoat. On the lowest of
+      several book-shelves, very dusty and neglected, by the side of three old
+      boots (wherefore three boots?) and a number of empty bottles, stood a
+      skull, a scientific and friendly souvenir, left to Philemon by one of his
+      comrades, a medical student. With a species of pleasantry, very much to
+      the taste of the student-world, a clay pipe with a very black bowl was
+      placed between the magnificently white teeth of this skull; moreover, its
+      shining top was half hidden beneath an old hat, set knowingly on one side,
+      and adorned with faded flowers and ribbons. When Philemon was drunk, he
+      used to contemplate this bony emblem of mortality, and break out into the
+      most poetical monologues, with regard to this philosophical contrast
+      between death and the mad pleasures of life. Two or three plaster casts,
+      with their noses and chins more or less injured, were fastened to the
+      wall, and bore witness to the temporary curiosity which Philemon had felt
+      with regard to phrenological science, from the patient and serious study
+      of which he had drawn the following logical conclusion:&mdash;That, having
+      to an alarming extent the bump of getting into debt, he ought to resign
+      himself to the fatality of this organization, and accept the inconvenience
+      of creditors as a vital necessity. On the chimney-piece, stood uninjured,
+      in all its majesty, the magnificent rowing-club drinking-glass, a china
+      teapot without a spout, and an inkstand of black wood, the glass mouth of
+      which was covered by a coat of greenish and mossy mould. From time to
+      time, the silence of this retreat was interrupted by the cooing of
+      pigeons, which Rose-Pompon had established with cordial hospitality in the
+      little study. Chilly as a quail, Rose-Pompon crept close to the fire, and
+      at the same time seemed to enjoy the warmth of a bright ray of sunshine,
+      which enveloped her in its golden light. This droll little creature was
+      dressed in the oddest costume, which, however, displayed to advantage the
+      freshness of her piquant and pretty countenance, crowned with its fine,
+      fair hair, always neatly combed and arranged the first thing in the
+      morning. By way of dressing-gown, Rose-Pompon had ingeniously drawn over
+      her linen, the ample scarlet flannel shirt which belonged to Philemon&rsquo;s
+      official garb in the rowing-club; the collar, open and turned down,
+      displayed the whiteness of the young girl&rsquo;s under garment, as also of her
+      neck and shoulders, on whose firm and polished surface the scarlet shirt
+      seemed to cast a rosy light. The grisette&rsquo;s fresh and dimpled arms half
+      protruded from the large, turned-up sleeves; and her charming legs were
+      also half visible, crossed one over the other, and clothed in neat white
+      stockings, and boots. A black silk cravat formed the girdle which fastened
+      the shirt round the wasp-like waist of Rose-Pompon, just above those hips,
+      worthy of the enthusiasm of a modern Phidias, and which gave to this style
+      of dress a grace very original.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20527m.jpg" alt="20527m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20527.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      We have said, that the breakfast of Rose-Pompon was singular. You shall
+      judge. On a little table placed before her, was a wash-hand-basin, into
+      which she had recently plunged her fresh face, bathing it in pure water.
+      From the bottom of this basin, now transformed into a salad-bowl, Rose
+      Pompon took with the tips of her fingers large green leaves, dripping with
+      vinegar, and crunched them between her tiny white teeth, whose enamel was
+      too hard to allow them to be set on edge. Her drink was a glass of water
+      and syrup of gooseberries, which she stirred with a wooden mustard-spoon.
+      Finally, as an extra dish, she had a dozen olives in one of those blue
+      glass trinket-dishes sold for twenty-five sous. Her dessert was composed
+      of nuts, which she prepared to roast on a red-hot shovel. That
+      Rose-Pompon, with such an unaccountable savage choice of food, should
+      retain a freshness of complexion worthy of her name, is one of those
+      miracles, which reveal the mighty power of youth and health. When she had
+      eaten her salad, Rose-Pompon was about to begin upon her olives, when a
+      low knock was heard at the door, which was modestly bolted on the inside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is there?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A friend&mdash;the oldest of the old,&rdquo; replied a sonorous, jovial voice.
+      &ldquo;Why do you lock yourself in?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! is it you, Ninny Moulin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my beloved pupil. Open quickly. Time presses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Open to you? Oh, I dare say!&mdash;that would be pretty, the figure I
+      am!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you! what does it matter what figure you are? It would be very
+      pretty, thou rosiest of all the roses with which Cupid ever adorned his
+      quiver!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go and preach fasting and morality in your journal, fat apostle!&rdquo; said
+      Rose&mdash;Pompon, as she restored the scarlet shirt to its place, with
+      Philemon&rsquo;s other garments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say! are we to talk much longer through the door, for the greater
+      edification of our neighbors?&rdquo; cried Ninny Moulin. &ldquo;I have something of
+      importance to tell you&mdash;something that will astonish you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give me time to put on my gown, great plague that you are!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If it is because of my modesty, do not think of it. I am not over nice. I
+      should like you very well as you are!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only to think that such a monster is the favorite of all the
+      churchgoers!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, opening the door as she finished fastening
+      her dress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So! you have at last returned to the dovecot, you stray girl!&rdquo; said Ninny
+      Moulin, folding his arms, and looking at Rose-Pompon with comic
+      seriousness. &ldquo;And where may you have been, I pray? For three days the
+      naughty little bird has left its nest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True; I only returned home last night. You must have called during my
+      absence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I came, every day, and even twice a day, young lady, for I have very
+      serious matters to communicate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very serious matters? Then we shall have a good laugh at them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not at all&mdash;they are really serious,&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, seating
+      himself. &ldquo;But, first of all, what did you do during the three days that
+      you left your conjugal and Philemonic home? I must know all about it,
+      before I tell you more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you have some olives?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, as she nibbled one of them
+      herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that your answer?&mdash;I understand!&mdash;Unfortunate Philemon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no unfortunate Philemon in the case, slanderer. Clara had a
+      death in her house, and, for the first few days after the funeral she was
+      afraid to sleep alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought Clara sufficiently provided against such fears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There you are deceived, you great viper! I was obliged to go and keep the
+      poor girl company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this assertion, the religious pamphleteer hummed a tune, with an
+      incredulous and mocking air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You think I have played Philemon tricks?&rdquo; cried Rose-Pompon, cracking a
+      nut with the indignation of injured innocence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not say tricks; but one little rose-colored trick.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, that it was not for my pleasure I went out. On the contrary&mdash;for,
+      during my absence, poor Cephyse disappeared.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Mother Arsene told me that the Bacchanal-Queen was gone on a
+      journey. But when I talk of Philemon, you talk of Cephyse; we don&rsquo;t
+      progress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May I be eaten by the black panther that they are showing at the Porte
+      Saint-Martin if I do not tell you the truth. And, talking of that, you
+      must get tickets to take me to see those animals, my little Ninny Moulin!
+      They tell me there never were such darling wild beasts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now really, are you mad?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That I should guide your youth, like a venerable patriarch, through the
+      dangers of the Storm-blown Tulip, all well and good&mdash;I ran no risk of
+      meeting my pastors and masters; but were I to take you to a Lent Spectacle
+      (since there are only beasts to be seen), I might just run against my
+      sacristans&mdash;and how pretty I should look with you on my arm!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can put on a false nose, and straps to your trousers, my big Ninny;
+      they will never know you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must not think of false noses, but of what I have to tell you, since
+      you assure me that you have no intrigue in hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I swear it!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, solemnly, extending her left hand
+      horizontally, whilst with her right she put a nut into her mouth. Then she
+      added, with surprise, as she looked at the outside coat of Ninny Moulin,
+      &ldquo;Goodness gracious! what full pockets you have got! What is there in
+      them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Something that concerns you, Rose-Pompon,&rdquo; said Dumoulin, gravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rose-Pompon!&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, suddenly, with a majestic air; &ldquo;will you
+      have a carriage? Will you inhabit a charming apartment, instead of living
+      in this dreadful hole? Will you be dressed like a duchess?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now for some more nonsense! Come, will you eat the olives? If not, I
+      shall eat them all up. There is only one left.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without answering this gastronomic offer, Ninny Moulin felt in one of his
+      pockets, and drew from it a case containing a very pretty bracelet, which
+      he held up sparkling before the eyes of the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! what a sumptuous bracelet!&rdquo; cried she, clapping her hands. &ldquo;A
+      green-eyed serpent biting his tail&mdash;the emblem of my love for
+      Philemon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not talk of Philemon; it annoys me,&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, as he clasped
+      the bracelet round the wrist of Rose-Pompon, who allowed him to do it,
+      laughing all the while like mad, and saying to him, &ldquo;So you&rsquo;ve been
+      employed to make a purchase, big apostle, and wish to see the effect of
+      it. Well! it is charming!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rose-Pompon,&rdquo; resumed Ninny Moulin, &ldquo;would you like to have a servant, a
+      box at the Opera, and a thousand francs a month for your pin-money?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Always the same nonsense. Get along!&rdquo; said the young girl, as she held up
+      the bracelet to the light, still continuing to eat her nuts. &ldquo;Why always
+      the same farce, and no change of bills?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Ninny Moulin again plunged his hand into his pocket, and this time drew
+      forth an elegant chain, which he hung round Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! what a beautiful chain!&rdquo; cried the young girl, as she looked by turns
+      at the sparkling ornament and the religious writer. &ldquo;If you chose that
+      also, you have a very good taste. But am I not a good natured girl to be
+      your dummy, just to show off your jewels?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rose-Pompon,&rdquo; returned Ninny Moulin, with a still more majestic air,
+      &ldquo;these trifles are nothing to what you may obtain, if you will but follow
+      the advice of your old friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose began to look at Dumoulin with surprise, and said to him, &ldquo;What does
+      all this mean, Ninny Moulin? Explain yourself; what advice have you to
+      give?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dumoulin did not answer, but replunging his hand into his inexhaustible
+      pocket, he fished up a parcel, which he carefully unfolded, and in which
+      was a magnificent mantilla of black lace. Rose-Pompon started up, full of
+      new admiration, and Dumoulin threw the rich mantilla over the young girl&rsquo;s
+      shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is superb! I have never seen anything like it! What patterns! what
+      work!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, as she examined all with simple and perfectly
+      disinterested curiosity. Then she added, &ldquo;Your pocket is like a shop;
+      where did you get all these pretty things?&rdquo; Then, bursting into a fit of
+      laughter, which brought the blood to her cheeks, she exclaimed, &ldquo;Oh, I
+      have it! These are the wedding-presents for Madame de la Sainte-Colombe. I
+      congratulate you; they are very choice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And where do you suppose I should find money to buy these wonders?&rdquo; said
+      Ninny Moulin. &ldquo;I repeat to you, all this is yours if you will but listen
+      to me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How is this?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, with the utmost amazement; &ldquo;is what you
+      tell me in downright earnest?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In downright earnest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This offer to make me a great lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The jewels might convince you of the reality of my offers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you propose all this to me for some one else, my poor Ninny Moulin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One moment,&rdquo; said the religious writer, with a comical air of modesty,
+      &ldquo;you must know me well enough, my beloved pupil, to feel certain that I
+      should be incapable of inducing you to commit an improper action. I
+      respect myself too much for that&mdash;leaving out the consideration that
+      it would be unfair to Philemon, who confided to me the guardianship of
+      your virtue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, Ninny Moulin,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, more and more astonished, &ldquo;on my
+      word of honor, I can make nothing of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet, &lsquo;tis all very simple, and I&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I&rsquo;ve found it,&rdquo; cried Rose-Pompon, interrupting Ninny Moulin; &ldquo;it is
+      some gentleman who offers me his hand, his heart, and all the rest of it.
+      Could you not tell me that directly?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A marriage? oh, laws, yes!&rdquo; said Dumoulin, shrugging his shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! is it not a marriage?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, again much surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the offers you make me are honest ones, my big apostle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They could not be more so.&rdquo; Here Dumoulin spoke the truth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall not have to be unfaithful to Philemon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or faithful to any one else?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose-Pompon looked confounded. Then she rattled on: &ldquo;Come, do not let us
+      have any joking! I am not foolish enough to imagine that I am to live just
+      like a duchess, just for nothing. What, therefore, must I give in return?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing at all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not even that,&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, biting his nail-tip.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what am I to do, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dress yourself as handsomely as possible, take your ease, amuse yourself,
+      ride about in a carriage. You see, it is not very fatiguing&mdash;and you
+      will, moreover, help to do a good action.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! by living like a duchess?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! so make up your mind. Do not ask me for any more details, for I
+      cannot give them to you. For the rest, you will not be detained against
+      your will. Just try the life I propose to you. If it suits you, go on with
+      it; if not, return to your Philemonic household.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In fact&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only try it. What can you risk?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing; but I can hardly believe that all you say is true. And then,&rdquo;
+       added she, with hesitation, &ldquo;I do not know if I ought&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Ninny Moulin went to the window, opened it, and said to Rose-Pompon, who
+      ran up to it, &ldquo;Look there! before the door of the house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a pretty carriage! How comfortable a body&rsquo;d be inside of it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That carriage is yours. It is waiting for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Waiting for me!&rdquo; exclaimed Rose-Pompon; &ldquo;am I to decide as short as
+      that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or not at all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the instant.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But where will they take me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How should I know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You do not know where they will take me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not I,&rdquo;&mdash;and Dumoulin still spoke the truth&mdash;&ldquo;the coachman has
+      his orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know all this is very funny, Ninny Moulin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you. If it were not funny, where would be the pleasure?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you accept the offer? That is well. I am delighted both for you and
+      myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For yourself?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; because, in accepting, you render me a great service.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You? How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It matters little, as long as I feel obliged to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, then; let us set out!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bah! after all, they cannot eat me,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, resolutely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a skip and a jump, she went to fetch a rose-colored cap, and, going
+      up to a broken looking-glass, placed the cap very much cocked on one side
+      on her bands of light hair. This left uncovered her snowy neck, with the
+      silky roots of the hair behind, and gave to her pretty face a very
+      mischievous, not to say licentious expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My cloak!&rdquo; said she to Ninny Moulin, who seemed to be relieved from a
+      considerable amount of uneasiness, since she had accepted his offer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fie! a cloak will not do,&rdquo; answered her companion, feeling once more in
+      his pocket and drawing out a fine Cashmere shawl, which he threw over
+      Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A Cashmere!&rdquo; cried the young girl, trembling with pleasure and joyous
+      surprise. Then she added, with an air of heroism: &ldquo;It is settled! I will
+      run the gauntlet.&rdquo; And with a light step she descended the stairs,
+      followed by Ninny Moulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The worthy greengrocer was at her post. &ldquo;Good-morning, mademoiselle; you
+      are early to-day,&rdquo; said she to the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Mother Arsene; there is my key.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, mademoiselle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! now I think of it,&rdquo; said Rose Pompon, suddenly, in a whisper, as she
+      turned towards Ninny Moulin, and withdrew further from the portress, &ldquo;what
+      is to became of Philemon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Philemon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he should arrive&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! the devil!&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, scratching his ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; if Philemon should arrive, what will they say to him? for I may be a
+      long time absent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Three or four months, I suppose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not more?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should think not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! very good!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon. Then, turning towards the greengrocer,
+      she said to her, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection: &ldquo;Mother Arsene, if Philemon
+      should come home, you will tell him I have gone out&mdash;on business.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mademoiselle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that he must not forget to feed my pigeons, which are in his study.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, mademoiselle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-bye, Mother Arsene.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-bye, mademoiselle.&rdquo; And Rose-Pompon entered the carriage in triumph,
+      along with Ninny Moulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The devil take me if I know what is to come of all this,&rdquo; said Jacques
+      Dumoulin to himself, as the carriage drove rapidly down the Rue Clovis. &ldquo;I
+      have repaired my error&mdash;and now I laugh at the rest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0112" id="link2HCH0112">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VII. ANOTHER SECRET.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he following scene took place a few days after the abduction of Rose
+      Pompon by Ninny Moulin. Mdlle. de Cardoville was seated in a dreamy mood,
+      in her cabinet, which was hung with green silk, and furnished with an
+      ebony library, ornamented with large bronze caryatides. By some
+      significant signs, one could perceive that Mdlle. de Cardoville had sought
+      in the fine airs some relief from sad and serious thoughts. Near an open
+      piano, was a harp, placed before a music-stand. A little further, on a
+      table covered with boxes of oil and water-color, were several brilliant
+      sketches. Most of them represented Asiatic scenes, lighted by the fires of
+      an oriental sun. Faithful to her fancy of dressing herself at home in a
+      picturesque style, Mademoiselle de Cardoville resembled that day one of
+      those proud portraits of Velasquez, with stern and noble aspect. Her gown
+      was of black moire, with wide swelling petticoat, long waist, and sleeve
+      slashed with rose-colored satin, fastened together with jet bugles. A very
+      stiff, Spanish ruff reached almost to her chin, and was secured round her
+      neck by a broad rose-colored ribbon. This frill, slightly heaving, sloped
+      down as far as the graceful swell of the rose-colored stomacher, laced
+      with strings of jet beads, and terminating in a point at the waist. It is
+      impossible to express how well this black garment, with its ample and
+      shining folds, relieved with rose-color and brilliant jet, skin,
+      harmonized with the shining whiteness of Adrienne&rsquo;s and the golden flood
+      of her beautiful hair, whose long, silky ringlets descended to her bosom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young lady was in a half-recumbent posture, with her elbow resting on
+      a couch covered with green silk. The back of this piece of furniture,
+      which was pretty high towards the fireplace, sloped down insensibly
+      towards the foot. A sort of light, semicircular trellis-work, in gilded
+      bronze, raised about five feet from the ground, covered with flowering
+      plants (the admirable passiflores quadrangulatoe, planted in a deep ebony
+      box, from the centre of which rose the trellis-work), surrounded this
+      couch with a sort of screen of foliage enamelled with large flowers, green
+      without, purple within, and as brilliant as those flowers of porcelain,
+      which we receive from Saxony. A sweet, faint perfume, like a faint mixture
+      of jasmine with violet, rose from the cup of these admirable passiflores.
+      Strange enough, a large quantity of new books (Adrienne having bought them
+      since the last two or three days) and quite fresh-cut, were scattered
+      around her on the couch, and on a little table; whilst other larger
+      volumes, amongst which were several atlases full of engravings, were piled
+      on the sumptuous fur, which formed the carpet beneath the divan. Stranger
+      still, these books, though of different forms, and by different authors,
+      alt treated of the same subject. The posture of Adrienne revealed a sort
+      of melancholy dejection. Her cheeks were pale; a light blue circle
+      surrounded her large, black eyes, now half-closed, and gave to them an
+      expression of profound grief. Many causes contributed to this sorrow&mdash;amongst
+      others, the disappearance of Mother Bunch. Without absolutely believing
+      the perfidious insinuations of Rodin, who gave her to understand that, in
+      the fear of being unmasked by him, the hunchback had not dared to remain
+      in the house, Adrienne felt a cruel sinking of the heart, when she thought
+      how this young girl, in whom she had had so much confidence, had fled from
+      her almost sisterly hospitality, without even uttering a word of
+      gratitude; for care had been taken not to show her the few lines written
+      by the poor needlewoman to her benefactress, just before her departure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She had only been told of the note of five hundred francs found on her
+      desk; and this last inexplicable circumstance had contributed to awaken
+      cruel suspicions in the breast of Mdlle. de Cardoville. She already felt
+      the fatal effects of that mistrust of everything and everybody, which
+      Rodin had recommended to her; and this sentiment of suspicion and reserve
+      had the more tendency to become powerful, that, for the first time in her
+      life, Mdlle. de Cardoville, until then a stranger to all deception, had a
+      secret to conceal&mdash;a secret, which was equally her happiness, her
+      shame, and her torment. Half-recumbent on her divan, pensive and
+      depressed, Adrienne pursued, with a mind often absent, one of her newly
+      purchased books. Suddenly, she uttered an exclamation of surprise; the
+      hand which held the book trembled like a leaf, and from that moment she
+      appeared to read with passionate attention and devouring curiosity. Soon,
+      her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, her smile assumed ineffable sweetness,
+      and she seemed at once proud, happy, delighted&mdash;but, as she turned
+      over the last page, her countenance expressed disappointment and chagrin.
+      Then she recommenced this reading, which had occasioned her such sweet
+      emotion, and this time she read with the most deliberate slowness, going
+      over each page twice, and spelling, as it were, every line, every word.
+      From time to time, she paused, and in a pensive mood, with her forehead
+      leaning on her fair hand, she seemed to reflect, in a deep reverie, on the
+      passages she had read with such tender and religious love. Arriving at a
+      passage which so affected her, that a tear started in her eye, she
+      suddenly turned the volume, to see on the cover the name of the author.
+      For a few seconds, she contemplated this name with a singular expression
+      of gratitude, and could not forbear raising to her rosy lips the page on
+      which it was printed. After reading many times over the lines with which
+      she had been so much struck, forgetting, no doubt, the letter in the
+      spirit, she began to reflect so deeply, that the book glided from her
+      hand, and fell upon the carpet. During the course of this reverie, the
+      eyes of the young girl rested, at first mechanically, upon an admirable
+      bas-relief, placed on an ebony stand, near one of the windows. This
+      magnificent bronze, recently cast after a plaster copy from the antique,
+      represented the triumph of the Indian Bacchus. Never, perhaps, had Grecian
+      art attained such rare perfection. The youthful conqueror, half clad in a
+      lion&rsquo;s skin, which displayed his juvenile grace and charming purity of
+      form shone with divine beauty. Standing up in a car, drawn by two tigers,
+      with an air at once gentle and proud, he leaned with one hand upon a
+      thyrsus, and with the other guided his savage steeds in tranquil majesty.
+      By this rare mixture of grace, vigor, and serenity, it was easy to
+      recognize the hero who had waged such desperate combats with men and with
+      monsters of the forest. Thanks to the brownish tone of the figure, the
+      light, falling from one side of the sculpture, admirably displayed the
+      form of the youthful god, which, carved in relievo, and thus illumined,
+      shone like a magnificent statue of pale gold upon the dark fretted
+      background of the bronze.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When Adrienne&rsquo;s look first rested on this rare assemblage of divine
+      perfections, her countenance was calm and thoughtful. But this
+      contemplation, at first mechanical, became gradually more and more
+      attentive and conscious, and the young lady, rising suddenly from her
+      seat, slowly approached the bas-relief, as if yielding to the invincible
+      attraction of an extraordinary resemblance. Then a slight blush appeared
+      on the cheeks of Mdlle. de Cardoville, stole across her face, and spread
+      rapidly to her neck and forehead. She approached still closer, threw round
+      a hasty glance, as if half-ashamed, or as if she had feared to be
+      surprised in a blamable action, and twice stretched forth her hand,
+      trembling with emotion, to touch with the tips of her charming fingers the
+      bronze forehead of the Indian Bacchus. And twice she stopped short, with a
+      kind of modest hesitation. At last, the temptation became too strong for
+      her. She yielded to it; and her alabaster finger, after delicately
+      caressing the features of pale gold, was pressed more boldly for an
+      instant on the pure and noble brow of the youthful god. At this pressure,
+      though so slight, Adrienne seemed to feel a sort of electric shock; she
+      trembled in every limb, her eyes languished, and, after swimming for an
+      instant in their humid and brilliant crystal, were raised, half-closed, to
+      heaven. Then her head was thrown a little way back, her knees bent
+      insensibly, her rosy lips were half opened, as if to give a passage to her
+      heated breath, for her bosom heaved violently, as thought youth and life
+      had accelerated the pulsations of her heart, and made her blood boil in
+      her veins. Finally, the burning cheeks of Adrienne betrayed a species of
+      ecstasy, timid and passionate, chaste and sensual, the expression of which
+      was ineffably touching.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An affecting spectacle indeed is that of a young maiden, whose modest brow
+      flushes with the first fires of a secret passion. Does not the Creator of
+      all things animate the body as well as the soul, with a spark of divine
+      energy? Should He not be religiously glorified in the intellect as in the
+      senses, with which He has so paternally endowed His creatures? They are
+      impious blasphemers who seek to stifle the celestial senses, instead of
+      guiding and harmonizing them in their divine flight. Suddenly, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville started, raised her head, opened her eyes as if awakening from
+      a dream, withdrew abruptly from the sculptures, and walked several times
+      up and down the room in an agitated manner, pressing her burning hands to
+      her forehead. Then, falling, as it were, exhausted on her seat, her tears
+      flowed in abundance. The most bitter grief was visible in her features,
+      which revealed the fatal struggle that was passing within her. By degrees,
+      her tears ceased. To this crisis of painful dejection succeeded a species
+      of violent scorn and indignation against herself, which were expressed by
+      these words that escaped her: &ldquo;For the first time in my life, I feel weak
+      and cowardly. Oh yes! cowardly&mdash;very cowardly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sound of a door opening and closing, roused Mdlle. de Cardoville from
+      her bitter reflections. Georgette entered the room, and said to her
+      mistress: &ldquo;Madame, can you receive the Count de Montbron?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20533m.jpg" alt="20533m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20533.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, too well-bred to exhibit before her women the sort of impatience
+      occasioned by this unseasonable visit, said to Georgette: &ldquo;You told M. de
+      Montbron that I was at home?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then beg him to walk in.&rdquo; Though Mdlle. de Cardoville felt at that moment
+      much vexed at the arrival of Montbron, let us hasten to say, that she
+      entertained for him an almost filial affection, and a profound esteem,
+      though, by a not unfrequent contrast, she almost always differed from him
+      in opinion. Hence arose, when Mdlle. de Cardoville had nothing to disturb
+      her mind, the most gay and animated discussions, in which M. de Montbron,
+      notwithstanding his mocking and sceptical humor, his long experience, his
+      rare knowledge of men and things, his fashionable training, in a word, had
+      not always the advantage, and even acknowledged his defeat gayly enough.
+      Thus, to give an idea of the differences of the count and Adrienne,
+      before, as he would say laughingly, he had made himself her accomplice, he
+      had always opposed (from other motives than those alleged by Madame de
+      Saint-Dizier) Adrienne&rsquo;s wish to live alone and in her own way; whilst
+      Rodin, on the contrary, by investing the young girl&rsquo;s resolve on this
+      subject with an ideal grandeur of intention, had acquired a species of
+      influence over her. M. de Montbron, now upwards of sixty years of age, had
+      been a most prominent character during the Directory, Consulate, and the
+      Empire. His prodigal style of living, his wit, his gayety, his duels, his
+      amours, and his losses at play, had given him a leading influence in the
+      best society of his day; while his character, his kind-heartedness, and
+      liberality, secured him the lasting friendship of nearly all his female
+      friends. At the time we now present him to the reader, he was still a
+      great gambler; and, moreover, a very lucky gambler. He had, as we have
+      stated, a very lordly style; his manners were decided, but polished and
+      lively; his habits were such as belong to the higher classes of society,
+      though he could be excessively sharp towards people whom he did not like.
+      He was tall and thin, and his slim figure gave him an almost youthful
+      appearance; his forehead was high, and a little bald; his hair was gray
+      and short, his countenance long, his nose aquiline, his eyes blue and
+      piercing, and his teeth white, and still very good.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Count de Montbron,&rdquo; said Georgette, opening the door. The count entered,
+      and hastened to kiss Adrienne&rsquo;s hand, with a sort of paternal familiarity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come!&rdquo; said M. de Montbron to himself; &ldquo;let us try to discover the truth
+      I am in search of, that we may escape a great misfortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0113" id="link2HCH0113">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER VIII. THE CONFESSION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>dlle. de Cardoville, not wishing to betray the cause of the violent
+      feelings which agitated her, received M. de Montbron with a feigned and
+      forced gayety. On the other hand, notwithstanding his tact and knowledge
+      of the world, the count was much embarrassed how to enter upon the subject
+      on which he wished to confer with Adrienne, and he resolved to feel his
+      way, before seriously commencing the conversation. After looking at the
+      young lady for some seconds, M. de Montbron shook his head, and said, with
+      a sigh of regret: &ldquo;My dear child, I am not pleased.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some affair of the heart, or of hearts, my dear count?&rdquo; returned
+      Adrienne, smiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of the heart,&rdquo; said M. de Montbron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! you, so great a player, think more of a woman&rsquo;s whim than a throw
+      of the dice?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have a heavy heart, and you are the cause of it, my dear child.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. de Montbron, you will make me very proud,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a
+      smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You would be wrong, for I tell you plainly, my trouble is caused by your
+      neglect of your beauty. Yes, your countenance is pale, dejected,
+      sorrowful; you have been low-spirited for the last few days; you have
+      something on your mind, I am sure of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear M. de Montbron, you have so much penetration, that you may be
+      allowed to fall for once, as now. I am not sad, I have nothing on my mind,
+      and&mdash;I am about to utter a very silly piece of impertinence&mdash;I
+      have never thought myself so pretty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the contrary, nothing could be more modest than such an assertion. Who
+      told you that falsehood? a woman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; it was my heart, and it spoke the truth,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, with a
+      slight degree of emotion. &ldquo;Understand it, if you can,&rdquo; she added.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you mean that you are proud of the alteration in your features,
+      because you are proud of the sufferings of your heart?&rdquo; said M. de
+      Montbron, looking at Adrienne with attention. &ldquo;Be it so; I am then right.
+      You have some sorrow. I persist in it,&rdquo; added the count, speaking with a
+      tone of real feeling, &ldquo;because it is painful to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20543m.jpg" alt="20543m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20543.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied; I am as happy as possible&mdash;for every instant I take
+      delight in repeating, how, at my age, I am free&mdash;absolutely free!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; free to torment yourself, free to be miserable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, my dear count!&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;you are recommencing our old
+      quarrel. I still find in you the ally of my aunt and the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; as the republicans are the allies of the legitimists&mdash;to
+      destroy each other in their turn. Talking of your abominable aunt, they
+      say that she holds a sort of council at her house these last few days, a
+      regular mitred conspiracy. She is certainly in a good way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why not? Formerly, she would have wished to be Goddess of Reason, now, we
+      shall perhaps see her canonized. She has already performed the first part
+      of the life of Mary Magdalen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You can never speak worse of her than she deserves, my dear child. Still,
+      though for quite opposite reasons, I agreed with her on the subject of
+      your wish to reside alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; and because I wished to see you a thousand times freer than you
+      really are, I advised you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To marry.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt; you would have had your dear liberty, with its consequences,
+      only, instead of Mdlle. de Cardoville, we should have called you Madame
+      Somebody, having found an excellent husband to be responsible for your
+      independence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who would have been responsible for this ridiculous husband? And who
+      would bear a mocked and degraded name? I, perhaps?&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      animation. &ldquo;No, no, my dear count, good or ill, I will answer for my own
+      actions; to my name shall attach the reputation, which I alone have
+      formed. I am as incapable of basely dishonoring a name which is not mine,
+      as of continually bearing it myself, if it were not held in, esteem. And,
+      as one can only answer for one&rsquo;s own actions, I prefer to keep my name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are the only person in the world that has such ideas.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; said Adrienne, laughing. &ldquo;Because it appears to me horrible, to see
+      a poor girl lost and buried in some ugly and selfish man, and become, as
+      they say seriously, the better half of the monster&mdash;yes! a fresh and
+      blooming rose to become part of a frightful thistle!&mdash;Come, my dear
+      count; confess there is something odious in this conjugal metempsychosis,&rdquo;
+       added Adrienne, with a burst of laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The forced and somewhat feverish gayety of Adrienne contrasted painfully
+      with her pale and suffering countenance; it was so easy to see that she
+      strove to stifle with laughter some deep sorrow, that M. de Montbron was
+      much affected by it; but, dissembling his emotion, he appeared to reflect
+      a moment, and took up mechanically one of the new, fresh-cut books, by
+      which Adrienne was surrounded. After casting a careless glance at this
+      volume, he continued, still dissembling his feelings: &ldquo;Come, my dear
+      madcap: this is another folly. Suppose I were twenty years old, and that
+      you did me the honor to marry me&mdash;you would be called Lady de
+      Montbron, I imagine?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How perhaps? Would you not bear my name, if you married me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear count,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a smile, &ldquo;do not let us pursue this
+      hypothesis, which can only leave us&mdash;regrets.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, M. de Montbron started, and looked at Mdlle, de Cardoville with
+      an expression of surprise. For some moments, whilst talking to Adrienne,
+      he had mechanically&mdash;taken up two or three of the volumes scattered
+      over the couch, and had glanced at their titles in the same careless
+      manner. The first was the &ldquo;Modern History of India.&rdquo; The second, &ldquo;Travels
+      in India.&rdquo; The third, &ldquo;Letters on India.&rdquo; Much surprised, M. de Montbron
+      had continued his investigation, and found that the fourth volume
+      continued this Indian nomenclature, being &ldquo;Rambles in India.&rdquo; The fifth
+      was, &ldquo;Recollections of Hindostan.&rdquo; The sixth, &ldquo;Notes of a Traveller in the
+      East Indies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hence the astonishment, which, for many serious reasons, M. de Montbron
+      had no longer been able to conceal, and which his looks betrayed to
+      Adrienne. The latter, having completely forgotten the presence of the
+      accusing volumes by which she was surrounded, yielded to a movement of
+      involuntary confusion, and blushed slightly; but, her firm and resolute
+      character again coming to her aid, she looked full at M. de Montbron, and
+      said to him: &ldquo;Well, my dear count! what surprises you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering, M. de Montbron appeared still more absorbed in
+      thought, and contemplating the young girl, he could not forbear saying to
+      himself: &ldquo;No, no&mdash;it is impossible&mdash;and yet&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would, perhaps, be indiscreet in me to listen to your soliloquy, my
+      dear count,&rdquo; said Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Excuse me, my dear child; but what I see surprises me so much&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And pray what do you see?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The traces of so great and novel an interest in all that relates to
+      India,&rdquo; said M. de Montbron, laying a slight stress on his words, and
+      fixing a piercing look upon the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well!&rdquo; said Adrienne, stoutly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! I seek the cause of this sudden passion&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Geographical?&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, interrupting M. de Montbron:
+      &ldquo;you may find this taste somewhat serious for my age my dear count&mdash;but
+      one must find occupation for leisure hours&mdash;and then, having a
+      cousin, who is both an Indian and a prince, I should like to know
+      something of the fortunate country from which I derive this savage
+      relationship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These last words were pronounced with a bitterness that was not lost on M.
+      de Montbron: watching Adrienne attentively, he observed: &ldquo;Meseems, you
+      speak of the prince with some harshness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; I speak of him with indifference.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet he deserves a very different feeling.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the part of some other person, perhaps,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, dryly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is so unhappy!&rdquo; said M, de Montbron, in a tone of sincere pity. &ldquo;When
+      I saw him the other day, he made my heart ache.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What have I to do with it?&rdquo; exclaimed Adrienne, with an accent of painful
+      and almost angry impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should have thought that his cruel torments at least deserved your
+      pity,&rdquo; answered the count gravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pity&mdash;from me!&rdquo; cried Adrienne, with an air of offended pride. Then
+      restraining herself, she added coldly: &ldquo;You are jesting, M. de Montbron.
+      It is not in sober seriousness that you ask me to take interest in the
+      amorous torments of your prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was so much cold disdain in these last words of Adrienne, her pale
+      and agitated countenance betrayed such haughty bitterness, that M. de
+      Montbron said, sorrowfully: &ldquo;It is then true; I have not been deceived. I,
+      who thought, from our old and constant friendship, that I had some claim
+      to your confidence have known nothing of it&mdash;while you told all to
+      another. It is painful, very painful to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand you, M. de Montbron.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well then, since I must speak plainly,&rdquo; cried the count, &ldquo;there is, I
+      see, no hope for this unhappy boy&mdash;you love another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Adrienne started&mdash;&ldquo;Oh! you cannot deny it,&rdquo; resumed the count;
+      &ldquo;your paleness and melancholy for the last few days, your implacable
+      indifference to the prince&mdash;all prove to me that you are in love.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hurt by the manner in which the count spoke of the sentiment he attributed
+      to her, Mdlle. de Cardoville answered with dignified stateliness: &ldquo;You
+      must know, M. de Montbron, that a secret discovered is not a confidence.
+      Your language surprises me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear friend, if I use the poor privilege of experience&mdash;if I
+      guess that you are in love&mdash;if I tell you so, and even go so far as
+      to reproach you with it&mdash;it is because the life or death of this poor
+      prince is concerned; and I feel for him as if he were my son, for it is
+      impossible to know him without taking the warmest interest in him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would be singular,&rdquo; returned Adrienne, with redoubled coldness, and
+      still more bitter irony, &ldquo;if my love&mdash;admitting I were in love&mdash;could
+      have any such strange influence on Prince Djalma. What can it matter to
+      him?&rdquo; added she, with almost agonizing disdain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can it matter to him? Now really, my dear friend, permit me to tell
+      you, that it is you who are jesting cruelly. What! this unfortunate youth
+      loves you with all the blind ardor of a first love&mdash;twice has
+      attempted to terminate by suicide the horrible tortures of his passion&mdash;and
+      you think it strange that your love for another should be with him a
+      question of life or death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He loves me then?&rdquo; cried the young girl, with an accent impossible to
+      describe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He loves you to madness, I tell you; I have seen it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne seemed overcome with amazement. From pale, she became crimson; as
+      the redness disappeared, her lips grew white, and trembled. Her emotion
+      was so strong, that she remained for some moments unable to speak, and
+      pressed her hand to her heart, as if to moderate its pulsations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Montbron, almost frightened at the sudden change in Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      countenance, hastily approached her, exclaiming: &ldquo;Good heaven, my poor
+      child! what is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering, Adrienne waved her hand to him, in sign that he
+      should not be alarmed; and, in fact, the count was speedily tranquillized,
+      for the beautiful face, which had so lately been contracted with pain,
+      irony, and scorn, seemed now expressive of the sweetest and most ineffable
+      emotions; Adrienne appeared to luxuriate in delight, and to fear losing
+      the least particle of it; then, as reflection told her, that she was,
+      perhaps, the dupe of illusion or falsehood, she exclaimed suddenly, with
+      anguish, addressing herself to M. de Montbron: &ldquo;But is what you tell me
+      true?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I tell you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;that Prince Djalma&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Loves you to madness?&mdash;Alas! it is only too true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; cried Adrienne, with a charming expression of simplicity; &ldquo;that
+      could never be too true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say?&rdquo; cried the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But that woman?&rdquo; asked Adrienne, as if the word scorched her lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What woman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She who has been the cause of all these painful struggles.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That woman&mdash;why, who should it be but you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, I? Oh! tell me, was it I?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On my word of honor. I trust my experience. I have never seen so ardent
+      and sincere a passion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! is it really so? Has he never had any other love?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet I was told so.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By whom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That Djalma&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Had fallen violently in love, two days after I saw him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin told you that!&rdquo; cried M. de Montbron, as if struck with a sudden
+      idea. &ldquo;Why, it is he who told Djalma that you were in love with some one
+      else.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this it was which occasioned the poor youth&rsquo;s dreadful despair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was this which occasioned my despair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You love him, then, just as he loves you!&rdquo; exclaimed M. de Montbron,
+      transported with joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Love him!&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville. A discreet knock at the door
+      interrupted Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of your servants, no doubt. Be calm,&rdquo; said the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come in,&rdquo; said Adrienne, in an agitated voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville. Florine entered the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin has just been here. Fearing to disturb mademoiselle, he would
+      not come in; but he will return in half an hour. Will mademoiselle receive
+      him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes,&rdquo; said the count to Florine; &ldquo;even if I am still here, show him
+      in by all means. Is not that your opinion?&rdquo; asked M. de Montbron of
+      Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite so,&rdquo; answered the young girl; and a flash of indignation darted
+      from her eyes, as she thought of Rodin&rsquo;s perfidy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oho! the old knave!&rdquo; said M. de Montbron, &ldquo;I always had my doubts of that
+      crooked neck!&rdquo; Florine withdrew, leaving the count with her mistress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0114" id="link2HCH0114">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER IX. LOVE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>dlle. de Cardoville was transfigured. For the first time her beauty shone
+      forth in all its lustre. Until now overshadowed by indifference, or
+      darkened by grief, she appeared suddenly illumined by a brilliant ray of
+      sunshine. The slight irritation caused by Rodin&rsquo;s perfidy passed like an
+      imperceptible shade from her brow. What cared she now for falsehood and
+      perfidy? Had they not failed? And, for the future, what human power could
+      interpose between her and Djalma, so sure of each other? Who would dare to
+      cross the path of those two things, resolute and strong with the
+      irresistible power of youth, love, and liberty? Who would dare to follow
+      them into that blazing sphere, whither they went, so beautiful and happy,
+      to blend together in their inextinguishable love, protected by the proof
+      armor of their own happiness? Hardly had Florine left the room, when
+      Adrienne approached M. de Montbron with a rapid step. She seemed to have
+      become taller; and to watch her advancing, light, radiant, and triumphant,
+      one might have fancied her a goddess walking upon clouds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When shall I see him?&rdquo; was her first word to M. de Montbron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well&mdash;say to-morrow; he must be prepared for so much happiness; in
+      so ardent a nature, such sudden, unexpected joy might be terrible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne remained pensive for a moment, and then said rapidly: &ldquo;To morrow&mdash;yes&mdash;not
+      before to-morrow. I have a superstition of the heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know. HE LOVES ME&mdash;that word says all, contains all,
+      comprehends all, is all&mdash;and yet I have a thousand questions to ask
+      with regard to him&mdash;but I will ask none before to-morrow, because, by
+      a mysterious fatality, to-morrow is with me a sacred anniversary. It will
+      be an age till then; but happily, I can wait. Look here!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Beckoning M. de Montbron, she led him to the Indian Bacchus. &ldquo;How much it
+      is like him!&rdquo; said she to the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed,&rdquo; exclaimed the latter, &ldquo;it is strange!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Strange?&rdquo; returned Adrienne, with a smile of gentle pride; &ldquo;strange, that
+      a hero, a demi-god, an ideal of beauty, should resemble Djalma?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How you love him!&rdquo; said M. de Montbron, deeply touched, and almost
+      dazzled by the felicity which beamed from the countenance of Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must have suffered a good deal, do you not think so?&rdquo; said she, after a
+      moment&rsquo;s silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I had not made up my mind to come here to-day, almost in despair, what
+      would have happened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell; I should perhaps have died, for I am wounded mortally
+      here&rdquo;&mdash;she pressed her hand to her heart. &ldquo;But what might have been
+      death to me, will now be life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was horrible,&rdquo; said the count, shuddering. &ldquo;Such a passion, buried in
+      your own breast, proud as you are&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, proud&mdash;but not self-conceited. When I learned his love for
+      another, and that the impression which I fancied I had made on him at our
+      first interview had been immediately effaced, I renounced all hope,
+      without being able to renounce my love. Instead of shunning his image, I
+      surrounded myself with all that could remind me of him. In default of
+      happiness, there is a bitter pleasure in suffering through what we love.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can now understand your Indian library.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering the count, Adrienne took from the stand one of the
+      freshly-cut volumes, and, bringing it to M. de Montbron, said to him, with
+      a smile and a celestial expression of joy and happiness: &ldquo;I was wrong&mdash;I
+      am vain. Just read this&mdash;aloud, if you please. I tell you that I can
+      wait for to-morrow.&rdquo; Presenting the book to the count, she pointed out one
+      passage with the tip of her charming finger. Then she sank down upon the
+      couch, and, in an attitude of deep attention, with her body bent forward,
+      her hands crossed upon the cushion, her chin resting upon her hands, her
+      large eyes fixed with a sort of adoration on the Indian Bacchus, that was
+      just opposite to her, she appeared by this impassioned contemplation to
+      prepare herself to listen to M. de Montbron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter, much astonished, began to read, after again looking at
+      Adrienne, who said to him, in her most coaxing voice, &ldquo;Very slowly, I beg
+      of you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Montbron then read the following passage from the journal of a
+      traveller in India: &ldquo;&lsquo;When I was at Bombay, in 1829, I constantly heard
+      amongst the English there, of a young hero, the son of&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The count having paused a second, by reason of the barbarous spelling of
+      the name of Djalma&rsquo;s father, Adrienne immediately said to him, in her soft
+      voice: &ldquo;The son of Kadja-sing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20551m.jpg" alt="20551m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20551.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a memory!&rdquo; said the count, with a smile. And he resumed: &ldquo;&lsquo;A young
+      hero, the son of Kadja-sing, king of Mundi. On his return from a distant
+      and sanguinary expedition amongst the mountains against this Indian king,
+      Colonel Drake was filled with enthusiasm for this son of Kadja-sing, known
+      as Djalma. Hardly beyond the age of childhood, this young prince has in
+      the course of this implacable war given proofs of such chivalrous
+      intrepidity, and of so noble a character, that his father has been
+      surnamed the Father of the Generous.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is a touching custom,&rdquo; said the count. &ldquo;To recompense the father, as
+      it were, by giving him a surname in honor of his son, is a great idea. But
+      how strange you should have met with this book!&rdquo; added the count, in
+      surprise. &ldquo;I can understand; there is matter here to inflame the coolest
+      head.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you will see, you will see,&rdquo; said Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The count continued to read: &ldquo;&lsquo;Colonel Drake, one of the bravest and best
+      officers of the English army, said yesterday, in my presence, that having
+      been dangerously wounded, and taken prisoner by Prince Djalma, after an
+      energetic resistance, he had been conveyed to the camp established in the
+      village of&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here there was the same hesitation on the part of the count, on seeing a
+      still more barbarous name than the first; so, not wishing to try the
+      adventure, he paused, and said to Adrienne, &ldquo;Now really, I give this up.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet it is so easy!&rdquo; replied Adrienne; and she pronounced with
+      inexpressible softness, a name in itself soft, &ldquo;The village of
+      Shumshabad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You appear to have an infallible process for remembering geographical
+      names,&rdquo; said the count, continuing: &ldquo;&lsquo;Once arrived at the camp, Colonel
+      Drake received the kindest hospitality, and Prince Djalma treated him with
+      the respect of a son. It was there that the colonel became acquainted with
+      some facts, which carried to the highest pitch his enthusiasm for prince
+      Djalma. I heard him relate the two following.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;In one of the battles, the prince was accompanied by a young Indian of
+      about twelve years of age, whom he loved tenderly, and who served him as a
+      page, following him on horseback to carry his spare weapons. This child
+      was idolized by its mother; just as they set out on the expedition, she
+      had entrusted her son to Prince Djalma&rsquo;s care, saying, with a stoicism
+      worthy of antiquity, &ldquo;Let him be your brother.&rdquo; &ldquo;He shall be my brother,&rdquo;
+       had replied the prince. In the height of a disastrous defeat, the child is
+      severely wounded, and his horse killed; the prince, at peril of his life,
+      notwithstanding the perception of a forced retreat, disengages him, and
+      places him on the croup of his own horse; they are pursued; a musket-ball
+      strikes their steed, who is just able to reach a jungle, in the midst of
+      which, after some vain efforts, he falls exhausted. The child is unable to
+      walk, but the prince carries him in his arms, and hides with him in the
+      thickest part of the jungle. The English arrive, and begin their search;
+      but the two victims escape. After a night and a day of marches,
+      counter-marches, stratagems, fatigues, unheard-of perils, the prince,
+      still, carrying the child, one of whose legs is broken, arrives at his
+      father&rsquo;s camp, and says, with the utmost simplicity, &ldquo;I had promised his
+      mother that I would act a brother&rsquo;s part by him&mdash;and I have done
+      so.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is admirable!&rdquo; cried the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on&mdash;pray go on!&rdquo; said Adrienne, drying a tear, without removing
+      her eyes from the bas-relief, which she continued to contemplate with
+      growing adoration.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The count continued: &ldquo;&lsquo;Another time, Prince Djalma, followed by two black
+      slaves, went, before sunrise, to a very wild spot, to seize a couple of
+      tiger cubs only a few days old. The den had been previously discovered.
+      The two old tigers were still abroad. One of the blacks entered the den by
+      a narrow aperture; the other, aided by Djalma, cut down a tolerably large
+      tree, to prepare a trap for one of the old tigers. On the side of the
+      aperture, the cavern was exceedingly steep. The prince mounted to the top
+      of it with agility, to set his trap, with the aid of the other black.
+      Suddenly, a dreadful roar was heard; and, in a few bounds, the tigress,
+      returning from the chase, reached the opening of the den. The black who
+      was laying the trap with the prince had his skull fractured by her bite;
+      the tree, falling across the entrance, prevented the female from
+      penetrating the cavern, and at the same time stopped the exit of the black
+      who had seized the cubs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;About twenty feet higher, upon a ledge of rock, the prince lay flat on
+      the ground, looking down upon this frightful spectacle. The tigress,
+      rendered furious by the cries of her little ones, gnawed the hands of the
+      black, who, from the interior of the den, strove to support the trunk of
+      the tree, his only rampart, whilst he uttered the most lamentable
+      outcries.&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is horrible!&rdquo; said the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! go on! pray go on!&rdquo; exclaimed Adrienne, with excitement; &ldquo;you will
+      see what can be achieved by the heroism of goodness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The count pursued: &ldquo;&lsquo;Suddenly the prince seized his dagger between his
+      teeth, fastened his sash to a block of stone, took his axe in one hand,
+      and with the other slid down this substitute for a rope; falling a few
+      steps from the wild beast, he sprang upon her, and, swift as lightning,
+      dealt her two mortal strokes, just as the black, losing his strength, was
+      about to drop the trunk of the tree, sure to have been torn to pieces.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you are astonished at his resemblance with the demi-god, to whom
+      fable itself ascribes no more generous devotion!&rdquo; cried the young lady,
+      with still increasing excitement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am astonished no longer, I only admire,&rdquo; said the count, in a voice of
+      emotion; &ldquo;and, at these two noble instances of heroism, my heart beats
+      with enthusiasm, as if I were still twenty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the noble heart of this traveller beat like yours at the recital,&rdquo;
+       said Adrienne; &ldquo;you will see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;What renders so admirable the intrepidity of the prince, is, that,
+      according to the principle of Indian castes, the life of a slave is of no
+      importance; thus a king&rsquo;s son, risking his life for the safety of a poor
+      creature, so generally despised, obeyed an heroic and truly Christian
+      instinct of charity, until then unheard of in this country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Two such actions,&rsquo; said Colonel Drake, with good reason, &lsquo;are sufficient
+      to paint the man; it is with a feeling of profound respect and admiration,
+      therefore, that I, an obscure traveller, have written the name of Prince
+      Djalma in my book; and at the same time, I have experienced a kind of
+      sorrow, when I have asked myself what would be the future fate of this
+      prince, buried in the depths of a savage country, always devastated by
+      war. However humble may be the homage that I pay to this character, worthy
+      of the heroic age, his name will at least be repeated with generous
+      enthusiasm by all those who have hearts that beat in sympathy with what is
+      great and noble.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And just now, when I read those simple and touching lines,&rdquo; resumed
+      Adrienne, &ldquo;I could not forbear pressing my lips to the name of the
+      traveller.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; he is such as I thought him,&rdquo; cried the count, with still more
+      emotion, as he returned the book to Adrienne, who rose, with a grave and
+      touching air, and said to him: &ldquo;It was thus I wished you to know him, that
+      you might understand my adoration; for this courage, this heroic goodness,
+      I had guessed beforehand, when I was an involuntary listener to his
+      conversation. From that moment, I knew him to be generous as intrepid,
+      tender and sensitive as energetic and resolute; and when I saw him so
+      marvellously beautiful&mdash;so different, in the noble character of his
+      countenance, and even in the style of his garments, from all I had
+      hitherto met with&mdash;when I saw the impression that I made upon him,
+      and which I perhaps felt still more violently&mdash;I knew that my whole
+      life was bound up with his love.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now, what are your plans?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Divine, radiant as my heart. When he learns his happiness, I wish that
+      Djalma should feel dazzled as I do, so as to prevent my gazing on my sun;
+      for I repeat, that until tomorrow will be a century to me. Yes, it is
+      strange! I should have thought that after such a discovery, I should feel
+      the want of being left alone, plunged in an ocean of delicious dreams. But
+      no! from this time till to-morrow&mdash;I dread solitude&mdash;I feel a
+      kind of feverish impatience&mdash;uneasy&mdash;ardent&mdash;Oh! where is
+      the beneficent fairy, that, touching me with her wand, will lull me into
+      slumber till to-morrow!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will be that beneficent fairy,&rdquo; said the count, smiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The power of my wand is this: I will relieve you from a portion of your
+      thoughts by making them materially visible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray explain yourself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And my plan will have another advantage for you. Listen to me; you are so
+      happy now that you can hear anything. Your odious aunt, and her equally
+      odious friends, are spreading the report that your residence with Dr.
+      Baleinier&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Was rendered necessary by the derangement of my mind,&rdquo; said Adrienne,
+      with a smile; &ldquo;I expected that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is stupid enough; but, as your resolution to live alone makes many
+      envious of you, and many hostile, you must feel that there will be no want
+      of persons ready to believe the most absurd calumny possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope as much. To pass for mad in the eyes of fools is very flattering.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but to prove to fools that they are fools, and that in the face of
+      all Paris, is much more amusing. Now, people begin to talk of your
+      absence; you have given up your daily rides; for some time my niece has
+      appeared alone in our box at the Opera; you wish to kill the time till
+      to-morrow&mdash;well! here is an excellent opportunity. It is two o&rsquo;clock;
+      at halfpast three, my niece will come in the carriage; the weather is
+      splendid; there is sure to be a crowd in the Bois de Boulogne. You can
+      take a delightful ride, and be seen by everybody. Then, as the air and
+      movement will have calmed your fever of happiness, I will commence my
+      magic this evening, and take you to India.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To India?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Into the midst of one of those wild forests, in which roar the lion, the
+      panther, and the tiger. We will have this heroic combat, which so moved
+      you just now, under our own eyes, in all its terrible reality.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really, my dear count, you must be joking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not at all; I promise to show you real wild beasts, formidable tenants of
+      the country of our demigod&mdash;growling tigers&mdash;roaring lions&mdash;do
+      you not think that will be better than books?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come! I must give you the secret of my supernatural power. On returning
+      from your ride, you shall dine with my niece, and we will go together to a
+      very curious spectacle now exhibiting at the Porte-Saint-Martin Theatre. A
+      most extraordinary lion-tamer there shows you a number of wild beasts, in
+      a state of nature, in the midst of a forest (here only commences the
+      illusion), and has fierce combats with them all&mdash;tigers, lions, and
+      panthers. All Paris is crowding to these representations, and all Paris
+      will see you there, more charming than ever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I accept your offer,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with childish delight. &ldquo;Yes, you are
+      right. I feel a strange pleasure in beholding these ferocious monsters,
+      who will remind me of those that my demi-god so heroically overcame. I
+      accept also, because, for the first time in my life, I am anxious to be
+      admired&mdash;even by everybody. I accept finally because&mdash;&rdquo; Here
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville was interrupted by a low knock at the door, and by
+      the entrance of Florine, who announced M. Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0115" id="link2HCH0115">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER X. THE EXECUTION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">R</span>odin entered. A rapid glance at Mdlle. de Cardoville and M. de Montbron
+      told him at once that he was in a dilemma. In fact, nothing could be less
+      encouraging than the faces of Adrienne and the count. The latter, when he
+      disliked people, exhibited his antipathy, as we have already said, by an
+      impertinently aggressive manner, which had before now occasioned a good
+      number of duels. At sight of Rodin, his countenance at once assumed a
+      harsh and insolent expression; resting his elbow on the chimney-piece, and
+      conversing with Adrienne, he looked disdainfully over his shoulder,
+      without taking the least notice of the Jesuit&rsquo;s low bow. On the other
+      hand, at sight of this man, Mdlle. de Cardoville almost felt surprise,
+      that she should experience no movement of anger or hatred. The brilliant
+      flame which burned in her heart, purified it from every vindictive
+      sentiment. She smiled, on the contrary; for, glancing with gentle pride at
+      the Indian Bacchus, and then at herself, she asked herself what two
+      beings, so young, and fair, and free, and loving, could have to fear from
+      this old, sordid man, with his ignoble and base countenance, now advancing
+      towards her with the writhing of a reptile. In a word, far from feeling
+      anger or aversion with regard to Rodin, the young lady seemed full of the
+      spirit of mocking gayety, and her large eyes, already lighted up with
+      happiness, now sparkled with irony and mischief. Rodin felt himself ill at
+      ease. People of his stamp greatly prefer violent to mocking enemies. They
+      can encounter bursts of rage&mdash;sometimes by falling on their knees,
+      weeping, groaning, and beating their breasts&mdash;sometimes by turning on
+      their adversary, armed and implacable. But they are easily disconcerted by
+      biting raillery; and thus it was with Rodin. He saw that between Adrienne
+      de Cardoville and M. de Montbron, he was about to be placed in what is
+      vulgarly termed a &ldquo;regular fix.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The count opened the fire; still glancing over his shoulder, he said to
+      Rodin: &ldquo;Ah! you are here, my benevolent gentleman!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray, sir, draw a little nearer,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a mocking smile.
+      &ldquo;Best of friends and model of philosophers&mdash;as well as declared enemy
+      of all fraud and falsehood&mdash;I have to pay you a thousand
+      compliments.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I accent anything from you, my dear young lady, even though undeserved,&rdquo;
+       said the Jesuit, trying to smile, and thus exposing his vile yellow teeth;
+      &ldquo;but may I be informed how I have earned these compliments?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your penetration, sir, which is rare&mdash;&rdquo; replied Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your veracity, sir,&rdquo; said the count, &ldquo;which is perhaps no less rare&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In what have I exhibited my penetration, my dear young lady?&rdquo; said Rodin,
+      coldly. &ldquo;In what my veracity?&rdquo; added he, turning towards M. de Montbron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In what, sir?&rdquo; said Adrienne. &ldquo;Why, you have guessed a secret surrounded
+      by difficulties and mystery. In a word, you have known how to read the
+      depths of a woman&rsquo;s heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, my dear young lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, sir! rejoice at it, for your penetration has had the most fortunate
+      results.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your veracity has worked wonders,&rdquo; added the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is pleasant to do good, even without knowing it,&rdquo; said Rodin, still
+      acting on the defensive, and throwing side glances by turns on the count
+      and Adrienne; &ldquo;but will you inform me what it is that deserves this praise&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gratitude obliges me to inform you of it,&rdquo; said Adrienne, maliciously;
+      &ldquo;you have discovered, and told Prince Djalma, that I was passionately in
+      love. Well! I admire your penetration; it was true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have also discovered, and told this lady, that Prince Djalma was
+      passionately in love,&rdquo; resumed the count. &ldquo;Well! I admire your
+      penetration, my dear sir; it was true.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked confused, and at a loss for a reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The person that I loved so passionately,&rdquo; said Adrienne, &ldquo;was the
+      prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The person that the prince loved so passionately,&rdquo; resumed the count,
+      &ldquo;was this lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These revelations, so sudden and alarming, almost stunned Rodin; he
+      remained mute and terrified, thinking of the future.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you understand now, sir, the extent of our gratitude towards you?&rdquo;
+       resumed Adrienne, in a still more mocking tone. &ldquo;Thanks to your sagacity,
+      thanks to the touching interest you take in us, the prince and I are
+      indebted to you for the knowledge of our mutual sentiments.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jesuit had now gradually recovered his presence of mind, and his
+      apparent calmness greatly irritated M. de Montbron, who, but for
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s presence, would have assumed another tone than jests.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is some mistake,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;in what you have done me the honor
+      to tell me, my dear young lady. I have never in my life spoken of the
+      sentiments, however worthy and respectable, that you may entertain for
+      Prince Djalma&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true,&rdquo; replied Adrienne; &ldquo;with scrupulous and exquisite
+      discretion, whenever you spoke to me of the deep love felt by Prince
+      Djalma, you carried your reserve and delicacy so far as to inform me that
+      it was not I whom he loved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the same scruple induced you to tell the prince that Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville loved some one passionately&mdash;but that he was not the
+      person,&rdquo; added the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; answered Rodin, dryly, &ldquo;I need hardly tell you that I have no
+      desire to mix myself up with amorous intrigues.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come! this is either pride or modesty,&rdquo; said the count, insolently. &ldquo;For
+      your own interest, pray do not advance such things; for, if we took you at
+      your word, and it became known, it might injure some of the nice little
+      trades that you carry on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is one at least,&rdquo; said Rodin, drawing himself up as proudly as M.
+      de Montbron, &ldquo;whose rude apprenticeship I shall owe to you. It is the
+      wearisome one of listening to your discourse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you what, my good sir!&rdquo; replied the count, disdainfully: &ldquo;you
+      force me to remind you that there are more ways than one of chastising
+      impudent rogues.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear count!&rdquo; said Adrienne to M. de Montbron, with an air of reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With perfect coolness, Rodin replied: &ldquo;I do not exactly see, sir, first,
+      what courage is shown by threatening a poor old man like myself, and,
+      secondly&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin,&rdquo; said the count, interrupting the Jesuit, &ldquo;first, a poor old
+      man like you, who does evil under the shelter of the age he dishonors, is
+      both cowardly and wicked, and deserves a double chastisement; secondly,
+      with regard to this question of age, I am not aware that gamekeepers and
+      policemen bow down respectfully to the gray coats of old wolves, and the
+      gray hairs of old thieves. What do you think, my good sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Still impassible, Rodin raised his flabby eyelids, fixed for hardly a
+      second his little reptile eye upon the count, and darted at him one of his
+      rapid, cold, and piercing glances&mdash;and then the livid eyelid again
+      covered the dull eye of that corpse-like face.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20559m.jpg" alt="20559m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20559.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not having the disadvantage of being an old wolf, and still less an old
+      thief,&rdquo; said Rodin, quietly, &ldquo;you will permit me, sir, to take no account
+      of the pursuit of hunters and police. As for the reproaches made me, I
+      have a very simple method of answering&mdash;I do not say of justifying
+      myself&mdash;I never justify myself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t say!&rdquo; said the count.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never,&rdquo; resumed Rodin coolly; &ldquo;my acts are sufficient for that. I will
+      then simply answer that seeing the deep, violent, almost fearful
+      impression made by this lady on the prince&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let this assurance which you give me of the prince&rsquo;s love,&rdquo; said Adrienne
+      interrupting Rodin with an enchanting smile, &ldquo;absolve you of all the evil
+      you wished to do me. The sight of our happiness be your only punishment!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It may be that I need neither absolution nor punishment, for, as I have
+      already had the honor to observe to the count, my dear young lady, the
+      future will justify my acts. Yes; it was my duty to tell the prince that
+      you loved another than himself, and to tell you that he loved another than
+      yourself&mdash;all in your mutual interest. That my attachment for you may
+      have misled me, is possible&mdash;I am not infallible; but, after my past
+      conduct towards you, my dear young lady, I have, perhaps, some right to be
+      astonished at seeing myself thus treated. This is not a complaint. If I
+      never justify myself, I never complain either.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now really, there is something heroic in all this, my good sir,&rdquo; said the
+      count. &ldquo;You do not condescend to complain or justify yourself, with regard
+      to the evil you have done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The evil I have done?&rdquo; said Rodin, looking fixedly at the count. &ldquo;Are we
+      playing at enigmas?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir!&rdquo; cried the count, with indignation: &ldquo;is it nothing, by your
+      falsehoods, to have plunged the prince into so frightful a state of
+      despair, that he has twice attempted his life? Is it nothing, by similar
+      falsehoods, to have induced this lady to believe so cruel and complete an
+      error, that but for the resolution I have to-day taken, it might have led
+      to the most fatal consequences?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And will you do me the honor to tell me, sir, what interest I could have
+      in all this despair and error, admitting even that I had wished to produce
+      them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some great interest no doubt,&rdquo; said the count, bluntly; &ldquo;the more
+      dangerous that it is concealed. You are one of those, I see, to whom the
+      woes of others are pleasure and profit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is really too much, sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, bowing; &ldquo;I should be quite
+      contented with the profit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your impudent coolness will not deceive me; this is a serious matter,&rdquo;
+       said the count. &ldquo;It is impossible that so perfidious a piece of roguery
+      can be an isolated act. Who knows but this may still be one of the fruits
+      of Madame de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s hatred for Mdlle. de Cardoville?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne had listened to the preceding discussion with deep attention.
+      Suddenly she started, as if struck by a sudden revelation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, she said to Rodin, without anger, without
+      bitterness, but with an expression of gentle and serene calmness: &ldquo;We are
+      told, sir, that happy love works miracles. I should be tempted to believe
+      it; for, after some minutes&rsquo; reflection, and when I recall certain
+      circumstances, your conduct appears to me in quite a new light.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what may this new perspective be, my dear young lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That you may see it from my point of view, sir, allow me to remind you of
+      a few facts. That sewing-girl was generously devoted to me; she had given
+      me unquestionable proofs of her attachment. Her mind was equal to her
+      noble heart; but she had an invincible dislike to you. All on a sudden she
+      disappears mysteriously from my house, and you do your best to cast upon
+      her odious suspicions. M. de Montbron has a paternal affection for me;
+      but, as I must confess, little sympathy for you; and you have always tried
+      to produce a coldness between us. Finally, Prince Djalma has a deep
+      affection for me, and you employ the most perfidious treachery to kill
+      that sentiment within him. For what end do you act thus? I do not know;
+      but certainly with some hostile design.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It appears to me, madame,&rdquo; said Rodin, severely, &ldquo;that you have forgotten
+      services performed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not deny, sir, that you took me from the house of Dr. Baleinier;
+      but, a few days sooner or later, I must infallibly have been released by
+      M. de Montbron.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, my dear child,&rdquo; said the count; &ldquo;it may be that your
+      enemies wished to claim the merit of what must necessarily have happened
+      through the exertions of your friends.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are drowning, and I save you&mdash;it is all a mistake to feel
+      grateful,&rdquo; said Rodin, bitterly; &ldquo;some one else would no doubt have saved
+      you a little later.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The comparison is wanting in exactness,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a smile; &ldquo;a
+      lunatic asylum is not a river, and though, from what I see, I think you
+      quite capable of diving, you have had no occasion to swim on this
+      occasion. You merely opened a door for me, which would have opened of
+      itself a little later.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good, my dear child!&rdquo; said the count, laughing heartily at
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s reply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know, sir, that your care did not extend to me only. The daughters of
+      Marshal Simon were brought back by you; but we may imagine that the claim
+      of the Duke de Ligny to the possession of his daughters would not have
+      been in vain. You returned to an old soldier his imperial cross, which he
+      held to be a sacred relic; it is a very touching incident. Finally, you
+      unmasked the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Dr. Baleinier: but I had already made up
+      my mind to unmask then. However, all this proves that you are a very
+      clever man&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame!&rdquo; said Rodin, humbly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Full of resources and invention&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, madame!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not my fault if, in our long interview at Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s, you
+      betrayed that superiority of mind which struck me so forcibly, and which
+      seems to embarrass you so much at present. What would you have, sir?&mdash;great
+      minds like yours find it difficult to maintain their incognito. Yet, as by
+      different ways&mdash;oh! very different,&rdquo; added the young lady,
+      maliciously, &ldquo;we are tending to the same end (still keeping in view our
+      conversation at Dr. Baleinier&rsquo;s), I wish, for the sake of our future
+      communion, as you call it, to give you a piece of advice, and speak
+      frankly to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin had listened to Mdlle. de Cardoville with apparent impassibility,
+      holding his hat under his arm, and twirling his thumbs, whilst his hands
+      were crossed upon his waistcoat. The only external mark of the intense
+      agitation into which he was thrown by the calm words of Adrienne, was that
+      the livid eyelids of the Jesuit, which had been hypocritically closed,
+      became gradually red, as the blood flowed into them. Nevertheless, he
+      answered Mdlle. de Cardoville in a firm voice, and with a low bow: &ldquo;Good
+      advice and frankness are always excellent things.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, sir,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, with some excitement, &ldquo;happy love
+      bestows such penetration, such energy, such courage, as enables one to
+      laugh at perils, to detect stratagems, and to defy hatred. Believe me, the
+      divine light which surrounds two loving hearts will be sufficient to
+      disperse all darkness, and reveal every snare. You see, in India&mdash;excuse
+      my weakness, but I like to talk of India,&rdquo; added the young girl, with a
+      smile of indescribable grace and meaning&mdash;&ldquo;in India, when travellers
+      sleep at night, they kindle great fires round their ajoupa (excuse this
+      touch of local coloring), and far as extends the luminous circle, it puts
+      to flight by its mere brilliancy, all the impure and venomous reptiles
+      that shun the day and live only in darkness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The meaning of this comparison has quite escaped me,&rdquo; said Rodin,
+      continuing to twirl his thumbs, and half raising his eyelids, which were
+      getting redder and redder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will speak more plainly,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a smile. &ldquo;Suppose, sir,
+      that the last is a service which you have rendered me and the prince&mdash;for
+      you only proceed by way of services&mdash;that, I acknowledge, is novel
+      and ingenious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bravo, my dear child!&rdquo; said the count, joyfully. &ldquo;The execution will be
+      complete.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! this is meant for an execution?&rdquo; said Rodin, still impassible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, with a smile; &ldquo;it is a simple conversation
+      between a poor young girl and an old philosopher, the friend of humanity.
+      Suppose, then, that these frequent services that you have rendered to me
+      and mine have suddenly opened my eyes; or, rather,&rdquo; added the young girl,
+      in a serious tone, &ldquo;suppose that heaven, who gives to the mother the
+      instinct to defend her child, has given me, along with happiness, the
+      instinct to preserve my happiness, and that a vague presentiment, by
+      throwing light on a thousand circumstances until now obscure, has suddenly
+      revealed to me that, instead of being the friend, you are perhaps, the
+      most dangerous enemy of myself and family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So we pass from the execution to suppositions,&rdquo; said Rodin, still
+      immovable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And from suppositions, sir, if you must have it, to certainty,&rdquo; resumed
+      Adrienne, with dignified firmness; &ldquo;yes, now I believe that I was for
+      awhile your dupe, and I tell you, without hate, without anger, but with
+      regret&mdash;that it is painful to see a man of your sense and
+      intelligence stoop to such machinations, and, after having recourse to so
+      many diabolical manoeuvres, finish at last by being ridiculous; for,
+      believe me, there is nothing more ridiculous for a man like you, than to
+      be vanquished by a young girl, who has no weapon, no defence, no
+      instructor, but her love. In a word, sir, I look upon you from to-day as
+      an implacable and dangerous enemy; for I half perceive your aim, without
+      guessing by what means you will seek to accomplish it, No doubt your
+      future means will be worthy of the past. Well! in spite of all this, I do
+      not fear you. From tomorrow, my family will be informed of everything, and
+      an active, intelligent, resolute union will keep us all upon our guard,
+      for it doubtless concerns this enormous inheritance, of which they wish to
+      deprive us. Now, what connection can there be between the wrongs I
+      reproach you with and the pecuniary end proposed? I do not at all know&mdash;but
+      you have told me yourself that our enemies are so dangerously skillful,
+      and their craft so far-reaching, that we must expect all, be prepared for
+      all. I will remember the lesson. I have promised you frankness, sir, and
+      now I suppose you have it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It would be an imprudent frankness if I were your enemy,&rdquo; said Rodin,
+      still impassible; &ldquo;but you also promised me some advice, my dear young
+      lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My advice will be short; do not attempt to continue the struggle,
+      because, you see, there is something stronger than you and yours&mdash;it
+      is a woman&rsquo;s resolve, defending her happiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne pronounced these last words with so sovereign a confidence; her
+      beautiful countenance shone, as is it were, with such intrepid joy, that
+      Rodin, notwithstanding his phlegmatic audacity, was for a moment
+      frightened. Yet he did not appear in the least disconcerted; and, after a
+      moment&rsquo;s silence, he resumed, with an air of almost contemptuous
+      compassion: &ldquo;My dear young lady, we may perhaps never meet again; it is
+      probable. Only remember one thing, which I now repeat to you: I never
+      justify myself. The future will provide for that. Notwithstanding which,
+      my dear young lady, I am your humble servant;&rdquo; and he made her a low bow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Count, I beg to salute you most respectfully,&rdquo; he added, bowing still
+      more humbly to M. de Montbron; and he went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had Rodin left the room than Adrienne ran to her desk, and writing
+      a few hasty lines, sealed the note, and said to M. de Montbron: &ldquo;I shall
+      not see the prince before to-morrow&mdash;as much from superstition of the
+      heart as because it is necessary for my plans that this interview should
+      be attended with some little solemnity. You shall know all; but I write to
+      him on the instant, for, with an enemy like M. Rodin, one must be prepared
+      for all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, my dear child; quick! the letter.&rdquo; Adrienne gave it to
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell him enough,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;to calm his grief; and not enough to
+      deprive me of the delicious happiness of the surprise I reserve for to
+      morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All this has as much sense as heart in it: I will hasten to the prince&rsquo;s
+      abode, to deliver your letter. I shall not see him, for I could not answer
+      for myself. But come! our proposed drive, our evening&rsquo;s amusement, are
+      still to hold good.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly. I have more need than ever to divert my thoughts till to
+      morrow. I feel, too, that the fresh air will do me good, for this
+      interview with M. Rodin has warmed me a little.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The old wretch! but we will talk further of him. I will hasten to the
+      prince&rsquo;s and return with Madame de Morinval, to fetch you to the Champs
+      Elysees.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Count de Montbron withdrew precipitately, as joyful at his departure
+      as he had been sad on his arrival.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0116" id="link2HCH0116">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XI. THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t was about two hours after the interview of Rodin with Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville. Numerous loungers, attracted to the Champs-Elysees by the
+      serenity of a fine spring day (it was towards the end of the month of
+      March) stopped to admire a very handsome equipage. A bright-blue open
+      carriage, with white-and-blue wheels, drawn by four superb horses, of
+      cream color, with black manes, and harness glittering with silver
+      ornaments, mounted by two boy postilions of equal size, with black velvet
+      caps, light-blue cassimere jackets with white collars, buckskin breeches,
+      and top-boots; two tall, powdered footmen, also in light-blue livery, with
+      white collars and facings, being seated in the rumble behind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No equipage could have been turned out in better style. The horses, full
+      of blood, spirit, and vigor, were skillfully managed by the postilions,
+      and stepped with singular regularity, gracefully keeping time in their
+      movements, champing their bits covered with foam, and ever and anon
+      shaking their cockades of blue and white silk, with long floating ends,
+      and a bright rose blooming in the midst.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A man on horseback, dressed with elegant simplicity, keeping at the other
+      side of the avenue, contemplated with proud satisfaction this equipage
+      which he had, as it were, created. It was M. de Bonneville&mdash;Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      equerry, as M. de Montbron called him&mdash;for the carriage belonged to
+      that young lady. A change had taken place in the plan for this magic day&rsquo;s
+      amusement. M. de Montbron had not been able to deliver Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville&rsquo;s note to Prince Djalma. Faringhea had told him that the prince
+      had gone that morning into the country with Marshal Simon, and would not
+      be back before evening. The letter should be given him on his arrival.
+      Completely satisfied as to Djalma, knowing that he could find these few
+      lines, which, without informing him of the happiness that awaited him,
+      would at least give him some idea of it, Adrienne had followed the advice
+      of M. de Montbron, and gone to the drive in her own carriage, to show all
+      the world that she had quite made up her mind, in spite of the perfidious
+      reports circulated by the Princess de Saint Dizier, to keep to her
+      resolution of living by herself in her own way. Adrienne wore a small
+      white bonnet, with a fall of blonde, which well became her rosy face and
+      golden hair; her high dress of garnet-colored velvet was almost hidden
+      beneath a large green cashmere shawl. The young Marchioness de Morinval,
+      who was also very pretty and elegant, was seated at her right. M. de
+      Montbron occupied the front seat of the carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Those who know the Parisian world, or rather, that imperceptible fraction
+      of the world of Paris which goes every fine, sunny day to the Champs
+      Elysees, to see and be seen, will understand that the presence of Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville on that brilliant promenade was an extraordinary and
+      interesting event.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The world (as it is called) could hardly believe its eyes, on seeing this
+      lady of eighteen, possessed of princely wealth, and belonging to the
+      highest nobility, thus prove to every one, by this appearance in public,
+      that she was living completely free and independent, contrary to all
+      custom and received notions of propriety. This kind of emancipation
+      appeared something monstrous, and people were almost astonished that the
+      graceful and dignified bearing of the young lady should belie so
+      completely the calumnies circulated by Madame de Saint-Dizier and her
+      friends, with regard to the pretended madness of her niece. Many beaux,
+      profiting by their acquaintance with the Marchioness de Morinval or M. de
+      Montbron, came by turns to pay their respects, and rode for a few minutes
+      by the side of the carriage, so as to have an opportunity of seeing,
+      admiring, and perhaps hearing, Mdlle. de Cardoville; she surpassed their
+      expectations, by talking with her usual grace and spirit. Then surprise
+      and enthusiasm knew no bounds. What had at first been blamed as an almost
+      insane caprice, was now voted a charming originality, and it only depended
+      on Mdlle. de Cardoville herself, to be declared from that day the queen of
+      elegance and fashion. The young lady understood very well the impression
+      she had made; she felt proud and happy, for she thought of Djalma; when
+      she compared him to all these men of fashion, her happiness was the more
+      increased. And, verily, these young men, most of whom had never quitted
+      Paris, or had ventured at most as far as Naples or Baden, looked
+      insignificant enough by the side of Djalma, who, at his age, had so many
+      times commanded and combated in bloody wars, and whose reputation far
+      courage and generosity, mentioned by travellers with admiration, had
+      already reached from India to Paris. And then, how could these charming
+      exquisites, with their small hats, their scanty frock-coats, and their
+      huge cravats, compare with the Indian prince, whose graceful and manly
+      beauty was still heightened by the splendor of a costume, at once so rich
+      and so picturesque?
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20567m.jpg" alt="20567m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20567.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      On this happy day, all was joy and love for Adrienne. The sun, setting in
+      a splendidly serene sky, flooded the promenade with its golden light. The
+      air was warm. Carriages and horsemen passed and repassed in rapid
+      succession; a light breeze played with the scarfs of the women, and the
+      plumes in their bonnets; all around was noise, movement, sunshine.
+      Adrienne, leaning back in her carriage, amused herself with watching this
+      busy scene, sparkling with Parisian luxury; but, in the vortex of this
+      brilliant chaos, she saw in thought the mild, melancholy countenance of
+      Djalma&mdash;when suddenly something fell into her lap, and she started.
+      It was a bunch of half-faded violets. At the same instant she heard a
+      child&rsquo;s voice following the carriage, and saying: &ldquo;For the love of heaven,
+      my good lady, one little sou!&rdquo; Adrienne turned her head, and saw a poor
+      little girl, pale and wan, with mild, sorrowful features, scarcely covered
+      with rags, holding out her hand, and raising her eyes in supplication.
+      Though the striking contrast of extreme misery, side by side with extreme
+      luxury, is so common, that it no longer excites attention, Adrienne was
+      deeply affected by it. She thought of Mother Bunch, now, perhaps, the
+      victim of frightful destitution.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! at least,&rdquo; thought the young lady, &ldquo;let not this day be one of
+      happiness for me alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She leaned from the carriage-window, and said to the poor child: &ldquo;Have you
+      a mother, my dear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my lady, I have neither father nor mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who takes care of you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No one, my lady. They give me nosegays to sell, and I must bring home
+      money&mdash;or they beat me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor little thing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A sou, my good lady&mdash;a sou, for the love of heaven!&rdquo; said the child,
+      continuing to follow the carriage, which was then moving slowly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear count,&rdquo; said Adrienne, smiling, and addressing M. de Montbron,
+      &ldquo;you are, unfortunately, no novice at an elopement. Please to stretch
+      forth your arms, take up that child with both hands, and lift her into the
+      carriage. We can hide her between Lady de Morinval and myself; and we can
+      drive away before any one perceives this audacious abduction.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; said the count, in surprise. &ldquo;You wish&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I beg you to do it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a folly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yesterday, you might, perhaps, have treated this caprice as a folly; but
+      to-day,&rdquo; said Adrienne, laying great stress upon the word, and glancing at
+      M. de Montbron with a significant air, &ldquo;to-day, you should understand that
+      it is almost a duty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I understand you, good and noble heart!&rdquo; said the count, with
+      emotion; while Lady de Morinval, who knew nothing of Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville&rsquo;s love for Djalma, looked with as much surprise as curiosity at
+      the count and the young lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Montbron, leaning from the carriage, stretched out his arms towards
+      the child, and said to her: &ldquo;Give me your hands, little girl.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Though much astonished, the child obeyed mechanically, and held out both
+      her little arms; then the count took her by the wrists, and lifted her
+      lightly from the ground, which he did the more easily, as the carnage was
+      very low, and its progress by no means rapid. More stupefied than
+      frightened, the child said not a word. Adrienne and Lady de Morinval made
+      room for her to crouch down between them, and the little girl was soon
+      hidden beneath the shawls of the two young women. All this was executed so
+      quickly, that it was hardly perceived by a few persons passing in the
+      side-avenues.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, my dear count,&rdquo; said Adrienne, radiant with pleasure, &ldquo;let us make
+      off at once with our prey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      M. de Montbron half rose, and called to the postilions. &ldquo;Home!&rdquo; and the
+      four horses started at once into a rapid and regular trot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This day of happiness now seems consecrated, and my luxury is excused,&rdquo;
+       thought Adrienne; &ldquo;till I can again meet with that poor Mother Bunch, and
+      from this day I will make every exertion to find her out, her place will
+      at least not be quite empty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There are often strange coincidences in life. At the moment when this
+      thought of the hunchback crossed the mind of Adrienne, a crowd had
+      collected in one of the side-avenues, and other persons soon ran to join
+      the group.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look, uncle!&rdquo; said Lady de Morinval; &ldquo;how many people are assembled
+      yonder. What can it be? Shall we stop, and send to inquire?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am sorry, my dear, but your curiosity cannot be satisfied,&rdquo; said the
+      count, drawing out his watch; &ldquo;it will soon be six o&rsquo;clock, and the
+      exhibition of the wild beasts begin at eight. We shall only just have time
+      to go home and dine. Is not that your opinion, my dear child?&rdquo; said he to
+      Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yours, Julia?&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville to the marchioness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, certainly!&rdquo; answered her friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am the less inclined to delay,&rdquo; resumed the count, &ldquo;as when I have
+      taken you to the Porte-Saint-Martin, I shall be obliged to go for half
+      an-hour to my club, to ballot for Lord Campbell, whom I propose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, Adrienne and I will be left alone at the play, uncle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your husband will go with you, I suppose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, dear uncle; but do not quite leave us, because of that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be sure I shall not: for I am curious as you are to see these terrible
+      animals, and the famous Morok, the incomparable lion-tamer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A few minutes after, Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s carriage had left the Champs
+      Elysees, carrying with it the little girl, and directing its course
+      towards the Rue d&rsquo;Anjou. As the brilliant equipage disappeared from the
+      scene, the crowd, of which we before have spoken, greatly increased about
+      one of the large trees in the Champs-Elysees, and expressions of pity were
+      heard here and there amongst the groups. A lounger approached a young man
+      on the skirts of the crowd, and said to him: &ldquo;What is the matter, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hear it is a poor young girl, a hunchback, that has fallen from
+      exhaustion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A hunchback! is that all? There will always be enough hunchbacks,&rdquo; said
+      the lounger, brutally, with a coarse laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hunchback or not, if she dies of hunger,&rdquo; answered the young man,
+      scarcely able to restrain his indignation, &ldquo;it will be no less sad&mdash;and
+      there is really nothing to laugh at, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Die of hunger! pooh!&rdquo; said the lounger, shrugging his shoulders. &ldquo;It is
+      only lazy scoundrels, that will not work, who die of hunger. And it serves
+      them right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wager, sir, there is one death you will never die of,&rdquo; cried the young
+      man, incensed at the cruel insolence of the lounger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo; answered the other, haughtily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I mean, sir, that your heart is not likely to kill you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir!&rdquo; cried the lounger in an angry tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! what, sir?&rdquo; replied the young man, looking full in his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing,&rdquo; said the lounger, turning abruptly on his heel, and grumbling
+      as he sauntered towards an orange-colored cabriolet, on which was
+      emblazoned an enormous coat-of-arms, surmounted by a baron&rsquo;s crest. A
+      servant in green livery, ridiculously laced with gold, was standing beside
+      the horse, and did not perceive his master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you catching flies, fool?&rdquo; said the latter, pushing him with his
+      cane. The servant turned round in confusion. &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you never learn to call me Monsieur le Baron, rascal?&rdquo; cried his
+      master, in a rage&mdash;&ldquo;Open the door directly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The lounger was Baron Tripeaud, the manufacturing baron the stock-jobber.
+      The poor hunchback was Mother Bunch, who had, indeed fallen with hunger
+      and fatigue, whilst on her way to Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s. The unfortunate
+      creature had found courage to brave the shame of the ridicule she so much
+      feared, by returning to that house from which she was a voluntary exile;
+      but this time, it was not for herself, but for her sister Cephyse&mdash;the
+      Bacchanal Queen, who had returned to Paris the previous day, and whom
+      Mother Bunch now sought, through the means of Adrienne, to rescue from a
+      most dreadful fate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two hours after these different scenes, an enormous crowd pressed round
+      the doors of the Porte-Saint-Martin, to witness the exercises of Morok,
+      who was about to perform a mock combat with the famous black panther of
+      Java, named Death. Adrienne, accompanied by Lord and Lady de Morinval, now
+      stepped from a carriage at the entrance of the theatre. They were to be
+      joined in the course of the evening by M. de Montbron, whom they had
+      dropped, in passing, at his club.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0117" id="link2HCH0117">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XII. BEHIND THE SCENES.
+    </h2>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20575m.jpg" alt="20575m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20575.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The large theatre of the Porte-Saint-Martin was crowded by an impatient
+      multitude. All Paris had hurried with eager and burning curiosity to
+      Morok&rsquo;s exhibition. It is quite unnecessary to say that the lion-tamer had
+      completely abandoned his small taste in religious baubles, which he had so
+      successfully carried on at the White Falcon Inn at Leipsic. There were,
+      moreover, numerous tokens by which the surprising effects of Morok&rsquo;s
+      sudden conversion had been blazoned in the most extraordinary pictures:
+      the antiquated baubles in which he had formerly dealt would have found no
+      sale in Paris. Morok had nearly finished dressing himself, in one of the
+      actor&rsquo;s rooms, which had been lent to him. Over a coat of mail, with
+      cuishes and brassarts, he wore an ample pair of red trousers, fastened
+      round his ankles by broad rings of gilt brass. His long caftan of black
+      cloth, embroidered with scarlet and gold, was bound round his waist and
+      wrist by other large rings of gilt metal. This sombre costume imparted to
+      him an aspect still more ferocious. His thick and red-haired beard fell in
+      large quantities down to his chest, and a long piece of white muslin was
+      folded round his red head. A devout missionary in Germany and an actor in
+      Paris, Morok knew as well as his employers, the Jesuits, how to
+      accommodate himself to circumstances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seated in one corner of the room, and contemplating with a sort of stupid
+      admiration, was Jacques Rennepont, better known as &ldquo;Sleepinbuff&rdquo; (from the
+      likelihood that he would end his days in rags, or his present antipathy to
+      great care in dress). Since the day Hardy&rsquo;s factory had been destroyed by
+      fire, Jacques had not quitted Morok, passing the nights in excesses, which
+      had no baneful effects on the iron constitution of the lion-tamer. On the
+      other&rsquo;s features, on the contrary, a great alteration was perceptible; his
+      hollow cheeks, marble pallor, his eyes, by turns dull and heavy, or
+      gleaming with lurid fire, betrayed the ravages of debauchery, his parched
+      lips were almost constantly curled by a bitter and sardonic smile. His
+      spirit, once gay and sanguine, still struggled against the besotting
+      influence of habitual intoxication. Unfitted for labor, no longer able to
+      forego gross pleasures, Jacques sought to drown in wine a few virtuous
+      impulses which he still possessed, and had sunk so low as to accept
+      without shame the large dole of sensual gratification proffered him by
+      Morok, who paid all the expenses of their orgies, but never gave him
+      money, in order that he might be completely dependent on him. After gazing
+      at Morok for some time in amazement, Jacques said to him, in a familiar
+      tone: &ldquo;Well, yours is a famous trade; you may boast that, at this moment,
+      there are not two men like you in the whole world That&rsquo;s flattering. It&rsquo;s
+      a pity you don&rsquo;t stick to this fine trade.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, how is the conspiracy going on, in whose honor you make me keep it
+      up all day and all night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is working, but the time is not yet come; that is why I wish to have
+      you always at hand, till the great day. Do you complain?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hang it, no!&rdquo; said Jacques. &ldquo;What could I do? Burnt up with brandy as I
+      am, if I wanted to work, I&rsquo;ve no longer the strength to do so. I have not,
+      like you, a head of marble, and a body of iron; but as for fuddling myself
+      with gunpowder, instead of anything else, that&rsquo;ll do for me; I&rsquo;m only fit
+      for that work now&mdash;and then, it will drive away thought.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh what kind?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know that when I do think, I think only of one thing,&rdquo; said Jacques,
+      gloomily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Bacchanal queen?&mdash;still?&rdquo; said Morok, in a disdainful tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Still! rather: when I shall think of her no longer, I shall be dead&mdash;or
+      stupefied. Fiend!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were never better or more intelligent, you fool!&rdquo; replied Morok,
+      fastening his turban. The conversation was here interrupted. Morok&rsquo;s aider
+      entered hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gigantic form of this Hercules had increased in width. He was habited
+      like Alcides; his enormous limbs, furrowed with veins as thick as
+      whipcord, were covered with a close-fitting flesh-colored garment, to
+      which a pair of red drawers formed a strong contrast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why do you rush in like a storm, Goliath?&rdquo; said Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a pretty storm in the house; they are beginning to get impatient,
+      and are calling out like madmen. But if that were all!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what else?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Death will not be able to play this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok turned quickly around. He seemed uneasy. &ldquo;Why so?&rdquo; he exclaimed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have just seen her! she&rsquo;s crouching at the bottom of her cage; her ears
+      lie so close to her head, she looks as if they had been cut off. You know
+      what that means.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that all?&rdquo; said Morok, turning to the glass to complete his head
+      dress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s quite enough; she&rsquo;s in one of her tearing fits. Since that night in
+      Germany, when she ripped up that old hack of a white horse, I&rsquo;ve not seen
+      her look so savage! her eyes shine like burning candles.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then she must have her fine collar on,&rdquo; said Morok, quietly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Her fine collar?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; her spring-collar.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I must be lady&rsquo;s-maid,&rdquo; said the giant. &ldquo;A nice toilet to attend to!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hold your tongue!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not all&mdash;&rdquo; continued Goliath, hesitating.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What more?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I might as well tell you at once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! he is here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who, you stupid brute?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Englishman!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok started; his arms fell powerless by his side. Jacques was struck
+      with the lion-tamer&rsquo;s paleness and troubled countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Englishman!&mdash;you have seen him?&rdquo; cried Morok, addressing
+      Goliath. &ldquo;You are quite sure?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite sure. I was looking through the peep-hole in the curtain; I saw him
+      in one of the stage-boxes&mdash;he wishes to see things close; he&rsquo;s easy
+      to recognize, with his pointed forehead, big nose, and goggle eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok shuddered again; usually fierce and unmoved, he appeared to be more
+      and more agitated, and so alarmed, that Jacques said to him: &ldquo;Who is this
+      Englishman?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has followed me from Strasburg, where he fell in with me,&rdquo; said Morok,
+      with visible dejection. &ldquo;He travelled with his own horses, by short
+      stages, as I did; stopping where I stopped, so as never to miss one of my
+      exhibitions. But two days before I arrived at Paris, he left me&mdash;I
+      thought I was rid of him,&rdquo; said Morok, with a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rid of him!&mdash;how you talk!&rdquo; replied Jacques, surprised; &ldquo;such a good
+      customer, such an admirer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Aye!&rdquo; said Morok, becoming more and more agitated; &ldquo;this wretch has
+      wagered an enormous sum, that I will be devoured in his presence, during
+      one of my performances: he hopes to win his wager&mdash;that is why he
+      follows me about.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Sleepinbuff found the John Bull&rsquo;s idea so amusingly eccentric, that, for
+      the first time since a very long period, he burst into a peal of hearty
+      laughter. Morok, pale with rage, rushed towards him with so menacing an
+      air, that Goliath was obliged to interpose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come,&rdquo; said Jacques, &ldquo;don&rsquo;t be angry; if it is serious, I will not
+      laugh any more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok was appeased, and said to Sleepinbuff in a hoarse voice: &ldquo;Do you
+      think me a coward?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, by heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! And yet this Englishman, with his grotesque face, frightens me more
+      than any tiger or my panther!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You say so, and I believe it,&rdquo; replied Jacques; &ldquo;but I cannot understand
+      why the presence of this man should alarm you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But consider, you dull knave!&rdquo; cried Morok, &ldquo;that, obliged to watch
+      incessantly the least movement of the ferocious beast, whom I keep in
+      subjection by my action and my looks, there is something terrible in
+      knowing that two eyes are there&mdash;always there&mdash;fixed&mdash;waiting
+      till the least absence of mind shall expose me to be torn in pieces by the
+      animals.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, I understand,&rdquo; said Jacques, shuddering in his turn. &ldquo;It is
+      terrible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; for once there, though I may not see this cursed Englishman, I fancy
+      I have his two round eyes, fixed and wide open, always before me. My tiger
+      Cain once nearly mutilated my arm, when my attention was drawn away by
+      this Englishman, whom the devil take! Blood and thunder!&rdquo; cried Morok:
+      &ldquo;this man will be fatal to me.&rdquo; And Morok paced the room in great
+      agitation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Besides, Death lays her ears close to her skull,&rdquo; said Goliath, brutally.
+      &ldquo;If you persist&mdash;mind, I tell you&mdash;the Englishman will win his
+      wager this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go away, you brute!&mdash;don&rsquo;t vex my head with your confounded
+      predictions,&rdquo; cried Morok: &ldquo;go and prepare Death&rsquo;s collar.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, every one to his taste; you wish the panther to taste you,&rdquo; said
+      the giant, stalking heavily away, after this joke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But if you feel these fears,&rdquo; said Jacques, &ldquo;why do you not say that the
+      panther is ill?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok shrugged his shoulders, and replied with a sort of feverish
+      ferocity, &ldquo;Have you ever heard of the fierce pleasure of the gamester, who
+      stakes his honor, his life, upon a card? Well! I too&mdash;in these daily
+      exhibitions where my life is at stake&mdash;find a wild, fierce pleasure
+      in braving death, before a crowded assembly, shuddering and terrified at
+      my audacity. Yes, even in the fear with which this Englishman inspires me,
+      I find, in spite of myself, a terrible excitement, which I abhor, and
+      which yet subjugates me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, the stage-manager entered the room, and interrupted the
+      beast-tamer. &ldquo;May we give the signal, M. Morok?&rdquo; said the stage-manager.
+      &ldquo;The overture will not last above ten minutes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am ready,&rdquo; said Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The police-inspector has just now given orders, that the double chain of
+      the panther, and the iron ring riveted to the floor of the stage, at the
+      end of the cavern in the foreground, shall be again examined; and
+      everything has been reported quite secure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;secure&mdash;except for me,&rdquo; murmured the beast-tamer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So, M. Morok, the signal may be given?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The signal may&mdash;be given,&rdquo; replied Morok. And the manager went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0118" id="link2HCH0118">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIII. UP WITH THE CURTAIN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he usual bell sounded with solemnity behind the scenes the overture
+      began, and, to say the truth, but little attention was paid to it. The
+      interior of the theatre offered a very animated view. With the exception
+      of two stage-boxes even with the dress circle, one to the left, the other
+      to the right of the audience, every seat was occupied. A great number of
+      very fashionable ladies, attracted, as is always the case, by the strange
+      wildness of the spectacle, filled the boxes. The stalls were crowded by
+      most of the young men who; in the morning, had walked their horses on the
+      Champs-Elysees. The observations which passed from one stall to another,
+      will give some idea of their conversation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know, my dear boy, there would not be so crowded or fashionable an
+      audience to witness Racine&rsquo;s Athalia?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Undoubtedly. What is the beggarly howling of an actor, compared to the
+      roaring of the lion?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot understand how the authorities permit this Morok to fasten his
+      panther with a chain to an iron ring in the corner of the stage. If the
+      chain were to break?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Talking of broken chains&mdash;there&rsquo;s little Mme. de Blinville, who is
+      no tigress. Do you see her in the second tier, opposite?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It becomes her very well to have broken, as you say, the marriage chain;
+      she looks very well this season.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! there is the beautiful Duchess de Saint-Prix; all the world is here
+      to-night&mdash;I don&rsquo;t speak of ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a regular opera night&mdash;what a festive scene!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, after all, people do well to amuse themselves, perhaps it will not
+      be for long.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suppose the cholera were to come to Paris?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! nonsense!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you believe in the cholera?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure I do! He&rsquo;s coming from the North, with his walking-stick under
+      his arm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The devil take him on the road! don&rsquo;t let us see his green visage here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say he&rsquo;s at London.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A pleasant journey to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, let us talk of something else; it may be a weakness, if you please,
+      but I call this a dull subject.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! gentlemen&mdash;I am not mistaken&mdash;no&mdash;it is she!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mdlle. de Cardoville! She is coming into the stage-box with Morinval and
+      his wife. It is a complete resuscitation: this morning on the
+      Champs-Elysees; in the evening here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faith, you are right! It is Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven! how lovely she is!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lend me your eyeglass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what do you think of her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Exquisite&mdash;dazzling.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And in addition to her beauty, an inexhaustible flow of wit, three
+      hundred thousand francs a year, high birth, eighteen years of age, and&mdash;free
+      as air.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, that is to say, that, provided it pleased her, I might be to morrow&mdash;or
+      even to-day&mdash;the happiest of men.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is enough to turn one&rsquo;s brain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am told that her mansion, Rue d&rsquo;Anjou, is like an enchanted palace; a
+      great deal is said about a bath-room and bedroom, worthy of the Arabian
+      Nights.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And free as air&mdash;I come back to that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! if I were in her place!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My levity would be quite shocking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! gentlemen, what a happy man will he be who is loved first!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You think, then, that she will have many lovers?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Being as free as air&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All the boxes are full, except the stage-box opposite to that in which
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville is seated. Happy the occupiers of that box!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did you see the English ambassador&rsquo;s lady in the dress circle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the Princess d&rsquo;Alvimar&mdash;what an enormous bouquet!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should like to know the name&mdash;of that nosegay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&mdash;it&rsquo;s Germigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How flattering for the lions and tigers, to attract so fashionable an
+      audience.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you notice, gentlemen, how all the women are eye-glassing Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She makes a sensation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is right to show herself; they gave her out as mad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! gentlemen, what a capital phiz!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where&mdash;where?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&mdash;in the omnibus-box beneath Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a Nuremburg nutcracker.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An ourang-outang!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did you ever see such round, staring eyes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the nose!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the forehead!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a caricature.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Order, order! the curtain rises.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, in fact, the curtain rose. Some explanation is necessary for the
+      clear understanding of what follows. In the lower stage-box, to the left
+      of the audience, were several persons, who had been referred to by the
+      young men in the stalls. The omnibus-box was occupied by the Englishman,
+      the eccentric and portentous bettor, whose presence inspired Morok with so
+      much dread.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It would require Hoffman&rsquo;s rare and fantastic genius to describe worthily
+      that countenance, at once grotesque and frightful, as it stood out from
+      the dark background of the box. This Englishman was about fifty years old;
+      his forehead was quite bald, and of a conical shape; beneath this
+      forehead, surmounted by eyebrows like parenthesis marks, glittered large,
+      green eyes, remarkably round and staring, and set very close to a hooked
+      nose, extremely sharp and prominent; a chin like that on the old fashioned
+      nutcrackers was half-hidden in a broad and ample white cravat, as
+      stiffly-starched as the round-cornered shirt-collar, which nearly touched
+      his ears. The face was exceedingly thin and bony, and yet the complexion
+      was high-colored, approaching to purple, which made the bright green of
+      the pupils, and the white of the other part of the eyes, still more
+      conspicuous. The mouth, which was very wide, sometimes whistled inaudibly
+      the tune of a Scotch jig (always the same tune), sometimes was slightly
+      curled with a sardonic smite. The Englishman was dressed with extreme
+      care; his blue coat, with brass buttons, displayed his spotless waistcoat,
+      snowy, white as his ample cravat; his shirt was fastened with two
+      magnificent ruby studs, and his patrician hands were carefully kid gloved.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To any one who knew the eccentric and cruel desire which attracted this
+      man to every representation, his grotesque face became almost terrific,
+      instead of exciting ridicule; and it was easy to understand the dread
+      experience by Morok at sight of those great, staring round eyes, which
+      appeared to watch for the death of the lion-tamer (what a horrible death!)
+      with unshaken confidence. Above the dark box of the Englishman, affording
+      a graceful contrast, were seated the Morinvals and Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+      The latter was placed nearest the stage. Her head was uncovered, and she
+      wore a dress of sky-blue China crepe, ornamented at the bosom with a
+      brooch of the finest Oriental pearls&mdash;nothing more; yet Adrienne,
+      thus attired, was charming. She held in her hand an enormous bouquet,
+      composed of the rarest flowers of India: the stephanotis and the gardenia
+      mingled the dead white of their blossoms with the purple hibiscus and Java
+      amaryllis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Madame de Morinval, seated on the opposite side of the box, was dressed
+      with equal taste and simplicity; Morinval, a fair and very handsome young
+      man, of elegant appearance, was behind the two ladies. M. de Montbron was
+      expected to arrive every moment. The reader will please to recollect that
+      the stage-box to the right of the audience, opposite Adrienne&rsquo;s, had
+      remained till then quite empty. The stage represented one of the gigantic
+      forests of India. In the background, tall exotic trees rose in spiral or
+      spreading forms, among rugged masses of perpendicular rocks, with here and
+      there glimpses of a tropical sky. The side-scenes formed tufts of trees,
+      interspersed with rocks; and at the side which was immediately beneath
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s box appeared the irregular opening of a deep and gloomy cavern,
+      round which were heaped huge blocks of granite, as if thrown together by
+      some convulsion of nature. This scenery, full of a wild and savage
+      grandeur, was wonderfully &ldquo;built up,&rdquo; so as to make the illusion as
+      complete as possible; the footlights were lowered, and being covered with
+      a purple shade, threw over this landscape a subdued reddish light, which
+      increased the gloomy and startling effect of the whole. Adrienne, leaning
+      forward from the box, with cheeks slightly flushed, sparkling eyes, and
+      throbbing heart, sought to trace in this scene the solitary forest
+      described by the traveller who had eulogized Djalma&rsquo;s generosity and
+      courage, when he threw himself upon a ferocious tigress to save the life
+      of a poor black slave. Chance coincided wonderfully indeed with her
+      recollections. Absorbed in the contemplation of the scenery and the
+      thoughts it awakened in her heart, she paid no attention to what was
+      passing in the house. And yet something calculated to excite curiosity was
+      taking place in the opposite stage-box.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20583m.jpg" alt="20583m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20583.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The door of this box opened. A man about forty years of age, of a yellow
+      complexion, entered; he was clothed after the East Indian fashion, in a
+      long robe of orange silk, bound round the waist with a green sash, and he
+      wore a small white turban. He placed two chairs at the front of the box;
+      and, having glanced round the house for a moment, he started, his black
+      eyes sparkled, and he went out quickly. That man was Faringhea. His
+      apparition caused surprise and curiosity in the theatre; the majority of
+      the spectators not having, like Adrienne, a thousand reasons for being
+      absorbed in the contemplation of a picturesque set scene. The public
+      attention was still more excited when they saw the box which Faringhea had
+      just left, entered by a youth of rare beauty, also dressed Oriental
+      fashion, in a long robe of white Cashmere with flowing sleeves, with a
+      scarlet turban striped with gold on his head, and a sash to correspond, in
+      which was stuck a long dagger, glittering with precious stones. This young
+      man was Prince Djalma. For an instant he remained standing at the door,
+      and cast a look of indifference upon the immense theatre, crowded with
+      people; then, stepping forward with a majestic and tranquil air, the
+      prince seated himself negligently on one of the chairs, and, turning his
+      head in a few moments towards the entrance, appeared surprised at not
+      seeing some person whom he doubtless expected. This person appeared at
+      length; the boxkeeper had been assisting her to take off her cloak. She
+      was a charming, fair-haired girl, attired with more show than taste, in a
+      dress of white silk, with broad cherry-colored stripes, made ultra
+      fashionably low, and with short sleeves; a large bow of cherry-colored
+      ribbon was placed on each side of her light hair, and set off the
+      prettiest, sprightliest, most wilful little face in the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Rose-Pompon. Her pretty arms were partly covered by long white
+      gloves, and ridiculously loaded with bracelets: in her hand she carried an
+      enormous bouquet of roses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Far from imitating the calm demeanor of Djalma, Rose-Pompon skipped into
+      the box, moved the chairs about noisily, and fidgeted on her seat for some
+      time, to display her fine dress; then, without being in the least
+      intimidated by the presence of the brilliant assembly, she, with a little
+      coquettish air, held her bouquet towards Djalma, that he might smell it,
+      and appeared finally to establish herself on her seat. Faringhea came in,
+      shut the door of the box, and seated himself behind the prince. Adrienne,
+      still completely absorbed in the contemplation of the Indian forest, and
+      in her own sweet thoughts, had not observed the newcomers. As she was
+      turning her head completely towards the stage, and Djalma could not, for
+      the moment, see even her profile, he, on his side, had not recognized
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0119" id="link2HCH0119">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIV. DEATH.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he pantomime opening, by which was introduced the combat of Morok with
+      the black panther, was so unmeaning, that the majority of the audience
+      paid no attention to it, reserving all their interest for the scene in
+      which the lion-tamer was to make his appearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This indifference of the public explains the curiosity excited in the
+      theatre by the arrival of Faringhea and Djalma&mdash;a curiosity which
+      expressed itself (as at this day, when uncommon foreigners appear in
+      public) by a slight murmur and general movement amongst the crowd. The
+      sprightly, pretty face of Rose-Pompon, always charming, in spite of her
+      singularly staring dress, in style so ridiculous for such a theatre, and
+      her light and familiar manner towards the handsome Indian who accompanied
+      her, increased and animated the general surprise; for, at this moment,
+      Rose-Pompon, yielding without reserve to a movement of teasing coquetry,
+      had held up, as we have already stated, her large bunch of roses to
+      Djalma. But the prince, at sight of the landscape which reminded him of
+      his country, instead of appearing sensible to this pretty, provocation,
+      remained for some minutes as in a dream, with his eyes fixed upon the
+      stage. Then Rose-Pompon began to beat time on the front of the box with
+      her bouquet, whilst the somewhat too visible movement of her pretty
+      shoulders showed that this devoted dancer was thinking of fast-life
+      dances, as the orchestra struck up a more lively strain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Placed directly opposite the box in which Faringhea, Djalma, and Rose
+      Pompon had just taken their seats, Lady Morinval soon perceived the
+      arrival of these two personages, and particularly the eccentric coquetries
+      of Rose-Pompon. Immediately, the young marchioness, leaning over towards
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, who was still absorbed in memories ineffable, said
+      to her, laughing: &ldquo;My dear, the most amusing part of the performance is
+      not upon the stage. Look just opposite.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just opposite?&rdquo; repeated Adrienne, mechanically: and, turning towards
+      Lady Morinval with an air of surprise, she glanced in the direction
+      pointed out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She looked&mdash;what did she see?&mdash;Djalma seated by the side of a
+      young woman, who was familiarly offering to his sense of smell the perfume
+      of her bouquet. Amazed, struck almost literally to the heart, as by an
+      electric shock, swift, sharp, and painful, Adrienne became deadly pale.
+      From instinct, she shut her eyes for a second, in order not to see&mdash;as
+      men try to ward off the dagger, which, having once dealt the blow,
+      threatens to strike again. Then suddenly, to this feeling of grief
+      succeeded a reflection, terrible both to her love and to her wounded
+      pride.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma is present with this woman, though he must have received my
+      letter,&rdquo; she said to herself,&mdash;&ldquo;wherein he was informed of the
+      happiness that awaited him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the idea of so cruel an insult, a blush of shame and indignation
+      displaced Adrienne&rsquo;s paleness, who overwhelmed by this sad reality, said
+      to herself: &ldquo;Rodin did not deceive me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We abandon all idea of picturing the lightning-like rapidity of certain
+      emotions which in a moment may torture&mdash;may kill you in the space of
+      a minute. Thus Adrienne was precipitated from the most radiant happiness
+      to the lowest depths of an abyss of the most heart-rending grief, in less
+      than a second; for a second had hardly elapsed before she replied to Lady
+      Morinval: &ldquo;What is there, then, so curious, opposite to us, my dear
+      Julia?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This evasive question gave Adrienne time to recover her self-possession.
+      Fortunately, thanks to the thick folds of hair which almost entirely
+      concealed her cheeks, the rapid and sudden changes from pallor to blush
+      escaped the notice of Lady Morinval, who gayly replied: &ldquo;What, my dear, do
+      you not perceive those East Indians, who have just entered the box
+      immediately opposite to ours? There, just before us!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I see them; but what then?&rdquo; replied Adrienne, in a firm tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And don&rsquo;t you observe anything remarkable?&rdquo; said the marchioness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be too hard, ladies,&rdquo; laughingly interposed the marquis; &ldquo;we ought
+      to allow the poor foreigners some little indulgence. They are ignorant of
+      our manners and customs; were it not for that, they would never appear in
+      the face of all Paris in such dubious company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a bitter smile, &ldquo;their simplicity is
+      touching; we must pity them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, unfortunately, the girl is charming, spite of her low dress and bare
+      arms,&rdquo; said the marchioness; &ldquo;she cannot be more than sixteen or seventeen
+      at most. Look at her, my dear Adrienne; what a pity!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is one of your charitable days, my dear Julia,&rdquo; answered Adrienne; &ldquo;we
+      are to pity the Indians, to pity this creature, and&mdash;pray, whom else
+      are we to pity?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will not pity that handsome Indian, in his red-and-gold turban,&rdquo; said
+      the marquis, laughing, &ldquo;for, if this goes on, the girl with the cherry
+      colored ribbons will be giving him a kiss. See how she leans towards her
+      sultan.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are very amusing,&rdquo; said the marchioness, sharing the hilarity of her
+      husband, and looking at Rose-Pompom through her glass; then she resumed,
+      in about a minute, addressing herself to Adrienne: &ldquo;I am quite certain of
+      one thing. Notwithstanding her giddy airs, that girl is very fond of her
+      Indian. I just saw a look that expresses a great deal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why so much penetration, my dear Julia?&rdquo; said Adrienne, mildly; &ldquo;what
+      interest have we to read the heart of that girl?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, if she loves her sultan, she is quite in the right,&rdquo; said the
+      marquis, looking through his opera-glass in turn; &ldquo;for, in my whole life,
+      I never saw a more handsome fellow than that Indian. I can only catch his
+      side-face, but the profile is pure and fine as an antique cameo. Do you
+      not think so?&rdquo; added the marquis, leaning towards Adrienne. &ldquo;Of course, it
+      is only as a matter of art, that I permit myself to ask you the question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As a work of art,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, &ldquo;it is certainly very fine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But see!&rdquo; said the marchioness; &ldquo;how impertinent the little creature is!&mdash;She
+      is actually staring at us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well!&rdquo; said the marquis; &ldquo;and she is actually laying her hand quite
+      unceremoniously on her sultan&rsquo;s shoulder, to make him share, no doubt, in
+      her admiration of you ladies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In fact, Djalma, until now occupied with the contemplation of the scene
+      which reminded him of his country, had remained insensible to the
+      enticements of Rose-Pompon, and had not yet perceived Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, now!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, bustling herself about in front of the box,
+      and continuing to stare at Mdlle. de Cardoville, for it was she, and not
+      the marchioness, who now drew her attention; &ldquo;that is something quite out
+      of the common way&mdash;a pretty woman, with red hair; but such sweet red,
+      it must be owned. Look, Prince Charming!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And so saying, she tapped Djalma lightly on the shoulder; he started at
+      these words, turned round, and for the first time perceived Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though he had been almost prepared for this meeting, the prince was so
+      violently affected by it, that he was about involuntarily to rise, in a
+      state of the utmost confusion; but he felt the iron hand of Faringhea laid
+      heavily on his shoulder, and heard him whisper in Hindostanee: &ldquo;Courage!
+      and by to-morrow she will be at your feet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Djalma still struggled to rise, the half-caste added to restrain him:
+      &ldquo;Just now, she grew pale and red with jealousy. No weakness, or all is
+      lost!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So! there you are again, talking your dreadful gibberish,&rdquo; said Rose
+      Pompon, turning round towards Faringhea. &ldquo;First of all, it is not polite;
+      and then the language is so odd, that one might suppose you were cracking
+      nuts.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I spoke of you to my master,&rdquo; said the half-caste; &ldquo;he is preparing a
+      surprise for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A surprise? oh! that is different. Only make haste&mdash;do you hear,
+      Prince Charming!&rdquo; added she, looking tenderly at Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My heart is breaking,&rdquo; said Djalma, in a hollow voice to Faringhea, still
+      using the language of India.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But to-morrow it will bound with joy and love,&rdquo; answered the half-caste.
+      &ldquo;It is only by disdain that you can conquer a proud woman. To-morrow, I
+      tell you, she will be trembling, confused, supplicating, at your feet!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow, she will hate me like death!&rdquo; replied the prince, mournfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, were she now to see you weak and cowardly. It is now too late to
+      draw back; look full at her, take the nosegay from this girl, and raise it
+      to your lips. Instantly, you will see yonder woman, proud as she is, grow
+      pale and red, as just now. Then will you believe me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Reduced by despair to make almost any attempt, and fascinated, in spite of
+      himself, by the diabolical hints of Faringhea, Djalma looked for a second
+      full at Mdlle. de Cardoville; then, with a trembling hand he took the
+      bouquet from Rose-Pompon, and, again looking at Adrienne, pressed it to
+      his lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Upon this insolent bravado, Mdlle. de Cardoville could not restrain so
+      sudden and visible a pang, that the prince was struck by it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is yours,&rdquo; said the half-caste, to him. &ldquo;Did you see, my lord, how
+      she trembled with jealousy?&mdash;Only have courage! and she is yours. She
+      will soon prefer you to that handsome young man behind her&mdash;for it is
+      he whom she has hitherto fancied herself in love with.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As if the half-caste had guessed the movement of rage and hatred, which
+      this revelation would excite in the heart of the prince, he hastily added:
+      &ldquo;Calmness and disdain! Is it not his turn now to hate you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The prince restrained himself, and drew his hand across his forehead which
+      glowed with anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There now! what are you telling him, that vexes him so?&rdquo; said Rose Pompon
+      to Faringhea, with pouting lip. Then, addressing Djalma, she continued:
+      &ldquo;Come, Prince Charming, as they say in the fairy-tale, give me back my
+      flowers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she took it again, she added: &ldquo;You have kissed it, and I could almost
+      eat it.&rdquo; Then, with a sigh, and a passionate glance at Djalma, she said
+      softly to herself: &ldquo;That monster Ninny Moulin did not deceive me. All this
+      is quite proper; I have not even that to reproach myself with.&rdquo; And with
+      her little white teeth, she bit at a rosy nail of her right hand, from
+      which she had just drawn the glove.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is hardly necessary to say, that Adrienne&rsquo;s letter had not been
+      delivered to the prince, and that he had not gone to pass the day in the
+      country with Marshal Simon. During the three days in which Montbron had
+      not seen Djalma, Faringhea had persuaded him, that, by affecting another
+      passion, he would bring Mdlle. de Cardoville to terms. With regard to
+      Djalma&rsquo;s presence at the theatre, Rodin had learned from her maid,
+      Florine, that her mistress was to go in the evening to the Porte-Saint
+      Martin. Before Djalma had recognized her, Adrienne, who felt her strength
+      failing her, was on the point of quitting the theatre; the man, whom she
+      had hitherto placed so high, whom she had regarded as a hero and a
+      demi-god and whom she had imagined plunged in such dreadful despair, that,
+      led by the most tender pity, she had written to him with simple frankness,
+      that a sweet hope might calm his grief&mdash;replied to a generous mark of
+      sincerity and love, by making himself a ridiculous spectacle with a
+      creature unworthy of him. What incurable wounds for Adrienne&rsquo;s pride! It
+      mattered little, whether Djalma knew or not, that she would be a spectator
+      of the indignity. But when she saw herself recognized by the prince, when
+      he carried the insult so far as to look full at her, and, at the same
+      time, raise to his lips the creature&rsquo;s bouquet who accompanied him,
+      Adrienne was seized with noble indignation, and felt sufficient courage to
+      remain: instead of closing her eyes to evidence, she found a sort of
+      barbarous pleasure in assisting at the agony and death of her pure and
+      divine love. With head erect, proud and flashing eye, flushed cheek, and
+      curling lip, she looked in her turn at the prince with disdainful
+      steadiness. It was with a sardonic smile that she said to the marchioness,
+      who, like many others of the spectators was occupied with what was passing
+      in the stage-box: &ldquo;This revolting exhibition of savage manners is at least
+      in accordance with the rest of the performance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said the marchioness; &ldquo;and my dear uncle will have lost,
+      perhaps, the most amusing part.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Montbron?&rdquo; said Adrienne, hastily, with hardly repressed bitterness;
+      &ldquo;yes, he will regret not having seen all. I am impatient for his arrival.
+      Is it not to him that I am indebted for his charming evening?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Perhaps Madame de Morinval would have remarked the expression of bitter
+      irony, that Adrienne could not altogether dissemble, if suddenly a hoarse
+      and prolonged roar had net attracted her attention, as well as that of the
+      rest of the audience, who had hitherto been quite indifferent to the
+      scenes intended for an introduction to the appearance of Morok. Every eye
+      was now turned instinctively towards the cavern situated to the left of
+      the stage, just below Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s box; a thrill of curiosity
+      ran through the house. A second roar, deeper and more sonorous, and
+      apparently expressive of more irritation than the first, now rose from the
+      cave, the mouth of which was half-hidden by artificial brambles, made so
+      as to be easily put on one side. At this sound, the Englishman stood up in
+      his little box, leaned half over the front, and began to rub his hands
+      with great energy; then, remaining perfectly motionless, he fixed his
+      large, green, glittering eyes on the mouth of the cavern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these ferocious howlings, Djalma also had started, notwithstanding the
+      frenzy of love, hate, and jealousy, to which he was a prey. The sight of
+      this forest, and the roarings of the panther, filled him with deep
+      emotion, for they recalled the remembrance of his country, and of those
+      great hunts which, like war, have their own terrible excitement. Had he
+      suddenly heard the horns and gongs of his father&rsquo;s army sounding to the
+      charge, he could not have been transported with more savage ardor. And now
+      deep growls, like distant thunder, almost drowned the roar of the panther.
+      The lion and tiger, Judas and Cain answered her from their dens at the
+      back of the stage. On this frightful concert, with which his ears had been
+      familiar in the midst of the solitudes of India, when he lay encamped, for
+      the purposes of the chase or of war, Djalma&rsquo;s blood boiled in his veins.
+      His eyes sparkled with a wild ardor. Leaning a little forward, with both
+      hands pressed on the front of the box, his whole body trembled with a
+      convulsive shudder. The audience, the theatre, Adrienne herself no longer
+      existed for him; he was in a forest of his own lands, tracking the tiger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then there mingled with his beauty so intrepid and ferocious an
+      expression, that Rose-Pompon looked at him with a sort of terror and
+      passionate admiration. For the first time in her life, perhaps, her pretty
+      blue eyes, generally so gay and mischievous; expressed a serious emotion.
+      She could not explain what she felt; but her heart seemed frightened, and
+      beat violently, as though some calamity were at hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yielding to a movement of involuntary fear, she seized Djalma by the arm,
+      and said to him: &ldquo;Do not stare so into that cavern; you frighten me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/20591m.jpg" alt="20501m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/20591.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Djalma did not hear what she said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here he is! here he is!&rdquo; murmured the crowd, almost with one voice, as
+      Morok appeared at the back of the stage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dressed as we have described, Morok now carried in addition a bow and a
+      long quiver full of arrows. He slowly descended the line of painted rocks,
+      which came sloping down towards the centre of the stage. From time to
+      time, he stopped as if to listen, and appeared to advance with caution.
+      Looking from one side to the other, his eyes involuntarily encountered the
+      large, green eyes of the Englishman, whose box was close to the cavern.
+      Instantly the lion-tamer&rsquo;s countenance was contracted in so frightful a
+      manner, that Lady Morinval, who was examining him closely with the aid of
+      an excellent glass, said hastily to Adrienne: &ldquo;My dear, the man is afraid.
+      Some misfortune will happen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How can accidents happen,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a sardonic smile, &ldquo;in the
+      midst of this brilliant crowd, so well dressed and full of animation!
+      Misfortunes here, this evening! why, dear Julia, you do not think it. It
+      is in darkness and solitude that misfortunes come&mdash;never in the midst
+      of a joyous crowd, and in all this blaze of light.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good gracious, Adrienne! take care!&rdquo; cried the marchioness, unable to
+      repress an exclamation of alarm, and seizing her arm, as if to draw her
+      closer; &ldquo;do you not see it?&rdquo; And with a trembling hand, she pointed to the
+      cavern&rsquo;s mouth. Adrienne hastily bent forward, and looked in that
+      direction. &ldquo;Take care, do not lean so forward!&rdquo; exclaimed Lady Morinval.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your terrors are nonsensical, my dear,&rdquo; said the marquis to his wife.
+      &ldquo;The panther is securely chained; and even were it to break its chains
+      (which is impossible), we are here beyond its reach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A long murmur of trembling curiosity here ran through the house, and every
+      eye was intently fixed on the cavern. From amongst the artificial
+      brambles, which she abruptly pushed aside with her broad chest, the black
+      panther suddenly appeared. Twice she stretched forth her flat head,
+      illumined by yellow, flaming eyes; then, half-opening her blood-red jaws,
+      she uttered another roar, and exhibited two rows of formidable fangs. A
+      double iron chain, and a collar also of iron, painted black, blended with
+      the ebon shades of her hide, and with the darkness of the cavern. The
+      illusion was complete, and the terrible animal seemed to be at liberty in
+      her den.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ladies,&rdquo; said the marquis, suddenly, &ldquo;look at those Indians. Their
+      emotion makes them superb!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In fact, the sight of the panther had raised the wild ardor of Djalma to
+      its utmost pitch. His eyes sparkled in their pearly orbits like two black
+      diamonds; his upper lip was curled convulsively with an expression of
+      animal ferocity, as if he were in a violent paroxysm of rage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea, now leaning on the front of the box, was also greatly excited,
+      by reason of a strange coincidence. &ldquo;That black panther of so rare a
+      breed,&rdquo; thought he, &ldquo;which I see here at Paris, upon the stage, must be
+      the very one that the Malay&rdquo;&mdash;the Thug who had tatooed Djalma at Java
+      during his sleep&mdash;&ldquo;took quite young from his den, and sold to a
+      European captain. Bowanee&rsquo;s power is everywhere!&rdquo; added the Thug, in his
+      sanguinary superstition.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not think,&rdquo; resumed the marquis, addressing Adrienne, &ldquo;that those
+      Indians are really splendid in their present attitude?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps they may have seen such a hunt in their own country,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, as if she would recall and brave the most cruel remembrances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adrienne,&rdquo; said the marchioness, suddenly, in an agitated voice, &ldquo;the
+      lion-tamer has now come nearer&mdash;is not his countenance fearful to
+      look at?&mdash;I tell you he is afraid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In truth,&rdquo; observed the marquis, this time very seriously, &ldquo;he is
+      dreadfully pale, and seems to grow worse every minute, the nearer he
+      approaches this side. It is said that, were he to lose his presence of
+      mind for a single moment, he would run the greatest danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;O! it would be horrible!&rdquo; cried the marchioness, addressing Adrienne, &ldquo;if
+      he were wounded&mdash;there&mdash;under our eyes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Every wound does not kill,&rdquo; replied her friend, with an accent of such
+      cold indifference, that the marchioness looked at her with surprise, and
+      said to her: &ldquo;My dear girl, what you say there is cruel!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the air of the place that acts on me,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, with an
+      icy smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look! look! the lion-tamer is about to shoot his arrow at the panther,&rdquo;
+       said the marquis, suddenly. &ldquo;No doubt, he will next perform the hand to
+      hand grapple.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok was at this moment in front of the stage, but he had yet to traverse
+      its entire breadth to reach the cavern&rsquo;s mouth. He stopped an instant,
+      adjusted an arrow to the string, knelt down behind a mass of rock, took
+      deliberate aim&mdash;and then the arrow hissed across the stage, and was
+      lost in the depths of the cavern, into which the panther had retired,
+      after showing for a moment her threatening head to the audience. Hardly
+      had the arrow disappeared, than Death, purposely irritated by Goliath (who
+      was invisible) sent forth a howl of rage, as if she had been really
+      wounded. Morok&rsquo;s actions became so expressive, he evinced so naturally his
+      joy at having hit the wild beast, that a tempest of applause burst from
+      every quarter of the house. Then, throwing away his bow, he drew a dagger
+      from his girdle, took it between his teeth, and began to crawl forward on
+      hands and knees, as though he meant to surprise the wounded panther in his
+      den. To render the illusion perfect, Death, again excited by Goliath, who
+      struck him with an iron bar, sent forth frightful howlings from the depths
+      of the cavern.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The gloomy aspect of the forest, only half-lighted with a reddish glare,
+      was so effective&mdash;the howlings of the panther were so furious&mdash;the
+      gestures, attitude, and countenance of Morok were so expressive of terror,
+      that the audience, attentive and trembling, now maintained a profound
+      silence. Every one held his breath, and a kind of shudder came over the
+      spectators, as though they expected some horrible event. What gave such a
+      fearful air of truth to the pantomime of Morok, was that, as he approached
+      the cavern step by step, he approached also the Englishman&rsquo;s box. In spite
+      of himself, the lion-tamer, fascinated by terror, could not take his eyes
+      from the large green eyes of this man, and it seemed as if every one of
+      the abrupt movements which he made in crawling along, was produced by a
+      species of magnetic attraction, caused by the fixed gaze of the fatal
+      wagerer. Therefore, the nearer Morok approached, the more ghastly and
+      livid he became. At sight of this pantomime, which was no longer acting,
+      but the real expression of intense fear, the deep and trembling silence
+      which had reigned in the theatre was once more interrupted by
+      acclamations, with which were mingled the roarings of the panther, and the
+      distant growls of the lion and tiger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Englishman leaned almost out of his box, with a frightful sardonic
+      smile on his lip, and with his large eyes still fixed, panted for breath.
+      The perspiration ran down his bald red forehead, as if he had really
+      expended an incredible amount of magnetic power in attracting Morok, whom
+      he now saw close to the cavern entrance. The moment was decisive.
+      Crouching down with his dagger in his hand, following with eye and gesture
+      Death&rsquo;s every movement, who, roaring furiously, and opening wide her
+      enormous jaws, seemed determined to guard the entrance of her den, Morok
+      waited for the moment to rush upon her. There is such fascination in
+      danger, that Adrienne shared, in spite of herself, the feeling of painful
+      curiosity, mixed with terror, that thrilled through all the spectators.
+      Leaning forward like the marchioness, and gazing upon this scene of
+      fearful interest, the lady still held mechanically in her hand the Indian
+      bouquet preserved since the morning. Suddenly, Morok raised a wild shout,
+      as he rushed towards Death, who answered this exclamation by a dreadful
+      roar, and threw herself upon her master with so much fury, that Adrienne,
+      in alarm, believing the man lost, drew herself back, and covered her fact
+      with her hands. Her flowers slipped from her grasp, and, falling upon the
+      stage, rolled into the cavern in which Morok was struggling with the
+      panther.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Quick as lightning, supple and agile as a tiger, yielding to the
+      intoxication of his love, and to the wild ardor excited in him by the
+      roaring of the panther, Djalma sprang at one bound upon the stage, drew
+      his dagger, and rushed into the cavern to recover Adrienne&rsquo;s nosegay. At
+      that instant, Morok, being wounded, uttered a dreadful cry for help; the
+      panther, rendered still more furious at sight of Djalma, make the most
+      desperate efforts to break her chain. Unable to succeed in doing so, she
+      rose upon her hind legs, in order to seize Djalma, then within reach of
+      her sharp claws. It was only by bending down his head, throwing himself on
+      his knees, and twice plunging his dagger into her belly with the rapidity
+      of lightning, that Djalma escaped certain death. The panther gave a howl,
+      and fell with her whole weight upon the prince. For a second, during which
+      lasted her terrible agony, nothing was seen but a confused and convulsive
+      mass of black limbs, and white garments stained with blood&mdash;and then
+      Djalma rose, pale, bleeding, for he was wounded&mdash;and standing erect,
+      his eye flashing with savage pride, his foot on the body of the panther,
+      he held in his hand Adrienne&rsquo;s bouquet, and cast towards her a glance
+      which told the intensity of his love. Then only did Adrienne feel her
+      strength fail her&mdash;for only superhuman courage had enabled her to
+      watch all the terrible incidents of the struggle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0137" id="link2H_4_0137">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK IX.
+    </h2>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30009m.jpg" alt="30009m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30009.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30013m.jpg" alt="30013m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30013.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30019m.jpg" alt="30019m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30019.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     XV. The Constant Wanderer XVI. The Luncheon XVII. Rendering
+     the Account XVIII. The Square of Notre Dame XIX. The Cholera
+     Masquerade XX. The Defiance XXI. Brandy to the Rescue XXII.
+     Memories XXIII. The Poisoner XXIV. In the Cathedral XXV. The
+     Murderers XXVI. The Patient XXVII. The Lure XXVIII. Good
+     News XXIX. The Operation XXX. The Torture XXXI. Vice and
+     Virtue XXXII. Suicide
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0120" id="link2HCH0120">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XV. THE CONSTANT WANDERER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t is night. The moon shines and the stars glimmer in the midst of a
+      serene but cheerless sky; the sharp whistlings of the north wind, that
+      fatal, dry, and icy breeze, ever and anon burst forth in violent gusts.
+      With its harsh and cutting breath, it sweeps Montmartre&rsquo;s Heights. On the
+      highest point of the hills, a man is standing. His long shadow is cast
+      upon the stony, moon-lit ground. He gazes on the immense city, which lies
+      outspread beneath his feet. PARIS&mdash;with the dark outline of its
+      towers, cupolas, domes, and steeples, standing out from the limpid blue of
+      the horizon, while from the midst of the ocean of masonry, rises a
+      luminous vapor, that reddens the starry azure of the sky. It is the
+      distant reflection of the thousand fires, which at night, the hour of
+      pleasures, light up so joyously the noisy capital.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said the wayfarer; &ldquo;it is not to be. The Lord will not exact it. Is
+      not twice enough?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Five centuries ago, the avenging hand of the Almighty drove me hither
+      from the uttermost confines of Asia. A solitary traveller, I had left
+      behind me more grief, despair, disaster, and death, than the innumerable
+      armies of a hundred devastating conquerors. I entered this town, and it
+      too was decimated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Again, two centuries ago, the inexorable hand, which leads me through the
+      world, brought me once more hither; and then, as the time before, the
+      plague, which the Almighty attaches to my steps, again ravaged this city,
+      and fell first on my brethren, already worn out with labor and misery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My brethren&mdash;mine?&mdash;the cobbler of Jerusalem, the artisan
+      accursed by the Lord, who, in my person, condemned the whole race of
+      workmen, ever suffering, ever disinherited, ever in slavery, toiling on
+      like me without rest or pause, without recompense or hope, till men,
+      women, and children, young and old, all die beneath the same iron yoke&mdash;that
+      murderous yoke, which others take in their turn, thus to be borne from age
+      to age on the submissive and bruised shoulders of the masses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And now, for the third time in five centuries, I reach the summit of one
+      of the hills that overlook the city. And perhaps I again bring with me
+      fear, desolation, and death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet this city, intoxicated with the sounds of its joys and its nocturnal
+      revelries, does not know&mdash;oh! does not know that I am at its gates.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But no, no! my presence will not be a new calamity. The Lord, in his
+      impenetrable views, has hitherto led me through France, so as to avoid the
+      humblest hamlet; and the sound of the funeral knell has not accompanied my
+      passage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, moreover, the spectre has left me&mdash;the green, livid spectre,
+      with its hollow, bloodshot eyes. When I touched the soil of France, its
+      damp and icy hands was no longer clasped in mine&mdash;and it disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet&mdash;I feel that the atmosphere of death is around me.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The sharp whistlings of that fatal wind cease not, which, catching me in
+      their whirl, seem to propagate blasting and mildew as they blow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But perhaps the wrath of the Lord is appeased, and my presence here is
+      only a threat&mdash;to be communicated in some way to those whom it should
+      intimidate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; for otherwise he would smite with a fearful blow, by first
+      scattering terror and death here in the heart of the country, in the bosom
+      of this immense city!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! no, no! the Lord will be merciful. No! he will not condemn me to this
+      new torture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! in this city, my brethren are more numerous and miserable than
+      elsewhere. And should I be their messenger of death?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No! the Lord will have pity. For, alas! the seven descendants of my
+      sister have at length met in this town. And to them likewise should I be
+      the messenger of death, instead of the help they so much need?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For that woman, who like me wanders from one border of the earth to the
+      other, after having once more rent asunder the nets of their enemies, has
+      gone forth upon her endless journey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In vain she foresaw that new misfortunes threatened my sister&rsquo;s family.
+      The invisible hand, that drives me on, drives her on also.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Carried away, as of old, by the irresistible whirlwind, at the moment of
+      leaving my kindred to their fate, she in vain cried with supplicating
+      tone: &lsquo;Let me at least, O Lord, complete my task!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;GO ON!&mdash;&lsquo;A
+      few days, in mercy, only a few poor days!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;GO ON&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;I leave
+      those I love on the brink of the abyss!&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;GO ON! GO ON!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the wandering star&mdash;again started on its eternal round. And her
+      voice, passing through space, called me to the assistance of mine own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When that voice readied me, I knew that the descendants of my sister were
+      still exposed to frightful perils. Those perils are even now on the
+      increase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell me, O Lord! will they escape the scourge, which for so many
+      centuries has weighed down our race?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wilt thou pardon me in them? wilt thou punish me in them? Oh, that they
+      might obey the last will of their ancestor!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, that they might join together their charitable hearts, their valor
+      and their strength, their noble intelligence, and their great riches!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They would then labor for the future happiness of humanity&mdash;they
+      would thus, perhaps, redeem me from my eternal punishment!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The words of the Son of Man, LOVE YE ONE ANOTHER, will be their only end,
+      their only means.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By the help of those all-powerful words, they will fight and conquer the
+      false priests, who have renounced the precepts of love, peace, and hope,
+      for lessons of hatred, violence, and despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those false priests, who, kept in pay by the powerful and happy of this
+      world, their accomplices in every age, instead of asking here below for
+      some slight share of well-being for my unfortunate brethren, dare in thy
+      name, O Lord God, to assert that the poor are condemned to endless
+      suffering in this world&mdash;and that the desire or the hope to suffer
+      less is a crime in thine eyes&mdash;because the happiness of the few, and
+      the misery of nearly the whole human race, is (O blasphemy!) according to
+      thy will. Is not the very contrary of those murderous words alone worthy
+      of divinity!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In mercy, hear me, Lord! Rescue from their enemies the descendants of my
+      sister&mdash;the artisan as the king&rsquo;s son. Do not let them destroy the
+      germ of so mighty and fruitful an association, which, with thy blessing,
+      would make an epoch in the annals of human happiness!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me unite them, O Lord, since others would divide them&mdash;defend
+      them, since others attack; let me give hope to those who have ceased to
+      hope, courage to those who are brought low with fear&mdash;let me raise up
+      the falling, and sustain those who persevere in the way of the righteous!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, peradventure, their struggles, devotion, virtue, and grief, may
+      expiate my fault&mdash;that of a man, whom misfortune alone rendered
+      unjust and wicked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! since Thy Almighty hand hath led me hither&mdash;to what end I know
+      not&mdash;lay aside Thy wrath, I beseech Thee&mdash;let me be no longer
+      the instrument of Thy vengeance!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough of woe upon the earth! for the last two years, Thy creatures have
+      fallen by thousands upon my track. The world is decimated. A veil of
+      mourning extends over all the globe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From Asia to the icy Pole, they died upon the path of the wanderer. Dost
+      Thou not hear the long-drawn sigh that rises from the earth unto Thee, O
+      Lord?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mercy for all! mercy for me!&mdash;Let me but unite the descendants of my
+      sister for a single day, and they will be saved!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he pronounced these words, the wayfarer sank upon his knees, and raised
+      to heaven, his supplicating hands. Suddenly, the wind blew with redoubled
+      violence; its sharp whistlings were changed into the roar of a tempest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The traveller shuddered; in a voice of terror he exclaimed: &ldquo;The blast of
+      death rises in its fury&mdash;the whirlwind carries me on&mdash;Lord! Thou
+      art then deaf to my prayer?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The spectre! oh, the spectre! it is again here! its green face twitching
+      with convulsive spasms&mdash;its red eyes rolling in their orbits. Begone!
+      begone!&mdash;its hand, oh! its icy hand has again laid hold of mine. Have
+      mercy, heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;GO ON!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Lord! the pestilence&mdash;the terrible plague&mdash;must I carry it
+      into this city?&mdash;And my brethren will perish the first&mdash;they,
+      who are so sorely smitten even now! Mercy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;GO ON!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the descendants of my sister. Mercy! Mercy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;GO ON!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Lord, have pity!&mdash;I can no longer keep my ground; the spectre
+      drags me to the slope of the hill; my walk is rapid as the deadly blast
+      that rages behind me; already do I behold the city gates. Have mercy,
+      Lord, on the descendants of my sister! Spare them; do not make me their
+      executioner; let them triumph over their enemies!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;GO ON! GO ON!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The ground flies beneath my feet; there is the city gate. Lord, it is yet
+      time! Oh, mercy for that sleeping town! Let it not waken to cries of
+      terror, despair, and death! Lord, I am on the threshold. Must it be?&mdash;Yes,
+      it is done. Paris, the plague is in thy bosom. The curse&mdash;oh, the
+      eternal curse!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;GO ON! GO ON! GO ON!&rdquo; <a name="link2HCH0121" id="link2HCH0121">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVI. THE LUNCHEON.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he morning after the doomed traveller, descending the heights of
+      Montmartre, had entered the walls of Paris, great activity reigned in St.
+      Dizier House. Though it was hardly noon, the Princess de St. Dizier,
+      without being exactly in full dress (she had too much taste for that), was
+      yet arrayed with more care than usual. Her light hair, instead of being
+      merely banded, was arranged in two bunches of curls, which suited very
+      well with her full and florid cheeks. Her cap was trimmed with bright
+      rose-colored ribbon, and whoever had seen the lady in her tight fitting
+      dress of gray-watered silk would have easily guessed that Mrs. Grivois,
+      her tirewoman, must have required the assistance and the efforts of
+      another of the princess&rsquo;s women to achieve so remarkable a reduction in
+      the ample figure of their mistress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We shall explain the edifying cause of this partial return to the vanities
+      of the world. The princess, attended by Mrs. Grivois, who acted as
+      housekeeper, was giving her final orders with regard to some preparations
+      that were going on in a vast parlor. In the midst of this room was a large
+      round table, covered with crimson velvet, and near it stood several
+      chairs, amongst which, in the place of honor, was an arm chair of gilded
+      wood. In one corner, not far from the chimney, in which burned an
+      excellent fire, was a buffet. On it were the divers materials for a most
+      dainty and exquisite collation. Upon silver dishes were piled pyramids of
+      sandwiches composed of the roes of carp and anchovy paste, with slices of
+      pickled tunny-fish and Lenigord truffles (it was in Lent); on silver
+      dishes, placed over burning spirits of wine, so as to keep them very hot,
+      tails of Meuse crawfish boiled in cream, smoked in golden colored pastry,
+      and seemed to challenge comparison with delicious little Marennes
+      oyster-patties, stewed in Madeira, and flavored with a seasoning of spiced
+      sturgeon. By the side of these substantial dishes were some of a lighter
+      character, such as pineapple tarts, strawberry-creams (it was early for
+      such fruit), and orange-jelly served in the peel, which had been
+      artistically emptied for that purpose. Bordeaux, Madeira, and Alicant
+      sparkled like rubies and topazes in large glass decanters, while two
+      Sevres ewers were filled, one with coffee a la creme, the other with
+      vanilla chocolate, almost in the state of sherbet, from being plunged in a
+      large cooler of chiselled silver, containing ice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But what gave to this dainty collation a singularly apostolic and papal
+      character were sundry symbols of religious worship carefully represented.
+      Thus there were charming little Calvaries in apricot paste, sacerdotal
+      mitres in burnt almonds, episcopal croziers in sweet cake, to which the
+      princess added, as a mark of delicate attention, a little cardinal&rsquo;s hat
+      in cherry sweetmeat, ornamented with bands in burnt sugar. The most
+      important, however, of these Catholic delicacies, the masterpiece of the
+      cook, was a superb crucifix in angelica, with a crown of candied berries.
+      These are strange profanations, which scandalize even the least devout.
+      But, from the impudent juggle of the coat of Triers, down to the shameless
+      jest of the shrine at Argenteuil, people, who are pious after the fashion
+      of the princess, seem to take delight in bringing ridicule upon the most
+      respectable traditions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After glancing with an air of satisfaction at these preparations for the
+      collation, the lady said to Mrs. Grivois, as she pointed to the gilded
+      arm-chair, which seemed destined for the president of the meeting: &ldquo;Is
+      there a cushion under the table, for his Eminence to rest his feet on? He
+      always complains of cold.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, your highness,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, when she had looked under the
+      table; &ldquo;the cushion is there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let also a pewter bottle be filled with boiling water, in case his
+      Eminence should not find the cushion enough to keep his feet warm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And put some more wood on the fire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my lady, it is already a very furnace. And if his Eminence is always
+      too cold, my lord the Bishop of Halfagen is always too hot. He perspires
+      dreadfully.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess shrugged her shoulders, and said to Mrs. Grivois: &ldquo;Is not his
+      Eminence Cardinal Malipieri the superior of his Lordship the Bishop of
+      Halfagen?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, your highness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, according to the rules of the hierarchy, it is for his Lordship to
+      suffer from the heat, rather than his Eminence from the cold. Therefore,
+      do as I tell you, and put more wood on the fire. Nothing is more natural;
+      his Eminence being an Italian, and his Lordship coming from the north of
+      Belgium, they are accustomed to different temperatures.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just as your highness pleases,&rdquo; said Mrs. Grivois, as she placed two
+      enormous logs on the fire; &ldquo;but in such a heat as there is here his
+      Lordship might really be suffocated.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I also find it too warm; but does not our holy religion teach us lessons
+      of self-sacrifice and mortification?&rdquo; said the princess, with a touching
+      expression of devotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We have now explained the cause of the rather gay attire of the princess.
+      She was preparing for a reception of prelates, who, along with Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny and other dignitaries of the Church, had already held at the
+      princely house a sort of council on a small scale. A young bride who gives
+      her first ball, an emancipated minor who gives his first bachelor&rsquo;s
+      dinner, a woman of talent who reads aloud for the first time her first
+      unpublished work, are not more joyous and proud, and, at the same time,
+      more attentive to their guests, than was this lady with her prelates. To
+      behold great interests discussed in her house, and in her presence, to
+      hear men of acknowledged ability ask her advice upon certain practical
+      matters relating to the influence of female congregations, filled the
+      princess with pride, as her claims to consideration were thus sanctioned
+      by Lordships and Eminences, and she took the position, as it were, of a
+      mother of the Church. Therefore, to win these prelates, whether native or
+      foreign, she had recourse to no end of saintly flatteries and sanctified
+      coaxing. Nor could anything be more logical than these successive
+      transfigurations of this heartless woman, who only loved sincerely and
+      passionately the pursuit of intrigue and domination. With the progress of
+      age, she passed naturally from the intrigues of love to those of politics,
+      and from the latter to those of religion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the moment she finished inspecting her preparations, the sound of
+      coaches was heard in the courtyard, apprising her of the arrival of the
+      persons she had been expecting. Doubtless, these persons were of the
+      highest rank, for contrary to all custom, she went to receive them at the
+      door of her outer saloon. It was, indeed, Cardinal Malipieri, who was
+      always cold, with the Belgian Bishop of Halfagen, who was always hot. They
+      were accompanied by Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The Roman cardinal was a tall man,
+      rather bony than thin, with a yellowish puffy countenance, haughty and
+      full of craft; he squinted a good deal, and his black eyes were surrounded
+      by a deep brown circle. The Belgian Bishop was short, thick, and fat, with
+      a prominent abdomen, an apoplectic complexion, a slow, deliberate look,
+      and a soft, dimpled, delicate hand.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30029m.jpg" alt="30029m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30029.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The company soon assembled in the great saloon. The cardinal instantly
+      crept close to the fire, whilst the bishop, beginning to sweat and blow,
+      cast longing glances at the iced chocolate and coffee, which were to aid
+      him in sustaining the oppressive heat of the artificial dog-day. Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, approaching the princess, said to her in a low voice: &ldquo;Will
+      you give orders for the admittance of Abbe Gabriel de Rennepont, when he
+      arrives?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that young priest then here?&rdquo; asked the princess, with extreme
+      surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since the day before yesterday. We had him sent for to Paris, by his
+      superiors. You shall know all. As for Father Rodin, let Mrs. Grivois admit
+      him, as the other day, by the little door of the back stairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will come to-day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has very important matters to communicate. He desires that both the
+      cardinal and the bishop should be present for they have been informed of
+      everything at Rome by the Superior General, in their quality of
+      associates.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess rang the bell, gave the necessary orders, and, returning
+      towards the cardinal, said to him, in a tone of the most earnest
+      solicitude: &ldquo;Does your Eminence begin to feel a little warmer? Would your
+      Eminence like a bottle of hot water to your feet? Shall we make a larger
+      fire for your Eminence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this proposition, the Belgian bishop, who was wiping the perspiration
+      from his forehead, heaved a despairing sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand thanks, princess,&rdquo; answered the cardinal to her, in very good
+      French, but with an intolerable Italian accent; &ldquo;I am really overcome with
+      so much kindness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will not your Lordship take some refreshment?&rdquo; said the princess to the
+      bishop, as she turned towards the sideboard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With your permission, madame, I will take a little iced coffee,&rdquo; said the
+      prelate, making a prudent circuit to approach the dishes without passing
+      before the fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And will not your Eminence try one of these little oyster-patties? They
+      are quite hot,&rdquo; said the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know them already, princess,&rdquo; said the cardinal, with the air and look
+      of an epicure; &ldquo;they are delicious, and I cannot resist the temptation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What wine shall I have the honor to offer your Eminence?&rdquo; resumed the
+      princess, graciously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A little claret, if you please, madame;&rdquo; and as Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      prepared to fill the cardinal&rsquo;s glass, the princess disputed with him that
+      pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your Eminence will doubtless approve what I have done,&rdquo; said Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny to the cardinal, whilst the latter was gravely despatching the
+      oyster-patties, &ldquo;in not summoning for to-day the Bishop of Mogador, the
+      Archbishop of Nanterre, and our holy Mother Perpetue, the lady-superior of
+      St. Mary Convent, the interview we are about to have with his Reverence
+      Father Rodin and Abbe Gabriel being altogether private and confidential.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our good father was perfectly right,&rdquo; said the cardinal; &ldquo;for, though the
+      possible consequences of this Rennepont affair may interest the whole
+      Church, there are some things that are as well kept secret.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I must seize this opportunity to thank your Eminence for having
+      deigned to make an exception in favor of a very obscure and humble servant
+      of the Church,&rdquo; said the princess to the cardinal, with a very deep and
+      respectful curtsey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is only just and right, madame,&rdquo; replied the cardinal, bowing as he
+      replaced his empty glass upon the table; &ldquo;we know how much the Church is
+      indebted to you for the salutary direction you give to the religious
+      institutions of which you are the patroness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With regard to that, your Eminence may be assured that I always refuse
+      assistance to any poor person who cannot produce a certificate from the
+      confessional.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And it is only thus, madame,&rdquo; resumed the cardinal, this time allowing
+      himself to be tempted by the attractions of the crawfish&rsquo;s tails, &ldquo;it is
+      only thus that charity has any meaning. I care little that the irreligious
+      should feel hunger, but with the pious it is different;&rdquo; and the prelate
+      gayly swallowed a mouthful. &ldquo;Moreover,&rdquo; resumed he, &ldquo;it is well known with
+      what ardent zeal you pursue the impious, and those who are rebels against
+      the authority of our Holy Father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your Eminence may feel convinced that I am Roman in heart and soul; I see
+      no difference between a Gallican and a Turk,&rdquo; said the princess, bravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The princess is right,&rdquo; said the Belgian bishop: &ldquo;I will go further, and
+      assert that a Gallican should be more odious to the church than a pagan.
+      In this respect I am of the opinion of Louis XIV. They asked him a favor
+      for a man about the court. &lsquo;Never,&rsquo; said the great king; &lsquo;this person is a
+      Jansenist.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;No, sire; he is an atheist.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Oh! that is
+      different; I will grant what he asks,&rsquo; said the King.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This little episcopal jest made them all laugh. After which Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny resumed seriously, addressing the cardinal: &ldquo;Unfortunately, as
+      I was about to observe to your Eminence with regard to the Abbe Gabriel,
+      unless they are very narrowly watched, the lower clergy have a tendency to
+      become infected with dissenting views, and with ideas of rebellion against
+      what they call the despotism of the bishops.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This young man must be a Catholic Luther!&rdquo; said the bishop. And, walking
+      on tip-toe, he went to pour himself out a glorious glass of Madeira, in
+      which he soaked some sweet cake, made in the form of a crozier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Led by his example, the Cardinal, under pretence of warming his feet by
+      drawing still closer to the fire, helped himself to an excellent glass of
+      old Malaga, which he swallowed by mouthfuls, with an air of profound
+      meditation; after which he resumed: &ldquo;So this Abbe Gabriel starts as a
+      reformer. He must be an ambitious man. Is he dangerous?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By our advice his superiors have judged him to be so. They have ordered
+      him to come hither. He will soon be here, and I will tell your Eminence
+      why I have sent for him. But first, I have a note on the dangerous
+      tendencies of the Abbe Gabriel. Certain questions were addressed to him,
+      with regard to some of his acts, and it was in consequence of his answers
+      that his superiors recalled him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, took from his pocket-book a paper, which he
+      read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Question.&mdash;Is it true that you performed religious rites for an
+      inhabitant of your parish who died in final impenitence of the most
+      detestable kind, since he had committed suicide?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Answer of Abbe Gabriel.&mdash;I paid him the last duties, because, more
+      than any one else, because of his guilty end, he required the prayers of
+      the church. During the night which followed his interment I continually
+      implored for him the divine mercy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Q.&mdash;Is it true that you refused a set of silver-gilt sacramental
+      vessels, and other ornaments, with which one of the faithful, in pious
+      zeal, wished to endow your parish?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;A.&mdash;I refused the vessels and embellishments, because the house of
+      the Lord should be plain and without ornament, so as to remind the
+      faithful that the divine Saviour was born in a stable. I advised the
+      person who wished to make these useless presents to my parish to employ
+      the money in judicious almsgiving, assuring him it would be more agreeable
+      to the Lord.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a bitter and violent declamation against the adorning of our
+      temples!&rdquo; cried the cardinal. &ldquo;This young priest is most dangerous.
+      Continue, my good father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, in his indignation, his Eminence swallowed several mouthfuls of
+      strawberry-cream. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny continued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Q.&mdash;Is it true that you received in your parsonage, and kept there
+      for some days, an inhabitant of the village, by birth a Swiss, belonging
+      to the Protestant communion? Is it true that not only you did not attempt
+      to convert him to the one Catholic and Apostolic faith, but that you
+      carried so far the neglect of your sacred duties as to inter this heretic
+      in the ground consecrated for the repose of true believers?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;A.&mdash;One of my brethren was houseless. His life had been honest and
+      laborious. In his old age his strength had failed him, and sickness had
+      come at the back of it; almost in a dying state, he had been driven from
+      his humble dwelling by a pitiless landlord, to whom he owed a year&rsquo;s rent.
+      I received the old man in my house, and soothed his last days. The poor
+      creature had toiled and suffered all his life; dying, he uttered no word
+      of bitterness at his hard fate; he recommended his soul to God and piously
+      kissed the crucifix. His pure and simple spirit returned to the bosom of
+      its Creator. I closed his eyes with respect, I buried him, I prayed for
+      him; and, though he died in the Protestant faith, I thought him worthy of
+      a place in consecrated ground.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Worse and worse!&rdquo; said the cardinal. &ldquo;This tolerance is monstrous. It is
+      a horrible attack on that maxim of Catholicism: &lsquo;Out of the pale of the
+      Church there is no salvation.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And all this is the more serious, my lord,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      &ldquo;because the mildness, charity, and Christian devotion of Abbe Gabriel
+      have excited, not only in his parish, but in all the surrounding
+      districts, the greatest enthusiasm. The priests of the neighboring
+      parishes have yielded to the general impulse, and it must be confessed
+      that but for his moderation a wide-spread schism would have commenced.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what do you hope will result from bringing him here?&rdquo; said the
+      prelate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The position of Abbe Gabriel is complicated; first of all, he is the heir
+      of the Rennepont family.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But has he not ceded his rights?&rdquo; asked the cardinal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord; and this cession, which was at first informal, has lately,
+      with his free consent, been made perfectly regular in law; for he had
+      sworn, happen what might, to renounce his part of the inheritance in favor
+      of the Society of Jesus. Nevertheless, his Reverence Father Rodin thinks,
+      that if your Eminence, after explaining to Abbe Gabriel that he was about
+      to be recalled by his superiors, were to propose to him some eminent
+      position at Rome, he might be induced to leave France, and we might
+      succeed in arousing within him those sentiments of ambition which are
+      doubtless only sleeping for the present; your Eminence, having observed,
+      very judiciously, that every reformer must be ambitious.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I approve of this idea,&rdquo; said the cardinal, after a moment&rsquo;s reflection;
+      &ldquo;with his merit and power of acting on other men, Abbe Gabriel may rise
+      very high, if he is docile; and if he should not be so, it is better for
+      the safety of the Church that he should be at Rome than here&mdash;for you
+      know, my good father, we have securities that are unfortunately wanting in
+      France.&rdquo;(36)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some moments of silence, the cardinal said suddenly to Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;As we were talking of Father Rodin, tell me frankly what you
+      think of him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your Eminence knows his capacity,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with a
+      constrained and suspicious air; &ldquo;our reverend Father-General&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Commissioned him to take your place,&rdquo; said the cardinal; &ldquo;I know that. He
+      told me so at Rome. But what do you think of the character of Father
+      Rodin? Can one have full confidence in him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has so complete, so original, so secret, and so impenetrable a mind,&rdquo;
+       said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with hesitation, &ldquo;that it is difficult to form any
+      certain judgment with respect to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think him ambitious?&rdquo; said the cardinal, after another moment&rsquo;s
+      pause. &ldquo;Do you not suppose him capable of having other views than those of
+      the greater glory of his Order?&mdash;Come, I have reasons for speaking
+      thus,&rdquo; added the prelate, with emphasis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, not without suspicion, for the game is
+      played cautiously between people of the same craft, &ldquo;what should your
+      Eminence think of him, either from your own observation, or from the
+      report of the Father-General?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think&mdash;that if his apparent devotion to his Order really concealed
+      some after-thought&mdash;it would be well to discover it&mdash;for, with
+      the influence that he has obtained at Rome (as I have found out), he might
+      one day, and that shortly, become very formidable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, impelled by his jealousy of Rodin; &ldquo;I am,
+      in this respect, of the same opinion as your Eminence; for I have
+      sometimes perceived in him flashes of ambition, that were as alarming as
+      they were extraordinary&mdash;and since I must tell all to your Eminence&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny was unable to continue; at this moment Mrs. Grivois, who
+      had been knocking at the door, half-opened it, and made a sign to her
+      mistress. The princess answered by bowing her head, and Mrs. Grivois again
+      withdrew. A second afterwards Rodin entered the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (36) It is known that, in 1845, the Inquisition, solitary confinement,
+      etc., still existed at Rome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0122" id="link2HCH0122">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVII. RENDERING THE ACCOUNT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>t sight of Rodin, the two prelates and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny rose
+      spontaneously, so much were they overawed by the real superiority of this
+      man; their faces, just before contracted with suspicion and jealousy,
+      suddenly brightened up, and seemed to smile on the reverend father with
+      affectionate deference. The princess advanced some steps to meet him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, badly dressed as ever, leaving on the soft carpet the muddy track
+      of his clumsy shoes, put his umbrella into one corner, and advanced
+      towards the table&mdash;not with his accustomed humility, but with slow
+      step, uplifted head, and steady glance; not only did he feel himself in
+      the midst of his partisans, but he knew that he could rule them all by the
+      power of his intellect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We were speaking of your reverence, my dear, good father,&rdquo; said the
+      cardinal, with charming affability.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; said Rodin, looking fixedly at the prelate; &ldquo;and what were you
+      saying?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why,&rdquo; replied the Belgian bishop, wiping his forehead, &ldquo;all the good that
+      can be said of your reverence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you not take something, my good father?&rdquo; said the princess to Rodin,
+      as she pointed to the splendid sideboard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, madame, I have eaten my radish already this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My secretary, Abbe Berlini, who was present at your repast, was, indeed,
+      much astonished at your reverence&rsquo;s frugality,&rdquo; said the prelate: &ldquo;it is
+      worthy of an anchorite.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Suppose we talk of business,&rdquo; said Rodin, abruptly, like a man accustomed
+      to lead and control the discussion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall always be most happy to hear you,&rdquo; said the prelate. &ldquo;Your
+      reverence yourself fixed to-day to talk over this great Rennepont affair.
+      It is of such importance, that it was partly the cause of my journey to
+      France; for to support the interests of the glorious Company of Jesus,
+      with which I have the honor of being associated, is to support the
+      interests of Rome itself, and I promised the reverend Father-General that
+      I would place myself entirely at your orders.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I can only repeat what his Eminence has just said,&rdquo; added the bishop. &ldquo;We
+      set out from Rome together, and our ideas are just the same.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said Rodin, addressing the cardinal, &ldquo;your Eminence may serve
+      our cause, and that materially. I will tell you how presently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, addressing the princess, he continued: &ldquo;I have desired Dr. Baleinier
+      to come here, madame, for it will be well to inform him of certain
+      things.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will be admitted as usual,&rdquo; said the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Since Rodin&rsquo;s arrival Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had remained silent; he seemed
+      occupied with bitter thoughts, and with some violent internal struggle. At
+      last, half rising, he said to the prelate, in a forced tone of voice: &ldquo;I
+      will not ask your Eminence to judge between the reverend Father Rodin and
+      myself. Our General has pronounced, and I have obeyed. But, as your
+      Eminence will soon see our superior, I should wish that you would grant me
+      the favor to report faithfully the answers of Father Rodin to one or two
+      questions I am about to put to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The prelate bowed. Rodin looked at Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny with an air of
+      surprise, and said to him, dryly: &ldquo;The thing is decided. What is the use
+      of questions?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not to justify myself,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;but to place matters
+      in their true light before his Eminence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, then; but let us have no useless speeches,&rdquo; said Rodin, drawing
+      out his large silver watch, and looking at it. &ldquo;By two o&rsquo;clock I must be
+      at Saint-Sulpice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will be as brief as possible,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with repressed
+      resentment. Then, addressing Rodin, he resumed: &ldquo;When your reverence
+      thought fit to take my place, and to blame, very severely perhaps, the
+      manner in which I had managed the interests confided to my care, I confess
+      honestly that these interests were gravely compromised.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Compromised?&rdquo; said Rodin, ironically; &ldquo;you mean lost. Did you not order
+      me to write to Rome, to bid them renounce all hope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was then a desperate case, given up by the best doctors,&rdquo; continued
+      Rodin, with irony, &ldquo;and yet I have undertaken to restore it to life. Go
+      on.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, plunging both hands into the pockets of his trousers, he looked
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny full in the face.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30037m.jpg" alt="30037m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30037.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your reverence blamed me harshly,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;not for
+      having sought, by every possible means, to recover the property odiously
+      diverted from our society&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All your casuists authorize you to do so,&rdquo; said the cardinal; &ldquo;the texts
+      are clear and positive; you have a right to recover; per fas aut nefas
+      what has been treacherously taken from you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And therefore,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;Father Rodin only reproached
+      me with the military roughness of my means. &lsquo;Their violence,&rsquo; he said,
+      &lsquo;was in dangerous opposition to the manners of the age.&rsquo; Be it so; but
+      first of all, I could not be exposed to any legal proceedings, and, but
+      for one fatal circumstance, success would have crowned the course I had
+      taken, however rough and brutal it may appear. Now, may I ask your
+      reverence what&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I have done more than you?&rdquo; said Rodin to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, giving
+      way to his impertinent habit of interrupting people; &ldquo;what I have done
+      better than you?&mdash;what step I have taken in the Rennepont affair,
+      since I received it from you in a desperate condition? Is that what you
+      wish to know?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Precisely,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, dryly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I confess,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, in a sardonic tone, &ldquo;just as you did
+      great things, coarse things, turbulent things, I have been doing little,
+      puerile, secret things. Oh, heaven! you cannot imagine what a foolish part
+      I, who passed for a man of enlarged views, have been acting for the last
+      six weeks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should never have allowed myself to address such a reproach to your
+      reverence, however deserved it may appear,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with a
+      bitter smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A reproach?&rdquo; said Rodin, shrugging his shoulders; &ldquo;a reproach? You shall
+      be the judge. Do you know what I wrote about you, some six weeks ago? Here
+      it is: &lsquo;Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny has excellent qualities. He will be of much
+      service to me&rsquo;&mdash;and from to-morrow I shall employ you very actively,
+      added Rodin, by way of parenthesis&mdash;&lsquo;but he is not great enough to
+      know how to make himself little on occasion.&rsquo; Do you understand?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not very well,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, blushing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the worse for you,&rdquo; answered Rodin; &ldquo;it only proves that I was
+      right. Well, since I must tell you, I have been wise enough to play the
+      most foolish part for six whole weeks. Yes, I have chatted nonsense with a
+      grisette&mdash;have talked of liberty, progress, humanity, emancipation of
+      women, with a young, excited girl; of Napoleon the Great, and all sorts of
+      Bonapartist idolatry, with an old, imbecile soldier; of imperial glory,
+      humiliation of France, hopes in the King of Rome, with a certain marshal
+      of France, who, with a heart full of adoration for the robber of thrones,
+      that was transported to Saint-Helena, has a head as hollow and sonorous as
+      a trumpet, into which you have only to blow some warlike or patriotic
+      notes, and it will flourish away of itself, without knowing why or how.
+      More than all this, I have talked of love affairs with a young tiger. When
+      I told you it was lamentable to see a man of any intelligence descend, as
+      I have done, to all such petty ways of connecting the thousand threads of
+      this dark web, was I not right? Is it not a fine spectacle to see the
+      spider obstinately weaving its net?&mdash;to see the ugly little black
+      animal crossing thread upon thread, fastening it here, strengthening it
+      there, and again lengthening it in some other place? You shrug your
+      shoulders in pity; but return two hours after&mdash;what will you find?
+      The little black animal eating its fill, and in its web a dozen of the
+      foolish flies, bound so securely, that the little black animal has only to
+      choose the moment of its repast.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he uttered those words, Rodin smiled strangely; his eyes, gradually
+      half closed, opened to their full width, and seemed to shine more than
+      usual. The Jesuit felt a sort of feverish excitement, which he attributed
+      to the contest in which he had engaged before these eminent personages,
+      who already felt the influence of his original and cutting speech.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny began to regret having entered on the contest. He
+      resumed, however, with ill-repressed irony: &ldquo;I do not dispute the
+      smallness of your means. I agree with you, they are very puerile&mdash;they
+      are even very vulgar. But that is not quite sufficient to give an exalted
+      notion of your merit. May I be allowed to ask&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What these means have produced?&rdquo; resumed Rodin, with an excitement that
+      was not usual with him. &ldquo;Look into my spider&rsquo;s web, and you will see there
+      the beautiful and insolent young girl, so proud, six weeks ago, of her
+      grace, mind, and audacity&mdash;now pale, trembling, mortally wounded at
+      the heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the act of chivalrous intrepidity of the Indian prince, with which
+      all Paris is ringing,&rdquo; said the princess, &ldquo;must surely have touched Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; but I have paralyzed the effect of that stupid and savage devotion,
+      by demonstrating to the young lady that it is not sufficient to kill black
+      panthers to prove one&rsquo;s self a susceptible, delicate, and faithful lover.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;we will admit the fact that Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville is wounded to the heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what does this prove with regard to the Rennepont affair?&rdquo; asked the
+      cardinal, with curiosity, as he leaned his elbows on the table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There results from it,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;that when our most dangerous enemy
+      is mortally wounded, she abandons the battlefield. That is something, I
+      should imagine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed,&rdquo; said the princess, &ldquo;the talents and audacity of Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville would make her the soul of the coalition formed against us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be it so,&rdquo; replied Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, obstinately; &ldquo;she may be no longer
+      formidable in that respect. But the wound in her heart will not prevent
+      her from inheriting.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who tells you so?&rdquo; asked Rodin, coldly, and with assurance. &ldquo;Do you know
+      why I have taken such pains, first to bring her in contact with Djalma,
+      and then to separate her from him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what I ask you,&rdquo; said Father D&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;how can this storm of
+      passion prevent Mdlle. de Cardoville and the prince from inheriting?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it from the serene, or from the stormy sky, that darts the destroying
+      thunderbolt?&rdquo; said Rodin, disdainfully. &ldquo;Be satisfied; I shall know where
+      to place the conductor. As for M. Hardy, the man lived for three things:
+      his workmen, his friend, his mistress. He has been thrice wounded in the
+      heart. I always take aim at the heart; it is legal and sure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is legal, and sure, and praiseworthy,&rdquo; said the bishop; &ldquo;for, if I
+      understand you rightly, this manufacturer had a concubine; now it is well
+      to make use of an evil passion for the punishment of the wicked.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, quite true,&rdquo; added the cardinal; &ldquo;if they have evil passion for us
+      to make use of it, it is their own fault.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our holy Mother Perpetue,&rdquo; said the princess, &ldquo;took every means to
+      discover this abominable adultery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, M. Hardy is wounded in his dearest affections, I admit,&rdquo; said
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, still disputing every inch of ground; &ldquo;ruined too in
+      his fortune, which will only make him the more eager after this
+      inheritance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The argument appeared of weight to the two prelates and the princess; all
+      looked at Rodin with anxious curiosity. Instead of answering he walked up
+      to the sideboard, and, contrary to his habits of stoical sobriety, and in
+      spite of his repugnance for wine, he examined the decanters, and said:
+      &ldquo;What is there in them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Claret and sherry,&rdquo; said the hostess, much astonished at the sudden taste
+      of Rodin, &ldquo;and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter took a decanter at hazard, and poured out a glass of Madeira,
+      which he drank off at a draught. Just be fore he had felt a strange kind
+      of shivering; to this had succeeded a sort of weakness. He hoped the wine
+      would revive him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After wiping his mouth with the back of his dirty hand, he returned to the
+      table, and said to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;What did you tell me about M.
+      Hardy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That being ruined in fortune, he would be the more eager to obtain this
+      immense inheritance,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, inwardly much offended
+      at the imperious tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Hardy think of money?&rdquo; said Rodin, shrugging his shoulders. &ldquo;He is
+      indifferent to life, plunged in a stupor from which he only starts to
+      burst into tears. Then he speaks with mechanical kindness to those about
+      him. I have placed him in good hands. He begins, however, to be sensible
+      to the attentions shown him, for he is good, excellent, weak; and ii is to
+      this excellence, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, that you must appeal to finish the
+      work in hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, much surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; and then you will find that the result I have obtained is
+      considerable, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin paused, and, pressing his hand to his forehead, said to himself: &ldquo;It
+      is strange!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter?&rdquo; said the princess, with interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing, madame,&rdquo; answered Rodin, with a shiver; &ldquo;it is doubtless the
+      wine I drank; I am not accustomed to it. I feel a slight headache; but it
+      will pass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your eyes are very bloodshot, my good father, said the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have looked too closely into my web,&rdquo; answered the Jesuit, with a
+      sinister smile; &ldquo;and I must look again, to make Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who
+      pretends to be blind, catch a glimpse of my other flies. The two daughters
+      of Marshal Simon, for instance, growing sadder and more dejected every
+      day, at the icy barrier raised between them and their father; and the
+      latter thinking himself one day dishonored if he does this, another if he
+      does that; so that the hero of the Empire has become weaker and more
+      irresolute than a child. What more remains of this impious family? Jacques
+      Rennepont? Ask Morok, to what a state of debasement intemperance has
+      reduced him, and towards what an abyss he is rushing!&mdash;There is my
+      occurrence-sheet; you see to what are reduced all the members of this
+      family, who, six weeks ago, had each elements of strength and union!
+      Behold these Renneponts, who, by the will of their heretical ancestor,
+      were to unite their forces to combat and crush our Society!&mdash;There
+      was good reason to fear them; but what did I say? That I would act upon
+      their passions. What have I done? I have acted upon their passions. At
+      this hour they are vainly struggling in my web&mdash;they are mine&mdash;they
+      are mine&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he was speaking, Rodin&rsquo;s countenance and voice had undergone a singular
+      alteration; his complexion, generally so cadaverous, had become flushed,
+      but unequally, and in patches; then, strange phenomenon! his eyes grew
+      both more brilliant and more sunken, and his voice sharper and louder. The
+      change in the countenance of Rodin, of which he did not appear to be
+      conscious, was so remarkable, that the other actors in this scene looked
+      at him with a sort of terror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Deceived as to the cause of this impression, Rodin exclaimed with
+      indignation, in a voice interrupted by deep gaspings for breath: &ldquo;It is
+      pity for this impious race, that I read upon your faces? Pity for the
+      young girl, who never enters a church, and erects pagan altars in her
+      habitation? Pity for Hardy, the sentimental blasphemer, the philanthropic
+      atheist, who had no chapel in his factory, and dared to blend the names of
+      Socrates, Marcus, Aurelius, and Plato, with our Savior&rsquo;s? Pity for the
+      Indian worshipper of Brahma? Pity for the two sisters, who have never even
+      been baptized? Pity for that brute, Jacques Rennepont? Pity for the stupid
+      imperial soldier, who has Napoleon for his god, and the bulletins of the
+      Grand Army for his gospel? Pity for this family of renegades, whose
+      ancestor, a relapsed heretic, not content with robbing us of our property,
+      excites from his tomb, at the end of a century and a half, his cursed race
+      to lift their heads against us? What! to defend ourselves from these
+      vipers, we shall not have the right to crush them in their own venom?&mdash;I
+      tell you, that it is to serve heaven, and to give a salutary example to
+      the world, to devote, by unchaining their own passions, this impious
+      family to grief and despair and death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke thus, Rodin was dreadful in his ferocity; the fire of his eyes
+      became still more brilliant; his lips were dry and burning, a cold sweat
+      bathed his temples, which could be seen throbbing; an icy shudder ran
+      through his frame. Attributing these symptoms to fatigue from writing
+      through a portion of the night, and wishing to avoid fainting, he went to
+      the sideboard, filled another glass with wine, which he drank off at a
+      draught, and returned as the cardinal said to him: &ldquo;If your course with
+      regard to this family needed justification, my good father, your last word
+      would have victoriously justified it. Not only are you right, according to
+      your own casuists, but there is nothing in your proceedings contrary to
+      human laws. As for the divine law, it is pleasing to the Lord to destroy
+      impiety with its own weapons.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Conquered, as well as the others, by Rodin&rsquo;s diabolical assurance, and
+      brought back to a kind of fearful admiration, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny said to
+      him: &ldquo;I confess I was wrong in doubting the judgment of your reverence.
+      Deceived by the appearance of the means employed, I could not judge of
+      their connection, and above all, of their results. I now see, that, thanks
+      to you, success is no longer doubtful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is an exaggeration,&rdquo; replied Rodin, with feverish impatience; &ldquo;all
+      these passions are at work, but the moment is critical. As the alchemist
+      bends over the crucible, which may give him either treasures or sudden
+      death&mdash;I alone at this moment&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin did not finish the sentence. He pressed both his hands to his
+      forehead, with a stifled cry of pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;For some moments you have
+      been growing fearfully pale.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know &lsquo;what is the matter,&rdquo; said Rodin, in an altered voice; &ldquo;my
+      headache increases&mdash;I am seized with a sort of giddiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sit down,&rdquo; said the princess, with interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Take something,&rdquo; said the bishop.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will be nothing,&rdquo; said Rodin, with an effort; &ldquo;I am no milksop, thank
+      heaven!&mdash;I had little sleep last night; it is fatigue&mdash;nothing
+      more. I was saying, that I alone could now direct this affair: but I
+      cannot execute the plan myself. I must keep out of the way, and watch in
+      the shade: I must hold the threads, which I alone can manage,&rdquo; added
+      Rodin, in a faint voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My good father,&rdquo; said the cardinal uneasily, &ldquo;I assure you that you are
+      very unwell. Your paleness is becoming livid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is possible,&rdquo; answered Rodin, courageously; &ldquo;but I am not to be so
+      soon conquered. To return to our affair&mdash;this is the time, in which
+      your qualities, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, will turn to good account. I have never
+      denied them, and they may now be of the greatest use. You have the power
+      of charming&mdash;grace&mdash;eloquence&mdash;you must&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin paused again. A cold sweat poured from his forehead. He felt his
+      legs give way under him, notwithstanding his obstinate energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I confess, I am not well,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;yet, this morning, I was as well as
+      ever. I shiver. I am icy cold.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Draw near the fire&mdash;it is a sudden indisposition,&rdquo; said the bishop,
+      offering his arm with heroic devotion; &ldquo;it will not be anything of
+      consequence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you were to take something warm, a cup of tea,&rdquo; said the princess;
+      &ldquo;Dr. Baleinier will be here directly&mdash;he will reassure us as to this&mdash;indisposition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is really inexplicable,&rdquo; said the prelate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words of the cardinal, Rodin, who had advanced with difficulty
+      towards the fire, turned his eyes upon the prelate, and looked at him
+      fixedly in a strange manner, for about a second; then, strong in his
+      unconquerable energy, notwithstanding the change in his features, which
+      were now visibly disfigured, Rodin said, in a broken voice, which he tried
+      to make firm: &ldquo;The fire has warmed me; it will be nothing. I have no time
+      to coddle myself. It would be a pretty thing to fall ill just as the
+      Rennepont affair can only succeed by my exertions! Let us return to
+      business. I told you, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, that you might serve us a good
+      deal; and you also, princess, who have espoused this cause as if it were
+      your own&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30045m.jpg" alt="30045m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30045.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Rodin again paused. This time he uttered a piercing cry, sank upon a chair
+      placed near him, and throwing himself back convulsively, he pressed his
+      hands to his chest, and exclaimed: &ldquo;Oh! what pain!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then (dreadful sight!) a cadaverous decomposition, rapid as thought, took
+      place in Rodin&rsquo;s features. His hollow eyes were filled with blood, and
+      seemed to shrink back in their orbits, which formed, as it were, two dark
+      holes, in the centre of which blazed points of fire; nervous convulsions
+      drew the flabby, damp, and icy skin tight over the bony prominences of the
+      face, which was becoming rapidly green. From the lips, writhing with pain,
+      issued the struggling breath, mingled with the words: &ldquo;Oh! I suffer! I
+      burn!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, yielding to a transport of fury. Rodin tore with his nails his naked
+      chest, for he had twisted off the buttons of his waistcoat, and rent his
+      black and filthy shirt-front, as if the pressure of those garments
+      augmented the violence of the pain under which he was writhing. The
+      bishop, the cardinal, and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, hastily approached Rodin, to
+      try and hold him; he was seized with horrible convulsions; but, suddenly,
+      collecting all his strength, he rose upon his feet stiff as a corpse.
+      Then, with his garments in disorder, his thin, gray hair standing up all
+      around his greenish face, fixing his red and flaming eyes upon the
+      cardinal, he seized him with convulsive grasp, and exclaimed in a terrible
+      voice, half stifled in his throat: &ldquo;Cardinal Malipieri&mdash;this illness
+      is too sudden&mdash;they suspect me at Rome&mdash;you are of the race of
+      the Borgias&mdash;and your secretary was with me this morning!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unhappy man! what does he dare insinuate?&rdquo; cried the prelate, as amazed
+      as he was indignant at the accusation. So saying, the cardinal strove to
+      free himself from the grasp of Rodin, whose fingers were now as stiff as
+      iron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am poisoned!&rdquo; muttered Rodin, and sinking back, he fell into the arms
+      of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his alarm, the cardinal had time to whisper to the latter:
+      &ldquo;He thinks himself poisoned. He must therefore be plotting something very
+      dangerous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The door of the room opened. It was Dr. Baleinier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, doctor!&rdquo; cried the princess, as she ran pale and frightened towards
+      him; &ldquo;Father Rodin has been suddenly attacked with terrible convulsions.
+      Quick! quick!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Convulsions? oh! it will be nothing, madame,&rdquo; said the doctor, throwing
+      down his hat upon a chair, and hastily approaching the group which
+      surrounded the sick man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the doctor!&rdquo; cried the princess. All stepped aside, except Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who continued to support Rodin, leaning against a chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Heavens! what symptoms!&rdquo; cried Dr. Baleinier, examining with growing
+      terror the countenance of Rodin, which from green was turning blue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; asked all the spectators, with one voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; repeated the doctor, drawing back as if he had trodden upon
+      a serpent. &ldquo;It is the cholera! and contagious!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On this frightful, magic word, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny abandoned his hold of
+      Rodin, who rolled upon the floor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is lost!&rdquo; cried Dr. Baleinier. &ldquo;But I will run to fetch the means for
+      a last effort.&rdquo; And he rushed towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Princess de Saint-Dizier, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, the bishop, and the
+      cardinal followed in terror the flight of Dr. Baleinier. They all pressed
+      to the door, which, in their consternation, they could not open. It opened
+      at last but from without&mdash;and Gabriel appeared upon the threshold.
+      Gabriel, the type of the true priest, the holy, the evangelical minister,
+      to whom we can never pay enough of respect and ardent sympathy, and tender
+      admiration. His angelic countenance, in its mild serenity, offered a
+      striking contrast of these faces, all disturbed and contracted with
+      terror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The young priest was nearly thrown down by the fugitives, who rushed
+      through the now open doorway, exclaiming: &ldquo;Do not go in! he is dying of
+      the cholera. Fly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words, pushing back the bishop, who, being the last, was trying
+      to force a passage, Gabriel ran towards Rodin, while the prelate succeeded
+      in making his escape. Rodin, stretched upon the carpet, his limbs twisted
+      with fearful cramps, was writhing in the extremity of pain. The violence
+      of his fall had, no doubt, roused him to consciousness, for he moaned, in
+      a sepulchral voice: &ldquo;They leave me to die&mdash;like a dog&mdash;the
+      cowards!&mdash;Help!&mdash;no one&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And the dying man, rolling on his back with a convulsive movement, turned
+      towards the ceiling a face on which was branded the infernal despair of
+      the damned, as he once more repeated: &ldquo;No one!&mdash;not one!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      His eyes, which suddenly flamed with fury, just then met the large blue
+      eyes of the angelic and mild countenance of Gabriel who, kneeling beside
+      him, said to him, in his soft, grave tones: &ldquo;I am here, father&mdash;to
+      help you, if help be possible&mdash;to pray for you, if God calls you to
+      him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gabriel!&rdquo; murmured Rodin, with failing voice; &ldquo;forgive me for the evil I
+      have done you&mdash;do not leave me&mdash;do not&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin could not finish; he had succeeded in raising himself into a sitting
+      posture; he now uttered a loud cry, and fell back without sense or motion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The same day it was announced in the evening papers: &ldquo;The cholera has
+      broken out in Paris. The first case declared itself this day, at half past
+      three, P.M. in the Rue de Babylone, at Saint-Dizier House.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0123" id="link2HCH0123">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XVIII. THE SQUARE OF NOTRE DAME.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span> week had passed since Rodin was seized with the cholera, and its ravages
+      had continually increased. That was an awful time! A funeral pall was
+      spread over Paris, once so gay. And yet, never had the sky been of a more
+      settled, purer blue; never had the sun shone more brilliantly. The
+      inexorable serenity of nature, during the ravages of the deadly scourge,
+      offered a strange and mysterious contrast. The flaunting light of the
+      dazzling sunshine fell full upon the features, contracted by a thousand
+      agonizing fears. Each trembled for himself, or for those dear to him;
+      every countenance was stamped with an expression of feverish astonishment
+      and dread. People walked with rapid steps, as if they would escape from
+      the fate which threatened them; besides, they were in haste to return to
+      their homes, for often they left life, health, happiness, and, two hours
+      later, they found agony, death, and despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At every moment, new dismal objects met the view. Sometimes carts passed
+      along, filled with coffins, symmetrically piled; they stopped before every
+      house. Men in black and gray garments were in waiting before the door;
+      they held out their hands, and to some, one coffin was thrown, to some
+      two, frequently three or four, from the same house. It sometimes happened
+      that the store was quickly exhausted, and the cart, which had arrived
+      full, went away empty, whilst many of the dead in the street were still
+      unserved. In nearly every dwelling, upstairs and down, from the roof to
+      the cellar, there was a stunning tapping of hammers: coffins were being
+      nailed down, and so many, so very many were nailed, that sometimes those
+      who worked stopped from sheer fatigue. Then broke forth laments,
+      heart-rending moans, despairing imprecations. They were uttered by those
+      from whom the men in black and gray had taken some one to fill the
+      coffins.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Unceasingly were the coffins filled, and day and night did those men work,
+      but by day more than by night, for, as soon as it was dusk, came a gloomy
+      file of vehicles of all kinds&mdash;the usual hearses were not sufficient;
+      but cars, carts, drays, hackney-coaches, and such like, swelled the
+      funeral procession; different to the other conveyances, which entered the
+      streets full and went away empty&mdash;these came empty but soon returned
+      full. During that period, the windows of many houses were illuminated, and
+      often the lights remained burning till the morning. It was &ldquo;the season.&rdquo;
+       These illuminations resembled the gleaming rays which shine in the gay
+      haunts of pleasure; but there were tapers instead of wax candles, and the
+      chanting of prayers for the dead replaced the murmur of the ball-room. In
+      the streets, instead of the facetious transparencies which indicate the
+      costumers, there swung at intervals huge lanterns of a blood-red color,
+      with these words in black letters: &ldquo;Assistance for those attacked with the
+      cholera.&rdquo; The true places for revelry, during the night, were the
+      churchyards; they ran riot&mdash;they, usually so desolate and silent,
+      during the dark, quiet hours, when the cypress trees rustle in the breeze,
+      so lonely, that no human step dared to disturb the solemn silence which
+      reigned there at night, became on a sudden, animated, noisy, riotous, and
+      resplendent with light. By the smoky flames of torches, which threw a red
+      glare upon the dark fir-trees, and the white tombstones, many
+      grave-diggers worked merrily, humming snatches of some favorite tune.
+      Their laborious and hazardous industry then commanded a very high price;
+      they were in such request that it was necessary to humor them. They drank
+      often and much; they sang long and loud; and this to keep up their
+      strength and spirits good, absolute requisites in such an employment. If,
+      by chance, any did not finish the grave they had begun, some obliging
+      comrade finished it for them (fitting expression!), and placed them in it
+      with friendly care.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Other distant sounds responded to the joyous strains of the grave diggers;
+      public-houses had sprung up in the neighborhood of the churchyards, and
+      the drivers of the dead, when they had &ldquo;set down their customers,&rdquo; as they
+      jocosely expressed themselves, enriched with their unusual gratuities,
+      feasted and made merry like lords; dawn often found them with a glass in
+      their hands, and a jest on their lips; and, strange to say, among these
+      funeral satellites, who breathed the very atmosphere of the disease, the
+      mortality was scarcely perceptible. In the dark, squalid quarters of the
+      town, where, surrounded by infectious exhalations, the indigent population
+      was crowded together, and miserable beings, exhausted by severe privation,
+      were &ldquo;bespoke&rdquo; by the cholera, as it was energetically said at the time,
+      not only individuals, but whole families, were carried off in a few hours;
+      and yet, sometimes, oh, merciful Providence! one or two little children
+      were left in the cold and empty room, after the father and mother, brother
+      and sister, had been taken away in their shells.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frequently, houses which had swarmed with hard working laborers, were
+      obliged to be shut up for want of tenants; in one day, they had been
+      completely cleared by this terrible visitation, from the cellars, where
+      little chimney-sweepers slept upon straw, to the garret, on whose cold
+      brick floor lay stretched some wan and half-naked being, without work and
+      without bread. But, of all the wards of Paris, that which perhaps
+      presented the most frightful spectacle during the progress of the cholera,
+      was the City; and in the City, the square before the cathedral of
+      Notre-Dame was almost every day the theatre of dreadful scenes: for this
+      locality was frequently thronged with those who conveyed the sick from the
+      neighboring streets to the Great Hospital. The cholera had not one aspect,
+      but a thousand. So that one week after Rodin had been suddenly attacked,
+      several events combining the horrible and the grotesque occurred in the
+      square of Notre Dame.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of the Rue d&rsquo;Arcole, which now leads directly to the square, it
+      was then approached on one side, by a mean, narrow lane, like all the
+      other streets of the City, and terminating in a dark, low archway. Upon
+      entering the square the principal door of the huge Cathedral was to the
+      left of the spectator, and facing him were the Hospital buildings. A
+      little beyond, was an opening which gave to view a portion of the parapet
+      of the Quay Notre-Dame. A placard had been recently stuck on the
+      discolored and sunken wail of the archway; it contained these words,
+      traced in large characters.(37)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;VENGEANCE! VENGEANCE!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Working-men carried to the hospitals are poisoned, because the number
+      of patients is too great; every night, Boats filled with corpses, drop
+      down the Seine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vengeance and Death to the murderers of the People!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Two men, enveloped in cloaks, and half-hidden in the deep shadow of the
+      vault, were listening with anxious curiosity to the threatening murmur,
+      which rose with increasing force from among a tumultuous assembly, grouped
+      around the Hospital. Soon, cries of &ldquo;Death to the doctors!&mdash;Vengeance!&rdquo;
+       reached the ears of the persons who were in ambush under the arch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The posters are working,&rdquo; said one; &ldquo;the train is on fire. When once the
+      populace is roused, we can set them on whom we please.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say,&rdquo; replied the other man, &ldquo;look over there. That Hercules, whose
+      athletic form towers above the mob, was cue of the most frantic leaders
+      when M. Hardy&rsquo;s factory was destroyed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure he was; I know him again. Wherever mischief is to be done, you
+      are sure to find those vagabonds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, take my advice, do not let us remain under this archway,&rdquo; said the
+      other man; &ldquo;the wind is as cold as ice, and though I am cased in flannel&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, the cholera is confoundedly impolite. Besides, everything
+      is going on well here; I am likewise assured that the whole of the
+      Faubourg Saint-Antoine is ready to rise in the republican cause; that will
+      serve our ends, and our holy religion will triumph over revolutionary
+      impiety. Let us rejoin Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where shall we find him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Near here, come&mdash;come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The two hastily disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun, beginning to decline, shed its golden rays upon the blackened
+      sculptures of the porch of Notre-Dame, and upon its two massy towers,
+      rising in imposing majesty against a perfectly blue sky, for during the
+      fast few days, a north-east wind, dry and cold, had driven away the
+      lightest cloud. A considerable number of people, as we have already
+      stated, obstructed the approach to the Hospital; they crowded round the
+      iron railings that protect the front of the building, behind which was
+      stationed a detachment of infantry, the cries of &ldquo;Death to the doctors!&rdquo;
+       becoming every moment more threatening. The people who thus vociferated.
+      belonged to an idle, vagabond, and depraved populace&mdash;the dregs of
+      the Paris mob; and (terrible spectacle!) the unfortunate beings who were
+      forcibly carried through the midst of these hideous groups entered the
+      Hospital, whilst the air resounded with hoarse clamors, and cries of
+      &ldquo;Death.&rdquo; Every moment, fresh victims were brought along in litters, and on
+      stretchers; the litters were frequently furnished with coarse curtains,
+      and thus the sick occupants were concealed from the public gaze; but the
+      stretchers, having no covering, the convulsive movements of the dying
+      patients often thrust aside the sheet, and exposed to view their faces,
+      livid as corpses. Far from inspiring with terror the wretches assembled
+      round the Hospital, such spectacles became to them the signal for savage
+      jests, and atrocious predictions upon the fate of these poor creatures,
+      when once in the power of the doctors.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30053m.jpg" alt="30053m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30053.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The big blaster and Ciboule, with a good many of their adherents, were
+      among the mob. After the destruction of Hardy&rsquo;s factory, the quarryman was
+      formally expelled from the union of the Wolves, who would have nothing
+      more to do with this wretch; since then, he had plunged into the grossest
+      debauchery, and speculating on his herculean strength, had hired himself
+      as the officious champion of Ciboule and her compeers. With the exception
+      therefore of some chance passengers, the square of Notre-Dame was filled
+      with a ragged crowd, composed of the refuse of the Parisian populace&mdash;wretches
+      who call for pity as well as blame; for misery, ignorance, and
+      destitution, beget but too fatally vice and crime. These savages of
+      civilization felt neither pity, improvement, nor terror, at the shocking
+      sights with which they were surrounded; careless of a life which was a
+      daily struggle against hunger, or the allurements of guilt, they braved
+      the pestilence with infernal audacity, or sank under it with blasphemy on
+      their lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The tall form of the quarryman was conspicuous amongst the rest; with
+      inflamed eyes and swollen features, he yelled at the top of his voice:
+      &ldquo;Death to the body-snatchers! they poison the people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is easier than to feed them,&rdquo; added Ciboule. Then, addressing
+      herself to an old man, who was being carried with great difficulty through
+      the dense crowd, upon a chair, by two men, the hag continued: &ldquo;Hey? don&rsquo;t
+      go in there, old croaker; die here in the open air instead of dying in
+      that den, where you&rsquo;ll be doctored like an old rat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; added the quarryman; &ldquo;and then they&rsquo;ll throw you into the water to
+      feast the fishes, which you won&rsquo;t swallow any more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these atrocious cries, the old man looked wildly around, and uttered
+      faint groans. Ciboule wished to stop the persons who were carrying him,
+      and they had much difficulty in getting rid of the hag. The number of
+      cholera-patients arriving increased every moment, and soon neither litters
+      nor stretchers could be obtained, so that they were borne along in the
+      arms of the attendants. Several awful episodes bore witness to the
+      startling rapidity of the infection. Two men were carrying a stretcher
+      covered with a blood-stained sheet; one of them suddenly felt himself
+      attacked with the complaint; he stopped short, his powerless arms let go
+      the stretcher; he turned pale, staggered, fell upon the patient, becoming
+      as livid as him; the other man, struck with terror, fled precipitately,
+      leaving his companion and the dying man in the midst of the crowd. Some
+      drew back in horror, others burst into a savage laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The horses have taken fright,&rdquo; said the quarryman, &ldquo;and have left the
+      turn-out in the lurch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Help!&rdquo; cried the dying man, with a despairing accent; &ldquo;for pity&rsquo;s sake
+      take me in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no more room in the pit,&rdquo; said one, in a jeering tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you&rsquo;ve no legs left to reach the gallery,&rdquo; added another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sick man made an effort to rise; but his strength failed him; he fell
+      back exhausted on the mattress. A sudden movement took place among the
+      crowd, the stretcher was overturned, the old man and his companion were
+      trodden underfoot, and their groans were drowned in the cries of &ldquo;Death to
+      the body-snatchers!&rdquo; The yells were renewed with fresh fury, but the
+      ferocious band, who respected nothing in their savage fury, were soon
+      after obliged to open their ranks to several workmen, who vigorously
+      cleared the way for two of their friends carrying in their arms a poor
+      artisan. He was still young, but his heavy and already livid head hung
+      down upon the shoulder of one of them. A little child followed, sobbing,
+      and holding by one of the workmen&rsquo;s coats. The measured and sonorous sound
+      of several drums was now heard at a distance in the winding streets of the
+      city: they were beating the call to arms, for sedition was rife in the
+      Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The drummers emerged from under the archway, and
+      were traversing the square, when one of them, a gray-haired veteran,
+      suddenly slackened the rolling of his drum, and stood still: his
+      companions turned round in surprise&mdash;he had turned green; his legs
+      gave way, he stammered some unintelligible words, and had fallen upon the
+      pavement before those in the front rank had time to pause. The
+      overwhelming rapidity of this attack startled for a moment the most
+      hardened among the surrounding spectators; for, wondering at the
+      interruption, a part of the crowd had rushed towards the soldiers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of the dying man, supported in the arms of two of his comrades,
+      one of the individuals, who, concealed under the arch, had watched the
+      beginning of the popular excitement, said to the drummers: &ldquo;Your comrade
+      drank, perhaps, at some fountain on the road?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; replied one; &ldquo;he was very thirsty; he drank two mouthfuls of
+      water on the Place du Chatelet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then he is poisoned,&rdquo; said the man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poisoned?&rdquo; cried several voices.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not surprising,&rdquo; replied the man, in a mysterious tone; &ldquo;poison is
+      thrown into the public fountains; and this very morning a man was
+      massacred in the Rue Beaubourg who was discovered emptying a paper of
+      arsenic into a pot of wine at a public-house.&rdquo;(38)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having said these words, the man disappeared in the crowd. This report, no
+      less absurd than the tales about the poisoning of the Hospital patients,
+      was received with a general burst of indignation. Five or six ragged
+      beings, regular ruffians, seized the body of the expiring drummer, hoisted
+      it upon their shoulders, in spite of all the efforts of his comrades to
+      prevent them, and paraded the square exhibiting the dismal trophy. Ciboule
+      and the quarryman went before, crying: &ldquo;Wake way for the corpse! This is
+      how they poison the people!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A fresh incident now attracted the attention of the crowd. A travelling
+      carriage, which had not been able to pass along the Quai-Napoleon, the
+      pavement of which was up, had ventured among the intricate streets of the
+      city, and now arrived in the square of Notre-Dame on its way to the other
+      side of the Seine. Like many others, its owners were flying from Paris, to
+      escape the pestilence which decimated it. A man-servant and a lady&rsquo;s maid
+      were in the rumble, and they exchanged a glance of alarm as they passed
+      the Hospital, whilst a young man seated in the front part of the carriage
+      let down the glass, and called to the postilions to go slowly, for fear of
+      accident, as the crowd was very dense at that part of the square. This
+      young man was Lord Morinval, and on the back seat were Lord Montbron and
+      his niece, Lady Morinval. The pale and anxious countenance of the young
+      lady showed the alarm which she felt; and Montbron, notwithstanding his
+      firmness of mind, appeared to be very uneasy; he, as well as his niece,
+      frequently had recourse to a smelling-bottle filled with camphor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During the last few minutes, the carriage had advanced very slowly, the
+      postilions managing their horses with great caution, when a sudden hubbub,
+      at first distant and undefined, but soon more distinct, arose among the
+      throng, as it drew near, the ringing sound of chains and metal, peculiar
+      to the artillery-wagons, was plainly audible, and presently one of these
+      vehicles came towards the travelling-carriage, from the direction of the
+      Quai Notre-Dame. It seemed strange, that though the crowd was so compact,
+      yet at the rapid approach of this wagon, the close ranks of human beings
+      opened as if by enchantment, but the following words which were passed
+      from mouth to mouth soon accounted for the prodigy: &ldquo;A wagon full of dead!
+      the wagon of the dead!&rdquo; As we have already stated, the usual funeral
+      conveyances were no longer sufficient for the removal of the corpses; a
+      number of artillery wagons had been put into requisition, and the coffins
+      were hastily piled in these novel hearses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Many of the spectators regarded this gloomy vehicle with dismay, but the
+      quarryman and his band redoubled their horrible jokes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Make way for the omnibus of the departed!&rdquo; cried Ciboule.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No danger of having one&rsquo;s toes crushed in that omnibus,&rdquo; said the
+      quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Doubtless they&rsquo;re easy to please, the stiff-uns in there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They never want to be set down, at all events.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I say, there&rsquo;s only one reg&rsquo;lar on duty as postilion!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true, the leaders are driven by a man in a smock-frock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I daresay the other soldier was tired, lazy fellow! and got into the
+      omnibus with the others&mdash;they&rsquo;ll all get out at the same big hole.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Head foremost, you know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they pitch them head first into a bed of lime.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, one might follow the dead-cart blind-fold, and no mistake. It&rsquo;s
+      worse than Montfaucon knacker-yards!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! ha! ha!&mdash;it&rsquo;s rather gamey!&rdquo; said the quarryman, alluding to the
+      infectious and cadaverous odor which this funeral conveyance left behind
+      it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s sport!&rdquo; exclaimed Ciboule: &ldquo;the omnibus of the dead will run
+      against the fine coach. Hurrah! the rich folks will smell death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, the wagon was now directly in front of the carriage, and at a very
+      little distance from it. A man in a smock-frock and wooden shoes drove the
+      two leaders, and an artilleryman the other horses. The coffins were so
+      piled up within this wagon, that its semicircular top did not shut down
+      closely, so that, as it jolted heavily over the uneven pavement, the biers
+      could be seen chafing against each other. The fiery eyes and inflamed
+      countenance of the man in the smock-frock showed that he was half
+      intoxicated; urging on the horses with his voice, his heels, and his whip,
+      he paid no attention to the remonstrances of the soldier, who had great
+      difficulty in restraining his own animals, and was obliged to follow the
+      irregular movements of the carman. Advancing in this disorderly manner,
+      the wagon deviated from its course just as it should have passed the
+      travelling-carriage, and ran against it. The shock forced open the top,
+      one of the coffins was thrown out, and, after damaging the panels of the
+      carriage, fell upon the pavement with a dull and heavy sound. The deal
+      planks had been hastily nailed together, and were shivered in the fall,
+      and from the wreck of the coffin rolled a livid corpse, half enveloped in
+      a shroud.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this horrible spectacle, Lady Morinval, who had mechanically leaned
+      forward, gave a loud scream, and fainted. The crowd fell back in dismay;
+      the postilions, no less alarmed, took advantage of the space left open to
+      them by the retreat of the multitude; they whipped their horses, and the
+      carriage dashed on towards the quay. As it disappeared behind the
+      furthermost buildings of the Hospital, the shrill joyous notes of distant
+      trumpets were heard, and repeated shouts proclaimed: &ldquo;The Cholera
+      Masquerade!&rdquo; The words announced one of those episodes combining
+      buffoonery with terror, which marked the period when the pestilence was on
+      the increase, though now they can with difficulty be credited. If the
+      evidence of eyewitnesses did not agree in every particular with the
+      accounts given in the public papers of this masquerade, they might be
+      regarded as the ravings of some diseased brain, and not as the notice of a
+      fact which really occurred.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Masquerade of the Cholera&rdquo; appeared, we say, in the square of Notre
+      Dame, just as Morinval&rsquo;s carriage gained the quay, after disengaging
+      itself from the death-wagon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (37) It is well-known that at the time of the cholera, such placards were
+      numerous in Paris, and were alternately attributed to opposite parties.
+      Among others, to the priests, many of the bishops having published
+      mandatory letters, or stated openly in the churches of their diocese, that
+      the Almighty had sent the cholera as a punishment to France for having
+      driven away its lawful sovereign, and assimilated the Catholic to other
+      forms of worship.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (38) It is notorious, that at this unhappy period several persons were
+      massacred, under a false accusation of poisoning the fountains, etc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0124" id="link2HCH0124">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XIX. THE CHOLERA MASQUERADE.(39)
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span> stream of people, who preceded the masquerade, made a sudden irruption
+      through the arch into the square, uttering loud cheers as they advanced.
+      Children were also there, blowing horns, whilst some hooted and others
+      hissed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The quarryman, Ciboule, and their band, attracted by this new spectacle,
+      rushed tumultuously towards the arch. Instead of the two eating-houses,
+      which now (1845) stand on either side of the Rue d&rsquo;Arcole, there was then
+      only one, situated to the left of the vaulted passage, and much celebrated
+      amongst the joyous community of students, for the excellence both of its
+      cookery and its wines. At the first blare of the trumpets, sounded by the
+      outriders in livery who preceded the masquerade, the windows of the great
+      room of the eating-house were thrown open, and several waiters, with their
+      napkins under their arms, leaned forward, impatient to witness the arrival
+      of the singular guests they were expecting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length, the grotesque procession made its appearance in the thick of an
+      immense uproar. The train comprised a chariot, escorted by men and women
+      on horseback, clad in rich and elegant fancy dresses. Most of these
+      maskers belonged to the middle and easy classes of society. The report had
+      spread that masquerade was in preparation, for the purpose of daring the
+      cholera, and, by this joyous demonstration, to revive the courage of the
+      affrighted populace. Immediately, artists, young men about town, students,
+      and so on, responded to the appeal, and though till now unknown one to the
+      other, they easily fraternized together. Many brought their mistresses, to
+      complete the show. A subscription had been opened to defray the expenses,
+      and, that morning, after a splendid breakfast at the other end of Paris,
+      the joyous troop had started bravely on their march, to finish the day by
+      a dinner in the square of Notre Dame.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We say bravely, for it required a singular turn of mind, a rare firmness
+      of character, in young women, to traverse, in this fashion, a great city
+      plunged in consternation and terror&mdash;to fall in at every step with
+      litters loaded with the dying, and carriages filled with the dead&mdash;to
+      defy, as it were, in a spirit of strange pleasantry, the plague that was
+      detonating the Parisians. It is certain that, in Paris alone, and there
+      only amongst a peculiar class, could such an idea have ever been conceived
+      or realized. Two men, grotesquely disguised as postilions at a funeral,
+      with formidable false noses, rose-colored crape hat-bands and large favors
+      of roses and crape bows at their buttonholes, rode before the vehicle.
+      Upon the platform of the car were groups of allegorical personages,
+      representing WINE, PLEASURE, LOVE, PLAY. The mission of these symbolical
+      beings was, by means of jokes, sarcasms, and mockeries, to plague the life
+      out of Goodman Cholera, a sort of funeral and burlesque Cassander, whom
+      they ridiculed and made game of in a hundred ways. The moral of the play
+      was this: &ldquo;To brave Cholera in security, let us drink, laugh, game, and
+      make love!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      WINE was represented by a huge, lusty Silenus, thick-set, and with swollen
+      paunch, a crown of ivy on his brow, a panther&rsquo;s skin across his shoulder,
+      and in his hand a large gilt goblet, wreathed with flowers. None other
+      than Ninny Moulin, the famous moral and religious writer, could have
+      exhibited to the astonished and delighted spectators an ear of so deep a
+      scarlet, so majestic an abdomen, and a face of such triumphant and
+      majestic fulness. Every moment, Ninny Moulin appeared to empty his cup&mdash;after
+      which he burst out laughing in the face of Goodman Cholera. Goodman
+      Cholera, a cadaverous pantaloon, was half-enveloped in a shroud; his mask
+      of greenish cardboard, with red, hollow eyes, seemed every moment to grin
+      as in mockery of death; from beneath his powdered peruke, surmounted by a
+      pyramidical cotton night-cap, appeared his neck and arm, dyed of a bright
+      green color; his lean hand, which shook almost always with a feverish
+      trembling (not feigned, but natural), rested upon a crutch-handled cane;
+      finally, as was becoming in a pantaloon, he wore red stockings, with
+      buckles at the knees, and high slippers of black beaver. This grotesque
+      representative of the cholera was Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding a slow and dangerous fever, caused by the excessive use of
+      brandy, and by constant debauchery, that was silently undermining his
+      constitution, Jacques Rennepont had been induced by Morok to join the
+      masquerade. The brute-tamer himself, dressed as the King of Diamonds,
+      represented PLAY. His forehead was adorned with a diadem of gilded paper,
+      his face was pale and impassible, and as his long, yellow beard fell down
+      the front of his parti-colored robe, Morok looked exactly the character he
+      personated. From time to time, with an air of grave mockery, he shook
+      close to the eyes of Goodman Cholera a large bag full of sounding
+      counters, and on this bag were painted all sorts of playing cards. A
+      certain stiffness in the right arm showed that the lion-tamer had not yet
+      quite recovered from the effects of the wound which the panther had
+      inflicted before being stabbed by Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      PLEASURE, who also represented Laughter, classically shook her rattle,
+      with its sonorous gilded bells, close to the ears of Goodman Cholera. She
+      was a quick, lively young girl, and her fine black hair was crowned with a
+      scarlet cap of liberty. For Sleepinbuff&rsquo;s sake, she had taken the place of
+      the poor Bacchanal queen, who would not have failed to attend on such an
+      occasion&mdash;she, who had been so valiant and gay, when she bore her
+      part in a less philosophical, but not less amusing masquerade. Another
+      pretty creature, Modeste Bornichoux, who served as a model to a painter of
+      renown (one of the cavaliers of the procession), was eminently successful
+      in her representation of LOVE. He could not have had a more charming face,
+      and more graceful form. Clad in a light blue spangled tunic, with a blue
+      and silver band across her chestnut hair, and little transparent wings
+      affixed to her white shoulders, she placed one forefinger upon the other,
+      and pointed with the prettiest impertinence at Goodman Cholera. Around the
+      principal group, other maskers, more or less grotesque in appearance,
+      waved each a banner, an which were inscriptions of a very anacreontic
+      character, considering the circumstances:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Down with the Cholera!&rdquo; &ldquo;Short and sweet!&rdquo; &ldquo;Laugh away, laugh always!&rdquo;
+       &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll collar the Cholera!&rdquo; &ldquo;Love forever!&rdquo; &ldquo;Wine forever!&rdquo; &ldquo;Come if you
+      dare, old terror!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There was really such audacious gayety in this masquerade, that the
+      greater number of the spectators, at the moment when it crossed the
+      square, in the direction of the eating-house, where dinner was waiting,
+      applauded it loudly and repeatedly. This sort of admiration, which
+      courage, however mad and blind, almost always inspires, appeared to others
+      (a small number, it must be confessed) a kind of defiance to the wrath of
+      heaven; and these received the procession with angry murmurs. This
+      extraordinary spectacle, and the different impressions it produced, were
+      too remote from all customary facts to admit of a just appreciation. We
+      hardly know if this daring bravado was deserving of praise or blame.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30061m.jpg" alt="30061m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30061.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Besides, the appearance of those plagues, which from age to age decimate
+      the population of whole countries, has almost always been accompanied by a
+      sort of mental excitement, which none of those who have been spared by the
+      contagion can hope to escape. It is a strange fever of the mind, which
+      sometimes rouses the most stupid prejudices and the most ferocious
+      passions, and sometimes inspires, on the contrary, the most magnificent
+      devotion, the most courageous actions&mdash;with some, driving the fear of
+      death to a point of the wildest terror&mdash;with others, exciting the
+      contempt of life to express itself in the most audacious bravadoes. Caring
+      little for the praise or blame it might deserve, the masquerade arrived
+      before the eating-house, and made its entry in the midst of universal
+      acclamations. Everything seemed to combine to give full effect to this
+      strange scene, by the opposition of the most singular contrasts. Thus the
+      tavern, in which was to be held this extraordinary feast, being situated
+      at no great distance from the antique cathedral, and the gloomy hospital,
+      the religious anthems of the ancient temple, the cries of the dying, and
+      the bacchanalian songs of the banqueteers, must needs mingle, and by turns
+      drown one another. The maskers now got down from their chariot, and from
+      their horses, and went to take their places at the repast, which was
+      waiting for them. The actors in the masquerade are at table in the great
+      room of the tavern. They are joyous, noisy, even riotous. Yet their gayety
+      has a strange tone, peculiar to itself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sometimes, the most resolute involuntarily remember that their life is at
+      stake in this mad and audacious game with destiny. That fatal thought is
+      rapid as the icy fever-shudder, which chills you in an instant; therefore,
+      from time to time, an abrupt silence, lasting indeed only for a second,
+      betrays these passing emotions which are almost immediately effaced by new
+      bursts of joyful acclamation, for each one says to himself: &ldquo;No weakness!
+      my chum and my girl are looking at me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And all laugh, and knock glasses together, and challenge the next man, and
+      drink out of the glass of the nearest woman. Jacques had taken off the
+      mask and peruke of Goodman Cholera. His thin, leaden features, his deadly
+      paleness, the lurid brilliancy of his hollow eyes, showed the incessant
+      progress of the slow malady which was consuming this unfortunate man,
+      brought by excesses to the last extremity of weakness. Though he felt the
+      slow fire devouring his entrails, he concealed his pain beneath a forced
+      and nervous smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To the left of Jacques was Morok, whose fatal influence was ever on the
+      increase, and to his right the girl disguised as PLEASURE. She was named
+      Mariette. By her side sat Ninny Moulin, in all his majestic bulk, who
+      often pretended to be looking for his napkin under the table, in order to
+      have the opportunity of pressing the knees of his other neighbor, Modeste,
+      the representative of LOVE. Most of the guests were grouped according to
+      their several tastes, each tender pair together, and the bachelors where
+      they could. They had reached the second course, and the excellence of the
+      wine, the good cheer, the gay speeches, and even the singularity of the
+      occasion, had raised their spirits to a high degree of excitement, as may
+      be gathered from the extraordinary incidents of the following scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (39) We read in the Constitutionnel, Saturday March 31st, 1832: &ldquo;The
+      Parisians readily conform to that part of the official instructions with
+      regard to the cholera, which prescribes, as a preservation from the
+      disease, not to be afraid, to amuse one&rsquo;s self, etc. The pleasures of
+      Mid-Lent have been as brilliant and as mad as those of the carnival
+      itself. For a long time past there had not been so many balls at this
+      period of the year. Even the cholera has been made the subject of an
+      itinerant caricature.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0125" id="link2HCH0125">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XX. THE DEFIANCE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>wo or three times, without being remarked by the guests, one of the
+      waiters had come to whisper to his fellows, and point with expressive
+      gesture to the ceiling. But his comrades had taken small account of his
+      observations or fears, not wishing, doubtless, to disturb the guests,
+      whose mad gayety seemed ever on the increase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who can doubt now of the superiority of our manner of treating this
+      impertinent Cholera? Has he dared even to touch our sacred battalion?&rdquo;
+       said a magnificent mountebank-Turk, one of the standard-bearers of the
+      masquerade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is all the mystery,&rdquo; answered another. &ldquo;It is very simple. Only
+      laugh in the face of the plague, and it will run away from you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And right enough too, for very stupid work it does,&rdquo; added a pretty
+      little Columbine, emptying her glass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, my darling; it is intolerably stupid work,&rdquo; answered the
+      Clown belonging to the Columbine; &ldquo;here you are very quiet, enjoying life,
+      and all on a sudden you die with an atrocious grimace. Well! what then?
+      Clever, isn&rsquo;t it? I ask you, what does it prove?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It proves,&rdquo; replied an illustrious painter of the romantic school,
+      disguised like a Roman out of one of David&rsquo;s pictures, &ldquo;it proves that the
+      Cholera is a wretched colorist, for he has nothing but a dirty green on
+      his pallet. Evidently he is a pupil of Jacobus, that king of classical
+      painters, who are another species of plagues.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet, master,&rdquo; added respectfully a pupil of the great painter, &ldquo;I
+      have seen some cholera patients whose convulsions were rather fine, and
+      their dying looks first-rate!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; cried a sculptor of no less celebrity, &ldquo;the question lies in
+      a nutshell. The Cholera is a detestable colorist, but a good draughtsman.
+      He shows you the skeleton in no time. By heaven! how he strips off the
+      flesh!&mdash;Michael Angelo would be nothing to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; cried they all, with one voice; &ldquo;the Cholera is a bad colorist,
+      but a good draughtsman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Moreover, gentlemen,&rdquo; added Ninny Moulin, with comic gravity, &ldquo;this
+      plague brings with it a providential lesson, as the great Bossuet would
+      have said.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The lesson! the lesson!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, gentlemen; I seem to hear a voice from above, proclaiming: &lsquo;Drink of
+      the best, empty your purse, and kiss your neighbor&rsquo;s wife; for your hours
+      are perhaps numbered, unhappy wretch!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the orthodox Silenus took advantage of a momentary absence of
+      mind on the part of Modeste, his neighbor, to imprint on the blooming
+      cheek of LOVE a long, loud kiss. The example was contagious, and a storm
+      of kisses was mingled with bursts of laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! blood and thunder!&rdquo; cried the great painter as he gayly threatened
+      Ninny Moulin; &ldquo;you are very lucky that to-morrow will perhaps be the end
+      of the world, or else I should pick a quarrel with you for having kissed
+      my lovely LOVE.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which proves to you, O Rubens! O Raphael! the thousand advantages of the
+      Cholera, whom I declare to be essentially sociable and caressing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And philanthropic,&rdquo; said one of the guests; &ldquo;thanks to him, creditors
+      take care of the health of their debtors. This morning a usurer, who feels
+      a particular interest in my existence, brought me all sorts of
+      anti-choleraic drugs, and begged me to make use of them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I!&rdquo; said the pupil of the great painter. &ldquo;My tailor wished to force
+      me to wear a flannel band next to the skin, because I owe him a thousand
+      crowns. But I answered &lsquo;Oh, tailor, give me a receipt in full, and I will
+      wrap myself up in flannel, to preserve you my custom!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;O Cholera, I drink to thee!&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, by way of grotesque
+      invocation. &ldquo;You are not Despair; on the contrary, you are the emblem of
+      Hope&mdash;yes, of hope. How many husbands, how many wives, longed for a
+      number (alas! too uncertain chance) in the lottery of widowhood! You
+      appear, and their hearts are gladdened. Thanks to you, benevolent pest!
+      their chances of liberty are increased a hundredfold.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how grateful heirs ought to be! A cold&mdash;a heat&mdash;a trifle&mdash;and
+      there, in an hour, some old uncle becomes a revered benefactor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And those who are always looking out for other people&rsquo;s places&mdash;what
+      an ally they must find in the Cholera!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how true it will make many vows of constancy!&rdquo; said Modeste,
+      sentimentally. &ldquo;How many villains have sworn to a poor, weak woman, to
+      love her all their lives, who never meant (the wretches!) to keep their
+      word so well!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; cried Ninny Moulin, &ldquo;since we are now, perhaps, at the eve of
+      the end of the world, as yonder celebrated painter has expressed it, I
+      propose to play the world topsy-turvy: I beg these ladies to make advances
+      to us, to tease us, to excite us, to steal kisses from us, to take all
+      sorts of liberties with us, and (we shall not die of it) even to insult
+      us. Yes, I declare that I will allow myself to be insulted. So, LOVE, you
+      may offer me the greatest insult that can be offered to a virtuous and
+      modest bachelor,&rdquo; added the religious writer, leaning over towards his
+      neighbor, who repulsed him with peals of laughter; and the proposal of
+      Ninny Moulin being received with general hilarity, a new impulse was given
+      to the mirth and riot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of the uproar, the waiter, who had before entered the room
+      several times, to whisper uneasily to his comrades, whilst he pointed to
+      the ceiling, again appeared with a pale and agitated countenance;
+      approaching the man who performed the office of butler, he said to him, in
+      a low voice, tremulous with emotion: &ldquo;They are come!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know&mdash;up there&rdquo;; and he pointed to the ceiling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; said the butler, becoming thoughtful; &ldquo;where are they?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have just gone upstairs; they are there now,&rdquo; answered the waiter,
+      shaking his head with an air of alarm; &ldquo;yes, they are there!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What does master say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is very vexed, because&mdash;&rdquo; and the waiter glanced round at the
+      guests. &ldquo;He does not know what to do; he has sent me to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What the devil have I to do with it?&rdquo; said the other; wiping his
+      forehead. &ldquo;It was to be expected, and cannot be helped.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not remain here till they begin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may as well go, for your long face already attracts attention. Tell
+      master we must wait for the upshot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The above incident was scarcely perceived in the midst of the growing
+      tumult of the joyous feast. But, among the guests, one alone laughed not,
+      drank not. This was Jacques. With fixed and lurid eye, he gazed upon
+      vacancy. A stranger to what was passing around him, the unhappy man
+      thought of the Bacchanal Queen, who had been so gay and brilliant in the
+      midst of similar saturnalia. The remembrance of that one being, whom he
+      still loved with an extravagant love, was the only thought that from time
+      to time roused him from his besotted state.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is strange, but Jacques had only consented to join this masquerade
+      because the mad scene reminded him of the merry day he had spent with
+      Cephyse&mdash;that famous breakfast, after a night of dancing, in which
+      the Bacchanal Queen, from some extraordinary presentiment, had proposed a
+      lugubrious toast with regard to this very pestilence, which was then
+      reported to be approaching France. &ldquo;To the Cholera!&rdquo; had she said. &ldquo;Let
+      him spare those who wish to live, and kill at the same moment those who
+      dread to part!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And now, at this time, remembering those mournful words, Jacques was
+      absorbed in painful thought. Morok perceived his absence of mind, and said
+      aloud to him, &ldquo;You have given over drinking, Jacques. Have you had enough
+      wine? Then you will want brandy. I will send for some.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I want neither wine nor brandy,&rdquo; answered Jacques, abruptly, and he fell
+      back into a sombre reverie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, you may be right,&rdquo; resumed Morok, in a sardonic tone, and raising
+      his voice still higher. &ldquo;You do well to take care of yourself. I was wrong
+      to name brandy in these times. There would be as much temerity in facing a
+      bottle of brandy as the barrel of a loaded pistol.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On hearing his courage as a toper called in question, Sleepinbuff looked
+      angrily at Morok. &ldquo;You think it is from cowardice that I will not drink
+      brandy!&rdquo; cried the unfortunate man, whose half-extinguished intellect was
+      roused to defend what he called his dignity. &ldquo;Is it from cowardice that I
+      refuse, d&rsquo;ye think, Morok? Answer me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my good fellow, we have all shown our pluck today,&rdquo; said one of the
+      guests to Jacques; &ldquo;you, above all, who, being rather indisposed, yet had
+      the courage to take the part of Goodman Cholera.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; resumed Morok, seeing the general attention fixed upon
+      himself and Sleepinbuff, &ldquo;I was only joking; for if my comrade (pointing
+      to Jacques) had the imprudence to accept my offer, it would be an act, not
+      of courage, but of foolhardiness. Luckily, he has sense enough to renounce
+      a piece of boasting so dangerous at this time, and I&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Waiter!&rdquo; cried Jacques, interrupting Morok with angry impatience, &ldquo;two
+      bottles of brandy, and two glasses!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What are you going to do?&rdquo; said Morok, with pretended uneasiness. &ldquo;Why do
+      you order two bottles of brandy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For a duel,&rdquo; said Jacques, in a cool, resolute tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A duel!&rdquo; cried the spectators, in surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Jacques, &ldquo;a duel with brandy. You pretend there is as much
+      danger in facing a bottle of brandy as a loaded pistol; let us each take a
+      full bottle, and see who will be the first to cry quarter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This strange proposition was received by some with shouts of joy, and by
+      others with genuine uneasiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bravo! the champions of the bottle!&rdquo; cried the first.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no; there would be too much danger in such a contest,&rdquo; said the
+      others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just now,&rdquo; added one of the guests; &ldquo;this challenge is as serious as an
+      invitation to fight to the death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You hear,&rdquo; said Morok, with a diabolical smile, &ldquo;you hear, Jacques? Will
+      you now retreat before the danger?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, which reminded him of the peril to which he was about to
+      expose himself, Jacques started, as if a sudden idea had occurred to him.
+      He raised his head proudly, his cheeks were slightly flushed, his eye
+      shone with a kind of gloomy satisfaction, and he exclaimed in a firm
+      voice: &ldquo;Hang it, waiter! are you deaf? I asked you for two bottles of
+      brandy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; said the waiter, going to fetch them, although himself
+      frightened at what might be the result of this bacchanalian struggle. But
+      the mad and perilous resolution of Jacques was applauded by the majority.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ninny Moulin moved about on his chair, stamped his feet, and shouted with
+      all his might: &ldquo;Bacchus and drink! bottles and glasses! the throats are
+      dry! brandy to the rescue! Largess! largess!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, like a true champion of the tournament, he embraced Modeste, adding,
+      to excuse the liberty: &ldquo;Love, you shall be the Queen of Beauty, and I am
+      only anticipating the victor&rsquo;s happiness!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Brandy to the rescue!&rdquo; repeated they all, in chorus. &ldquo;Largess!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; added Ninny Moulin, with enthusiasm, &ldquo;shall we remain
+      indifferent to the noble example set us by Goodman Cholera? He said in his
+      pride, &lsquo;brandy!&rsquo; Let us gloriously answer, &lsquo;punch!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! punch!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Punch to the rescue!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Waiter!&rdquo; shouted the religious writer, with the voice of a Stentor,
+      &ldquo;waiter! have you a pan, a caldron, a hogshead, or any other immensity, in
+      which we can brew a monster punch?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A Babylonian punch!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A lake of punch!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An ocean of punch!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the ambitious crescendo that followed the proposition of Ninny
+      Moulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; answered the waiter, with an air of triumph, &ldquo;we just happen to
+      have a large copper caldron, quite new. It has been used, and would hold
+      at least thirty bottles.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bring the caldron!&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, majestically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The caldron forever!&rdquo; shouted the chorus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Put in twenty bottles of brandy, six loaves of sugar, a dozen lemons, a
+      pound of cinnamon, and then&mdash;fire! fire!&rdquo; shouted the religious
+      writer, with the most vociferous exclamations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! fire!&rdquo; repeated the chorus!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The proposition of Ninny Moulin gave a new impetus to the general gayety;
+      the most extravagant remarks were mingled with the sound of kisses, taken
+      or given under the pretext that perhaps there would be no to-morrow, that
+      one must make the most of the present, etc., etc. Suddenly, in one of the
+      moments of silence which sometimes occur in the midst of the greatest
+      tumult, a succession of slow and measured taps sounded above the ceiling
+      of the banqueting-room. All remained silent, and listened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0126" id="link2HCH0126">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXI. BRANDY TO THE RESCUE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>fter the lapse of some seconds, the singular rapping which had so much
+      surprised the guests, was again heard, but this time louder and longer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Waiter!&rdquo; cried one of the party, &ldquo;what in the devil&rsquo;s name is knocking?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The waiter, exchanging with his comrades a look of uneasiness and alarm,
+      stammered Out in reply: &ldquo;Sir&mdash;it is&mdash;it is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! I suppose it is some crabbed, cross-grained lodger, some animal,
+      the enemy of joy, who is pounding on the floor of his room to warn us to
+      sing less loud,&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, by a general rule,&rdquo; answered sententiously the pupil of the great
+      painter, &ldquo;if lodger or landlord ask for silence, tradition bids us reply
+      by an infernal uproar, destined to drown all his remonstrances. Such, at
+      least,&rdquo; added the scapegrace, modestly, &ldquo;are the foreign relations that I
+      have always seen observed between neighboring powers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This remark was received with general laughter and applause. During the
+      tumult, Morok questioned one of the waiters, and then exclaimed in a
+      shrill tone, which rose above the clamor: &ldquo;I demand a hearing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Granted!&rdquo; cried the others, gayly. During the silence which followed the
+      exclamation of Morok, the noise was again heard; it was this time quicker
+      than before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The lodger is innocent,&rdquo; said Morok, with a strange smile, &ldquo;and would be
+      quite incapable of interfering with your enjoyment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then why does he keep up that knocking?&rdquo; said Ninny Moulin, emptying his
+      glass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like a deaf man who has lost his ear-horn?&rdquo; added the young artist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not the lodger who is knocking&rdquo; said Morok, in a sharp, quick tone;
+      &ldquo;for they are nailing him down in his coffin.&rdquo; A sudden and mournful
+      silence followed these words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His coffin no, I am wrong,&rdquo; resumed Morok; &ldquo;her coffin, I should say, or
+      more properly their coffin; for, in these pressing times, they put mother
+      and child together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A woman!&rdquo; cried PLEASURE, addressing the writer; &ldquo;is it a woman that is
+      dead?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, ma&rsquo;am; a poor young woman about twenty years of age,&rdquo; answered the
+      waiter in a sorrowful tone. &ldquo;Her little girl, that she was nursing, died
+      soon after&mdash;all in less than two hours. My master is very sorry that
+      you ladies and gents should be disturbed in this way; but he could not
+      foresee this misfortune, as yesterday morning the young woman was quite
+      well, and singing with all her might&mdash;no one could have been gayer
+      than she was.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Upon these words, it was as if a funeral pall had been suddenly thrown
+      over a scene lately so full of joy; all the rubicund and jovial faces took
+      an expression of sadness; no one had the hardihood to make a jest of
+      mother and child, nailed down together in the same coffin. The silence
+      became so profound, that one could hear each breath oppressed by terror:
+      the last blows of the hammer seemed to strike painfully on every heart; it
+      appeared as if each sad feeling, until now repressed, was about to replace
+      that animation and gayety, which had been more factitious than sincere.
+      The moment was decisive. It was necessary to strike an immediate blow, and
+      to raise the spirits of the guests, for many pretty rosy faces began to
+      grow pale, many scarlet ears became suddenly white; Ninny Moulin&rsquo;s were of
+      the number.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the contrary, Sleepinbuff exhibited an increase of audacity; he drew up
+      his figure, bent down from the effects of exhaustion, and, with a cheek
+      slightly flushed, he exclaimed: &ldquo;Well, waiter? are those bottles of brandy
+      coming? And the punch? Devil and all! are the dead to frighten the
+      living?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He&rsquo;s right! Down with sorrow, and let&rsquo;s have the punch!&rdquo; cried several of
+      the guests, who felt the necessity of reviving their courage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forward, punch!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Begone, dull care!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jollity forever!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen, here is the punch,&rdquo; said a waiter, opening the door. At sight
+      of the flaming beverage, which was to reanimate their enfeebled spirits,
+      the room rang with the loudest applause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun had just set. The room was large, being capable of dining a
+      hundred guests; and the windows were few, narrow, and half veiled by red
+      cotton curtains. Though it was not yet night, some portions of this vast
+      saloon were almost entirely dark. Two waiters brought the monster-punch,
+      in an immense brass kettle, brilliant as gold, suspended from an iron bar,
+      and crowned with flames of changing color. The burning beverage was then
+      placed upon the table, to the great joy of the guests, who began to forget
+      their past alarms.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30071m.jpg" alt="30071m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30071.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said Jacques to Morok, in a taunting tone, &ldquo;while the punch is
+      burning, we will have our duel. The company shall judge.&rdquo; Then, pointing
+      to the two bottles of brandy, which the waiter had brought, Jacques added:
+      &ldquo;Choose your weapon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you choose,&rdquo; answered Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! here&rsquo;s your bottle&mdash;and here&rsquo;s your glass. Ninny Moulin shall
+      be umpire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not refuse to be judge of the field,&rdquo; answered the religious writer,
+      &ldquo;only I must warn you, comrade, that you are playing a desperate game, and
+      that just now, as one of these gentlemen has said, the neck of a bottle of
+      brandy in one&rsquo;s mouth, is perhaps more dangerous than the barrel of a
+      loaded pistol.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give the word, old fellow!&rdquo; said Jacques, interrupting Ninny Moulin, &ldquo;or
+      I will give it myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since you will have it so&mdash;so be it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The first who gives in is conquered,&rdquo; said Jacques.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agreed!&rdquo; answered Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, gentlemen, attention! we must follow every movement,&rdquo; resumed Ninny
+      Moulin. &ldquo;Let us first see if the bottles are of the same size&mdash;equality
+      of weapons being the foremost condition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      During these preparations, profound silence reigned in the room. The
+      courage of the majority of those present, animated for a moment by the
+      arrival of the punch, was soon again depressed by gloomy thoughts, as they
+      vaguely foresaw the danger of the contest between Morok and Jacques. This
+      impression joined to the sad thoughts occasioned by the incident of the
+      coffin, darkened by degrees many a countenance. Some of the guests,
+      indeed, continued to make a show of rejoicing, but their gayety appeared
+      forced. Under certain circumstances, the smallest things will have the
+      most powerful effect. We have said that, after sunset, a portion of this
+      large room was plunged in obscurity; therefore, the guests who sat in the
+      remote corners of the apartment, had no other light than the reflection of
+      the flaming punch. Now it is well known, that the flame of burning spirit
+      throws a livid, bluish tint over the countenance; it was therefore a
+      strange, almost frightful spectacle, to see a number of the guests, who
+      happened to be at a distance from the windows, in this ghastly and
+      fantastic light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The painter, more struck than all the rest by this effect of color,
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;Look! at this end of the table, we might fancy ourselves
+      feasting with cholera-patients, we are such fine blues and greens.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This jest was not much relished. Fortunately, the loud voice of Ninny
+      Moulin demanded attention, and for a moment turned the thoughts of the
+      company.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The lists are open,&rdquo; cried the religious writer, really more frightened
+      than he chose to appear. &ldquo;Are you ready, brave champions?&rdquo; he added.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are ready,&rdquo; said Morok and Jacques.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Present! fire!&rdquo; cried Ninny Moulin, clapping his hands. And the two
+      drinkers each emptied a tumbler full of brandy at a draught.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok did not even knit his brow; his marble face remained impassible;
+      with a steady hand he replaced his glass upon the table. But Jacques, as
+      he put down his glass, could not conceal a slight convulsive trembling,
+      caused by internal suffering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bravely done!&rdquo; cried Ninny Moulin. &ldquo;The quarter of a bottle of brandy at
+      a draught&mdash;it is glorious! No one else here would be capable of such
+      prowess. And now, worthy champions, if you believe me, you will stop where
+      you are.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Give the word!&rdquo; answered Jacques, intrepidly. And, with feverish and
+      shaking hand, he seized the bottle; then suddenly, instead of filling his
+      glass, he said to Morok: &ldquo;Bah! we want no glasses. It is braver to drink
+      from the bottle. I dare you to it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Morok&rsquo;s only answer was to shrug his shoulders, and raise the neck of the
+      bottle to his lips. Jacques hastened to imitate him. The thin, yellowish,
+      transparent glass gave a perfect view of the progressive diminution of the
+      liquor. The stony countenance of Morok, and the pale thin face of Jacques,
+      on which already stood large drops of cold sweat, were now, as well as the
+      features of the other guests, illuminated by the bluish light of the
+      punch; every eye was fixed upon Morok and Jacques, with that barbarous
+      curiosity which cruel spectacles seem involuntarily to inspire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jacques continued to drink, holding the bottle in his left hand; suddenly,
+      he closed and tightened the fingers of his right hand with a convulsive
+      movement; his hair clung to his icy forehead, and his countenance revealed
+      an agony of pain. Yet he continued to drink; only, without removing his
+      lips from the neck of the bottle, he lowered it for an instant, as if to
+      recover breath. Just then, Jacques met the sardonic look of Morok, who
+      continued to drink with his accustomed impassibility. Thinking that he saw
+      the expression of insulting triumph in Morok&rsquo;s glance, Jacques raised his
+      elbow abruptly, and drank with avidity a few drops more. But his strength
+      was exhausted. A quenchless fire devoured his vitals. His sufferings were
+      too intense, and he could no longer bear up against them. His head fell
+      backwards, his jaws closed convulsively, he crushed the neck of the bottle
+      between his teeth, his neck grew rigid, his limbs writhed with spasmodic
+      action, and he became almost senseless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jacques, my good fellow! it is nothing,&rdquo; cried Morok, whose ferocious
+      glance now sparkled with diabolical joy. Then, replacing his bottle on the
+      table, he rose to go to the aid of Ninny Moulin, who was vainly
+      endeavoring to hold Sleepinbuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This sudden attack had none of the symptoms of cholera. Yet terror seized
+      upon all present; one of the women was taken with hysterics, and another
+      uttered piercing cries and fainted away. Ninny Moulin, leaving Jacques in
+      the hands of Morok, ran towards the door to seek for help,&mdash;when that
+      door was suddenly opened, and the religious writer drew back in alarm, at
+      the sight of the unexpected personage who appeared on the threshold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0127" id="link2HCH0127">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXII. MEMORIES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he person before whom Ninny Moulin stopped in such extreme astonishment
+      was the Bacchanal Queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pale and wan, with, hair in disorder, hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, and
+      clothed almost in rags, this brilliant and joyous heroine of so many mad
+      orgies was now only the shadow of her former self. Misery and grief were
+      impressed on that countenance, once so charming. Hardly had she entered
+      the room, when Cephyse paused; her mournful and unquiet gaze strove to
+      penetrate the half-obscurity of the apartment, in search of him she longed
+      to see. Suddenly the girl started, and uttered a loud scream. She had just
+      perceived, at the other side of a long table, by the bluish light of the
+      punch, Jacques struggling with Morok and one of the guests, who were
+      hardly able to restrain his convulsive movements.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this sight Cephyse, in her first alarm, carried away by her affection,
+      did what she had so often done in the intoxication of joy and pleasure.
+      Light and agile, instead of losing precious time in making a long circuit,
+      she sprang at once upon the table, passed nimbly through the array of
+      plates and bottles, and with one spring was by the side of the sufferer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jacques!&rdquo; she exclaimed, without yet remarking the lion-tamer, and
+      throwing herself on the neck of her lover. &ldquo;Jacques! it is I&mdash;Cephyse!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      That well-known voice, that heart-piercing cry, which came from the bottom
+      of the soul, seemed not unheard by Sleepinbuff. He turned his head
+      mechanically towards the Bacchanal Queen, without opening his eyes, and
+      heaved a deep sigh; his stiffened limbs relaxed, a slight trembling
+      succeeded to the convulsions, and in a few seconds his heavy eyelids were
+      raised with an effort, so as to uncover his dull and wandering gaze. Mute
+      with astonishment, the spectators of this scene felt an uneasy curiosity.
+      Cephyse, kneeling beside her lover, bathed his hands in her tears, covered
+      them with kisses, and exclaimed, in a voice broken by sobs, &ldquo;It is I&mdash;Cephyse&mdash;I
+      have found you again&mdash;it was not my fault that I abandoned you!
+      Forgive me, forgive&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wretched woman!&rdquo; cried Morok, irritated at this meeting, which might,
+      perhaps, be fatal to his projects; &ldquo;do you wish to kill him? In his
+      present state, this agitation is death. Begone!&rdquo; So saying, he seized
+      Cephyse suddenly by the arm, just as Jacques, waking, as it were, from a
+      painful dream, began to distinguish what was passing around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You! It is you!&rdquo; cried the Bacchanal Queen, in amazement, as she
+      recognized Morok, &ldquo;who separated me from Jacques!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She paused; for the dim eye of the victim, as it rested upon her, grew
+      suddenly bright.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cephyse!&rdquo; murmured Jacques; &ldquo;is it you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it is I,&rdquo; answered she, in a voice of deep emotion; &ldquo;who have come&mdash;I
+      will tell you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She was unable to continue, and, as she clasped her hands together, her
+      pale, agitated, tearful countenance expressed her astonishment and despair
+      at the mortal change which had taken place in the features of Jacques. He
+      understood the cause of her surprise, and as he contemplated, in his turn,
+      the suffering and emaciated countenance of Cephyse, he said to her, &ldquo;Poor
+      girl! you also have had to bear much grief, much misery&mdash;I should
+      hardly have known you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Cephyse, &ldquo;much grief&mdash;much misery&mdash;and worse than
+      misery,&rdquo; she added, trembling, whilst a deep blush overspread her pale
+      features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Worse than misery?&rdquo; said Jacques, astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But it is you who have suffered,&rdquo; hastily resumed Cephyse, without
+      answering her lover.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Just now, I was going to make an end of it&mdash;your voice has recalled
+      me for an instant&mdash;but I feel something here,&rdquo; and he laid his hand
+      upon his breast, &ldquo;which never gives quarter. It is all the same now&mdash;I
+      have seen you&mdash;I shall die happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall not die, Jacques; I am here&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to one, my girl. If I had a bushel of live coal in my stomach, it
+      could hardly burn me more. For more than a month, I have been consuming my
+      body by a slow fire. This gentleman,&rdquo; he added, glancing at Morok, &ldquo;this
+      dear friend, always undertook to feed the flame. I do not regret life; I
+      have lost the habit of work, and taken to drink and riot; I should have
+      finished by becoming a thorough blackguard: I preferred that my friend
+      here should amuse himself with lighting a furnace in my inside. Since what
+      I drank just now, I am certain that it fumes like yonder punch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30077m.jpg" alt="30077m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30077.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are both foolish and ungrateful,&rdquo; said Morok, shrugging his
+      shoulders; &ldquo;you held out your glass, and I filled it&mdash;and, faith, we
+      shall drink long and often together yet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For some moments, Cephyse had not withdrawn her eyes from Morok. &ldquo;I tell
+      you, that you have long blown the fire, in which I have burnt my skin,&rdquo;
+       resumed Jacques, addressing Morok in a feeble voice, &ldquo;so that they may not
+      think I die of cholera. It would look as if I had been frightened by the
+      part I played. I do not therefore reproach you, my affectionate friend,&rdquo;
+       added he, with a sardonic smile; &ldquo;you dug my grave gayly&mdash;and
+      sometimes, when, seeing the great dark hole, into which I was about to
+      fall, I drew back a step&mdash;but you, my excellent friend, still pushed
+      me forward, saying, &lsquo;Go on, my boy, go on!&rsquo;&mdash;and I went on&mdash;and
+      here I am&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Sleepinbuff burst into a bitter laugh, which sent an icy
+      shudder through the spectators of this scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My good fellow,&rdquo; said Morok, coolly, &ldquo;listen to me, and follow my
+      advice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you! I know your advice&mdash;and, instead of listening to you, I
+      prefer speaking to my poor Cephyse. Before I go down to the moles, I
+      should like to tell her what weighs on my heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Jacques,&rdquo; replied Cephyse, &ldquo;do not talk so. I tell you, you shall not
+      die.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, then, my brave Cephyse, I shall owe my life to you,&rdquo; returned
+      Jacques, in a tone of serious feeling, which surprised the spectators.
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed he, &ldquo;when I came to myself, and saw you so poorly clad, I
+      felt something good about my heart&mdash;do you know why?&mdash;it was
+      because I said to myself, &lsquo;Poor girl! she has kept her word bravely; she
+      has chosen to toil, and want, and suffer&mdash;rather than take another
+      love&mdash;who would have given her what I gave her as long as I could&rsquo;&mdash;and
+      that thought, Cephyse, refreshed my soul. I needed it, for I was burning&mdash;and
+      I burn still,&rdquo; added he, clinching his fists with pain; &ldquo;but that made me
+      happy&mdash;it did me good&mdash;thanks, my good, brave Cephyse&mdash;yes,
+      you are good and brave&mdash;and you were right; for I never loved any but
+      you in the wide world; and if, in my degradation, I had one thought that
+      raised me a little above the filth, and made me regret that I was not
+      better&mdash;the thought was of you! Thanks then, my poor, dear love,&rdquo;
+       said Jacques, whose hot and shining eyes were becoming moist; &ldquo;thanks once
+      again,&rdquo; and he reached his cold hand to Cephyse; &ldquo;if I die, I shall die
+      happy&mdash;if I live, I shall live happy also. Give me your hand, my
+      brave Cephyse!&mdash;you have acted like a good and honest creature.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of taking the hand which Jacques offered her, Cephyse, still
+      kneeling, bowed her head, and dared not raise her eyes to her lover.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t answer,&rdquo; said he, leaning over towards the young girl; &ldquo;you
+      don&rsquo;t take my hand&mdash;why is this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The unfortunate creature only answered by stifled sobs. Borne down with
+      shame, she held herself in so humble, so supplicating an attitude, that
+      her forehead almost touched the feet of her lover.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amazed at the silence and conduct of the Bacchanal Queen, Jacques looked
+      at her with increasing agitation; suddenly he stammered out with trembling
+      lips, &ldquo;Cephyse, I know you. If you do not take my hand, it is because&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, his voice failing, he added, in a dull tone, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      silence, &ldquo;When, six weeks ago, I was taken to prison, did you not say to
+      me, &lsquo;Jacques, I swear that I will work&mdash;and if need be, live in
+      horrible misery&mdash;but I will live true!&rsquo; That was your promise. Now, I
+      know you never speak false; tell me you have kept your word, and I shall
+      believe you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Cephyse only answered by a heart-rending sob, as she pressed the knees of
+      Jacques against her heaving bosom. By a strange contradiction, more common
+      than is generally thought&mdash;this man, degraded by intoxication and
+      debauchery, who, since he came out of prison, had plunged in every excess,
+      and tamely yielded to all the fatal incitements of Morok, yet received a
+      fearful blow, when he learned, by the mute avowal of Cephyse, the
+      infidelity, of this creature, whom he had loved in spite of degradation.
+      The first impulse of Jacques was terrible. Notwithstanding his weakness
+      and exhaustion, he succeeded in rising from his seat, and, with a
+      countenance contracted by rage and despair, he seized a knife, before they
+      had time to prevent him, and turned it upon Cephyse. But at the moment he
+      was about to strike, shrinking from an act of murder, he hurled the knife
+      far away from him, and falling back into the chair, covered his face with
+      his hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the cry of Ninny Moulin, who had, though late, thrown himself upon
+      Jacques to take away the knife, Cephyse raised her head: Jacques&rsquo;s woeful
+      dejection wrung her heart; she rose, and fell upon his neck,
+      notwithstanding his resistance, exclaiming in a voice broken by sobs,
+      &ldquo;Jacques, if you knew! if you only knew&mdash;listen&mdash;do not condemn
+      me without hearing me&mdash;I will tell you all, I swear to you&mdash;without
+      falsehood&mdash;this man,&rdquo; and she pointed to Morok, &ldquo;will not dare deny
+      what I say; he came, and told me to have the courage to&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not reproach you. I have no right to reproach you. Let me die in
+      peace. I ask nothing but that now,&rdquo; said Jacques, in a still weaker voice,
+      as he repulsed Cephyse. Then he added, with a grievous and bitter smile,
+      &ldquo;Luckily, I have my dose. I knew&mdash;what I was doing&mdash;when I
+      accepted the duel with brandy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, you shall not die, and you shall hear me,&rdquo; cried Cephyse, with a
+      bewildered air; &ldquo;you shall hear me, and everybody else shall hear me. They
+      shall see that it is not my fault. Is it not so, gentlemen? Do I not
+      deserve pity? You will entreat Jacques to forgive me; for if driven by
+      misery&mdash;finding no work&mdash;I was forced to this&mdash;not for the
+      sake of any luxury&mdash;you see the rags I wear&mdash;but to get bread
+      and shelter for my poor, sick sister&mdash;dying, and even more miserable
+      than myself&mdash;would you not have pity upon me? Do you think one finds
+      pleasure in one&rsquo;s infamy?&rdquo; cried the unfortunate, with a burst of
+      frightful laughter; then she added, in a low voice, and with a shudder,
+      &ldquo;Oh, if you knew, Jacques! it is so infamous, so horrible, that I
+      preferred death to falling so low a second time. I should have killed
+      myself, had I not heard you were here.&rdquo; Then, seeing that Jacques did not
+      answer her, but shook his head mournfully as he sank down though still
+      supported by Ninny Moulin, Cephyse exclaimed, as she lifted her clasped
+      hands towards him, &ldquo;Jacques! one word&mdash;for pity&rsquo;s sake&mdash;forgive
+      me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen, pray remove this woman,&rdquo; cried Morok; &ldquo;the sight of her causes
+      my friend too painful emotions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, my dear child, be reasonable,&rdquo; said several of the guests, who,
+      deeply moved by this scene, were endeavoring to withdraw Cephyse from it;
+      &ldquo;leave him, and come with us; he is not in any danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen! oh, gentlemen!&rdquo; cried the unfortunate creature, bursting into
+      tears, and raising her hands in supplication; &ldquo;listen to me&mdash;I will
+      do all that you wish me&mdash;I will go&mdash;but, in heaven&rsquo;s name, send
+      for help, and do not let him die thus. Look, what pain he suffers! what
+      horrible convulsions!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is right,&rdquo; said one of the guests, hastening towards the door; &ldquo;we
+      must send for a doctor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no doctor to be found,&rdquo; said another; &ldquo;they are all too busy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will do better than that,&rdquo; cried a third; &ldquo;the Hospital is just
+      opposite, and we can carry the poor fellow thither. They will give him
+      instant help. A leaf of the table will make a litter, and the table cloth
+      a covering.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, that is it,&rdquo; said several voices; &ldquo;let us carry him over at
+      once.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Jacques, burnt up with brandy, and overcome by his interview with Cephyse,
+      had again fallen into violent convulsions. It was the dying paroxysm of
+      the unfortunate man. They were obliged to tie him with the ends of the
+      cloth, so as to secure him to the leaf which was to serve for a litter,
+      which two of the guests hastened to carry away. They yielded to the
+      supplication of Cephyse, who asked, as a last favor, to accompany Jacques
+      to the Hospital. When the mournful procession quitted the great room of
+      the eating-house, there was a general flight among the guests. Men and
+      women made haste to wrap themselves in their cloaks, in order to conceal
+      their costumes. The coaches, which had been ordered in tolerable number
+      for the return of the masquerade, had luckily arrived. The defiance had
+      been fully carried out, the audacious bravado accomplished, and they could
+      now retire with the honors of war. Whilst a part of the guests were still
+      in the room, an uproar, at first distant, but which soon drew nearer,
+      broke out with incredible fury in the square of Notre Dame.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jacques had been carried to the outer door of the tavern. Morok and Ninny
+      Moulin, striving to open a passage through the crowd in the direction of
+      the Hospital, preceded the litter. A violent reflux of the multitude soon
+      forced them to stop, whilst a new storm of savage outcries burst from the
+      other extremity of the square, near the angle of the church.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it then?&rdquo; asked Ninny Moulin of one of those ignoble figures that
+      was leaping up before him. &ldquo;What are those cries?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are making mince-meat of a poisoner, like him they have thrown into
+      the river,&rdquo; replied the man. &ldquo;If you want to see the fun, follow me
+      close,&rdquo; added he, &ldquo;and peg away with your elbows, for fear you should be
+      too late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had the wretch pronounced these words than a dreadful shriek
+      sounded above the roar of the crowd, through which the bearers of the
+      litter, preceded by Morok, were with difficulty making their way. It was
+      Cephyse who uttered that cry. Jacques (one of the seven heirs of the
+      Rennepont family) had just expired in her arms! By a strange fatality, at
+      the very moment that the despairing exclamation of Cephyse announced that
+      death, another cry rose from that part of the square where they were
+      attacking the poisoner. That distant, supplicating cry, tremulous with
+      horrible alarm, like the last appeal of a man staggering beneath the blows
+      of his murderers, chilled the soul of Morok in the midst of his execrable
+      triumph.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Damnation!&rdquo; cried the skillful assassin, who had selected drunkenness and
+      debauchery for his murderous but legal weapons; &ldquo;it is the voice of the
+      Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whom they have in their clutches!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0128" id="link2HCH0128">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIII. THE POISONER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t is necessary to go back a little before relating the adventure of
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whose cry of distress made so deep an impression upon
+      Morok just at the moment of Jacques Rennepont&rsquo;s death. We have said that
+      the most absurd and alarming reports were circulating in Paris; not only
+      did people talk of poison given to the sick or thrown into the public
+      fountains, but it was also said that wretches had been surprised in the
+      act of putting arsenic into the pots which are usually kept all ready on
+      the counters of wine-shops. Goliath was on his way to rejoin Morok, after
+      delivering a message to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who was waiting in a house on
+      the Place de l&rsquo;Archeveche. He entered a wine-shop in the Rue de la
+      Calandre, to get some refreshment, and having drunk two glasses of wine,
+      he proceeded to pay for them. Whilst the woman of the house was looking
+      for change, Goliath, mechanically and very innocently, rested his hand on
+      the mouth of one of the pots that happened to be within his reach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The tall stature of this man and his repulsive and savage countenance had
+      already alarmed the good woman, whose fears and prejudices had previously
+      been roused by the public rumors on the subject of poisoning; but when she
+      saw Goliath place his hand over the mouth of one of her pots, she cried
+      out in dismay: &ldquo;Oh! my gracious! what are you throwing into that pot?&rdquo; At
+      these words, spoken in a loud voice, and with the accent of terror, two or
+      three of the drinkers at one of the tables rose precipitately, and ran to
+      the counter, while one of them rashly exclaimed: &ldquo;It is a poisoner!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Goliath, not aware of the reports circulated in the neighborhood, did not
+      at first understand of what he was accused. The men raised their voices as
+      they called on him to answer the charge; but he, trusting to his strength,
+      shrugged his shoulders in disdain, and roughly demanded the change, which
+      the pale and frightened hostess no longer thought of giving him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rascal!&rdquo; cried one of the men, with so much violence that several of the
+      passers-by stopped to listen; &ldquo;you shall have your change when you tell us
+      what you threw in the pot!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! did he throw anything into the wine-pot?&rdquo; said one of the passers by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is, perhaps, a poisoner,&rdquo; said another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He ought to be taken up,&rdquo; added a third.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes,&rdquo; cried those in the house&mdash;honest people perhaps, but
+      under the influence of the general panic; &ldquo;he must be taken up, for he has
+      been throwing poison into the wine-pots.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The words &ldquo;He is a poisoner&rdquo; soon spread through the group, which, at
+      first composed of three or four persons, increased every instant around
+      the door of the wine-shop. A dull, menacing clamor began to rise from the
+      crowd; the first accuser, seeing his fears thus shared and almost
+      justified, thought he was acting like a good and courageous citizen in
+      taking Goliath by the collar, and saying to him: &ldquo;Come and explain
+      yourself at the guard-house, villain!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The giant, already provoked at insults of which he did not perceive the
+      real meaning, was exasperated at this sudden attack; yielding to his
+      natural brutality, he knocked his adversary down upon the counter, and
+      began to hammer him with his fists. During this collision, several bottles
+      and two or three panes of glass were broken with much noise, whilst the
+      woman of the house, more and more frightened, cried out with all her
+      might; &ldquo;Help! a poisoner! Help! murder!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the sound of the breaking windows and these cries of distress, the
+      passers-by, of whom the greater number believed in the stories about the
+      poisoners, rushed into the shop to aid in securing Goliath. But the
+      latter, thanks to his herculean strength, after struggling for some
+      moments with seven or eight persons, knocked down two of his most furious
+      assailants, disengaged himself from the others, drew near the counter,
+      and, taking a vigorous spring, rushed head-foremost, like a bull about to
+      butt, upon the crowd that blocked up the door; then, forcing a passage, by
+      the help of his enormous shoulders and athletic arms, he made his way into
+      the street, and ran with all speed in the direction of the square of
+      Notre-Dame, his garments torn, his head bare, and his countenance pale and
+      full of rage. Immediately, a number of persons from amongst the crowd
+      started in pursuit of Goliath, and a hundred voices exclaimed: &ldquo;Stop&mdash;stop
+      the poisoner!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing these cries, and seeing a man draw near with a wild and troubled
+      look, a butcher, who happened to be passing with his large, empty tray on
+      his head, threw it against Goliath&rsquo;s shins, and taken by surprise, he
+      stumbled and fell. The butcher, thinking he had performed as heroic an
+      action as if he had encountered a mad dog, flung himself on Goliath, and
+      rolled over with him on the pavement, exclaiming: &ldquo;Help! it is a poisoner!
+      Help! help!&rdquo; This scene took place not far from the Cathedral, but at some
+      distance from the crowd which was pressing round the hospital gate, as
+      well as from the eating-house in which the masquerade of the cholera then
+      was. The day was now drawing to a close. On the piercing call of the
+      butcher, several groups, at the head of which were Ciboule and the
+      quarryman, flew towards the scene of the struggle, while those who had
+      pursued the pretended poisoner from the Rue de la Calandre, reached the
+      square on their side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of this threatening crowd advancing towards him, Goliath, whilst
+      he continued to defend himself against the butcher, who held him with the
+      tenacity of a bull-dog, felt that he was lost unless he could rid himself
+      of this adversary before the arrival of the rest; with a furious blow of
+      the fist, therefore, he broke the jaw of the butcher, who just then was
+      above him, and disengaging himself from his hold, he rose, and staggered a
+      few steps forward. Suddenly he stopped. He saw that he was surrounded.
+      Behind him rose the walls of the cathedral; to the right and left, and in
+      front of him, advanced a hostile multitude. The groans uttered by the
+      butcher, who had just been lifted from the ground covered with blood,
+      augmented the fury of the populace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was a terrible moment for Goliath: still standing alone in the centre
+      of a ring that grew smaller every second, he saw on all sides angry
+      enemies rushing towards him, and uttering cries of death. As the wild boar
+      turns round once or twice, before resolving to stand at bay and face the
+      devouring pack, Goliath, struck with terror, made one or two abrupt and
+      wavering movements. Then, as he abandoned the possibility of flight,
+      instinct told him that he had no mercy to expect from a crowd given up to
+      blind and savage fury&mdash;a fury the more pitiless as it was believed to
+      be legitimate. Goliath determined, therefore, at least to sell his life
+      dearly; he sought for a knife in his pocket, but, not finding it, he threw
+      out his left leg in an athletic posture, and holding up his muscular arms,
+      hard and stiff as bars of iron, waited with intrepidity for the shock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first who approached Goliath was Ciboule. The hag, heated and out of
+      breath, instead of rushing upon him, paused, stooped down, and taking off
+      one of the large wooden shoes that she wore, hurled it at the giant&rsquo;s head
+      with so much force and with so true an aim that it struck him right in the
+      eye, which hung half out of its socket. Goliath pressed his hands to his
+      face, and uttered a cry of excruciating pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve made him squint!&rdquo; said Ciboule, with a burst of laughter.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30085m.jpg" alt="30085m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30085.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Goliath, maddened by the pain, instead of waiting for the attack, which
+      the mob still hesitated to begin, so greatly were they awed by his
+      appearance of herculean strength&mdash;the only adversary worthy to cope
+      with him being the quarryman, who had been borne to a distance by the
+      surging of the crowd&mdash;Goliath, in his rage, rushed headlong upon the
+      nearest. Such a struggle was too unequal to last long; but despair
+      redoubled the Colossus&rsquo;s strength, and the combat was for a moment
+      terrible. The unfortunate man did not fall at once. For some seconds,
+      almost buried amid a swarm of furious assailants, one saw now his mighty
+      arm rise and fall like a sledge hammer, beating upon skulls and faces, and
+      now his enormous head, livid and bloody, drawn back by some of the
+      combatants hanging to his tangled hair. Here and there sudden openings and
+      violent oscillations of the crowd bore witness to the incredible energy of
+      Goliath&rsquo;s defence. But when the quarryman succeeded in reaching him,
+      Goliath was overpowered and thrown down. A long, savage cheer in triumph
+      announced this fall; for, under such circumstances, to &ldquo;go under&rdquo; is &ldquo;to
+      die.&rdquo; Instantly a thousand breathless and angry voices repeated the cry of
+      &ldquo;Death to the poisoner!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then began one of those scenes of massacre and torture, worthy of
+      cannibals, horrible to relate, and the more incredible, that they happen
+      almost always in the presence, and often with the aid, of honest and
+      humane people, who, blinded by false notions and stupid prejudices, allow
+      themselves to be led into all sorts of barbarity, under the idea of
+      performing an act of inexorable justice. As it frequently happens, the
+      sight of the blood which flowed in torrents from Goliath&rsquo;s wounds inflamed
+      to madness the rage of his assailants. A hundred fists struck at the
+      unhappy man; he was stamped under foot, his face and chest were beaten in.
+      Ever and anon, in the midst of furious cries of &ldquo;Death to the poisoner!&rdquo;
+       heavy blows were audible, followed by stifled groans. It was a frightful
+      butchery. Each individual, yielding to a sanguinary frenzy, came in turn
+      to strike his blow; or to tear off his morsel of flesh. Women&mdash;yes,
+      women&mdash;mothers!&mdash;came to spend their rage on this mutilated
+      form.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was one moment of frightful terror. With his face all bruised and
+      covered with mud, his garments in rags, his chest bare, red, gaping with
+      wounds&mdash;Goliath, availing himself of a moment&rsquo;s weariness on the part
+      of his assassins, who believed him already, finished, succeeded, by one of
+      those convulsive starts frequent in the last agony, in raising himself to
+      his feet for a few seconds; then, blind with wounds and loss of blood,
+      striking about his arms in the air as if to parry blows that were no
+      longer struck, he muttered these words, which came from his mouth,
+      accompanied by a crimson torrent: &ldquo;Mercy! I am no poisoner. Mercy!&rdquo; This
+      sort of resurrection produced so great an effect on the crowd, that for an
+      instant they fell hack affrighted. The clamor ceased, and a small space
+      was left around the victim. Some hearts began even to feel pity; when the
+      quarryman, seeing Goliath blinded with blood, groping before him with his
+      hands, exclaimed in ferocious allusion to a well-known game: &ldquo;Now for
+      blind-man&rsquo;s-bluff.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, with a violent kick, he again threw down the victim, whose head
+      struck twice heavily on the pavement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just as the giant fell a voice from amongst the crowd exclaimed: &ldquo;It is
+      Goliath! stop! he is innocent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who, yielding to a generous impulse, was making
+      violent efforts to reach the foremost rank of the actors in this scene,
+      and who cried out, as he came nearer, pale, indignant, menacing: &ldquo;You are
+      cowards and murderers! This man is innocent. I know him. You shall answer
+      for his life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These vehement words were received with loud murmurs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know that poisoner,&rdquo; cried the quarryman, seizing the Jesuit by the
+      collar; &ldquo;then perhaps you are a poisoner too.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Wretch,&rdquo; exclaimed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, endeavoring to shake himself loose
+      from the grasp, &ldquo;do you dare to lay hand upon me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I dare do anything,&rdquo; answered the quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He knows him: he&rsquo;s a poisoner like the other,&rdquo; cried the crowd, pressing
+      round the two adversaries; whilst Goliath, who had fractured his skull in
+      the fall, uttered a long death-rattle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At a sudden movement of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who disengaged himself from the
+      quarryman, a large glass phial of peculiar form, very thick, and filled
+      with a greenish liquor, fell from his pocket, and rolled close to the
+      dying Goliath. At sight of this phial, many voices exclaimed together: &ldquo;It
+      is poison! Only see! He had poison upon him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The clamor redoubled at this accusation, and they pressed so close to Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, that he exclaimed: &ldquo;Do not touch me! do not approach me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he is a poisoner,&rdquo; said a voice, &ldquo;no more mercy for him than for the
+      other.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I a poisoner?&rdquo; said the abbe, struck with horror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ciboule had darted upon the phial; the quarryman seized it from her,
+      uncorked it and presenting it to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, said to him: &ldquo;Now tell
+      us what is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not poison,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then drink it!&rdquo; returned the quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! let him drink it!&rdquo; cried the mob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in extreme alarm. And he drew back as
+      he spoke, pushing away the phial with his hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you see? It is poison. He dares not drink it,&rdquo; they exclaimed. Hemmed
+      in on every side, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny stumbled against the body of Goliath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My friends,&rdquo; cried the Jesuit, who, without being a poisoner, found
+      himself exposed to a terrible alternative, for his phial contained
+      aromatic salts of extraordinary strength, designed for a preservative
+      against the cholera, and as dangerous to swallow as any poison, &ldquo;my good
+      friends, you are in error. I conjure you, in the name of heaven&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If that is not poison, drink it!&rdquo; interrupted the quarryman, as he again
+      offered the bottle to the Jesuit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he does not drink it, death to the poisoner of the poor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes!&mdash;death to him! death to him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unhappy men!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whilst his hair stood on end with
+      terror; &ldquo;do you mean to murder me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What about all those, that you and your mate have killed, you wretch?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But it is not true&mdash;and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Drink, then!&rdquo; repeated the inflexible quarryman; &ldquo;I ask you for the last
+      time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To drink that would be death,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! only hear the wretch!&rdquo; cried the mob, pressing closer to him; &ldquo;he has
+      confessed&mdash;he has confessed!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has betrayed himself!&rdquo;(40)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;to drink that would be death!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But listen to me,&rdquo; cried the abbe, clasping his hands together; &ldquo;this
+      phial is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Furious cries interrupted Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;Ciboule, make an end of that
+      one!&rdquo; cried the quarryman, spurning Goliath with his foot. &ldquo;I will begin
+      this one!&rdquo; And he seized Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny by the throat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, two different groups formed themselves. One, led by
+      Ciboule, &ldquo;made an end&rdquo; of Goliath, with kicks and blows, stones and wooden
+      shoes; his body was soon reduced to a horrible thing, mutilated, nameless,
+      formless&mdash;a mere inert mass of filth and mangled flesh. Ciboule gave
+      her cloak, which they tied to one of the dislocated ankles of the body,
+      and thus dragged it to the parapet of the quay. There, with shouts of
+      ferocious joy, they precipitated the bloody remains into the river. Now
+      who does not shudder at the thought that, in a time of popular commotion,
+      a word, a single word, spoken imprudently, even by an honest man, and
+      without hatred, will suffice to provoke so horrible a murder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps it is a poisoner!&rdquo; said one of the drinkers in the tavern of the
+      Rue de la Calandre&mdash;nothing more&mdash;and Goliath had been
+      pitilessly murdered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What imperious reasons for penetrating the lowest depths of the masses
+      with instruction and with light&mdash;to enable unfortunate creatures to
+      defend themselves from so many stupid prejudices, so many fatal
+      superstitions, so much implacable fanaticism!&mdash;How can we ask for
+      calmness, reflection, self-control, or the sentiment of justice from
+      abandoned beings, whom ignorance has brutalized, and misery depraved, and
+      suffering made ferocious, and of whom society takes no thought, except
+      when it chains them to the galleys, or binds them ready for the
+      executioner! The terrible cry which had so startled Morok was uttered by
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny as the quarryman laid his formidable hand upon him,
+      saying to Ciboule: &ldquo;Make an end of that one&mdash;I will begin this one!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (40) This fact is historical. A man was murdered because a phial full of
+      ammonia was found upon him. On his refusal to drink it, the populace,
+      persuaded that the bottle contained poison, tore him to pieces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0129" id="link2HCH0129">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIV. IN THE CATHEDRAL.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">N</span>ight was almost come, as the mutilated body of Goliath was thrown into
+      the river. The oscillations of the mob had carried into the street, which
+      runs along the left side of the cathedral, the group into whose power
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had fallen. Having succeeded in freeing himself from the
+      grasp of the quarryman, but still closely pressed by the multitude that
+      surrounded him, crying, &ldquo;Death to the poisoner!&rdquo; he retreated step by
+      step, trying to parry the blows that were dealt him. By presence of mind,
+      address, and courage, recovering at that critical moment his old military
+      energy, he had hitherto been able to resist and to remain firm on his feet&mdash;knowing,
+      by the example of Goliath, that to fall was to die. Though he had little
+      hope of being heard to any purpose, the abbe continued to call for help
+      with all his might. Disputing the ground inch by inch, he manoeuvred so as
+      to draw near one of the lateral walls of the church, and at length
+      succeeded in ensconcing himself in a corner formed by the projection of a
+      buttress, and close by a little door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This position was rather favorable. Leaning with his back against the
+      wall, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny was sheltered from the attacks of a portion of his
+      assailants. But the quarryman, wishing to deprive him of this last chance
+      of safety, rushed upon him, with the intention of dragging him out into
+      the circle where he would have been trampled under foot. The fear of death
+      gave Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny extraordinary strength, and he was able once more
+      to repulse the quarryman, and remain entrenched in the corner where he had
+      taken refuge. The resistance of the victim redoubled the rage of the
+      assailants. Cries of murderous import resounded with new violence. The
+      quarryman again rushed upon Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, saying, &ldquo;Follow me,
+      friends! this lasts too long. Let us make an end of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny saw that he was lost. His strength was exhausted, and he
+      felt himself sinking; his legs trembled under him, and a cloud obscured
+      his sight; the howling of the furious mob began to sound dull upon his
+      ear. The effects of violent contusions, received during the struggle, both
+      on the head and chest, were now very perceptible. Two or three times, a
+      mixture of blood and foam rose to the lips of the abbe; his position was a
+      desperate one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be slaughtered by these brutes, after escaping death so often in war!&rdquo;
+       Such was the thought of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, as the quarryman rushed upon
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, at the very moment when the abbe, yielding to the instinct of
+      self-preservation, uttered one last call for help, in a heart-piercing
+      voice, the door against which he leaned opened behind him, and a firm hand
+      caught hold of him, and pulled him into the church. Thanks to this
+      movement, performed with the rapidity of lightning, the quarryman, thrown
+      forward in his attempt to seize Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, could not check his
+      progress, and found himself just opposite to the person who had come, as
+      it were, to take the place of the victim.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The quarryman stopped short, and then fell back a couple of paces, so much
+      was he amazed at this sudden apparition, and impressed, like the rest of
+      the crowd, with a vague feeling of admiration and respect at sight of him
+      who had come so miraculously to the aid of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. It was
+      Gabriel. The young missionary remained standing on the threshold of the
+      door. His long black cassock was half lost in the shadows of the
+      cathedral; whilst his angelic countenance, with its border of long light
+      hair, now pale and agitated by pity and grief, was illumined by the last
+      faint rays of twilight. This countenance shone with so divine a beauty,
+      and expressed such touching and tender compassion, that the crowd felt
+      awed as, with his large blue eyes full of tears, and his hands clasped
+      together, he exclaimed, in a sonorous voice: &ldquo;Have mercy, my brethren! Be
+      humane&mdash;be just!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Recovering from his first feeling of surprise and involuntary emotion, the
+      quarryman advanced a step towards Gabriel, and said to him: &ldquo;No mercy for
+      the poisoner! we must have him! Give him up to us, or we go and take him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You cannot think of it, my brethren,&rdquo; answered Gabriel; &ldquo;the church is a
+      sacred place&mdash;a place of refuge for the persecuted.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We would drag our prisoner from the altar!&rdquo; answered the quarryman,
+      roughly; &ldquo;so give him up to us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, my brethren,&rdquo; said Gabriel, extending his arms towards
+      them.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30093m.jpg" alt="30093m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30093.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Down with the shaveling!&rdquo; cried the quarryman; &ldquo;let us go in and hunt him
+      up in the church!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes!&rdquo; cried the mob, again led away by the violence of this wretch,
+      &ldquo;down with the black gown!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are all of a piece!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Down with them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us do as we did at the archbishop&rsquo;s!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or at Saint-Germain-l&rsquo;Auxerrois!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do our likes care for a church?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If the priests defend the poisoners, we&rsquo;ll pitch them into the water
+      too!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll show you the lead!&rdquo; cried the quarryman; and followed by Ciboule,
+      and a good number of determined men, he rushed towards Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The missionary, who for some moments had watched the increasing fury of
+      the crowd, had foreseen this movement; hastily retreating into the church,
+      he succeeded, in spite of the efforts of the assailants, in nearly closing
+      the door, and in barricading it by the help of a wooden bar, which he held
+      in such a manner as would enable the door to resist for a few minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst he thus defended the entrance, Gabriel shouted to Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;Fly, father! fly through the vestry! the other doors are
+      fastened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jesuit, overpowered by fatigue, covered with contusions, bathed in
+      cold sweat, feeling his strength altogether fail, and too soon fancying
+      himself in safety, had sunk, half fainting, into a chair. At the voice of
+      Gabriel, he rose with difficulty, and, with a trembling step, endeavored
+      to reach the choir, separated from the rest of the church by an iron
+      railing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quick, father!&rdquo; added Gabriel, in alarm, using every effort to maintain
+      the door, which was now vigorously assailed. &ldquo;Make haste! In a few minutes
+      it will be too late. All alone!&rdquo; continued the missionary, in despair,
+      &ldquo;alone, to arrest the progress of these madmen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He was indeed alone. At the first outbreak of the attack, three or four
+      sacristans and other members of the establishment were in the church; but,
+      struck with terror, and remembering the sack of the archbishop&rsquo;s palace,
+      and of Saint-Germain-l&rsquo;Auxerrois, they had immediately taken flight. Some
+      of them had concealed themselves in the organ-loft and others fled into
+      the vestry, the doors of which they locked after them, thus cutting off
+      the retreat of Gabriel and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The latter, bent double by
+      pain, yet roused by the missionary&rsquo;s portentive warning, helping himself
+      on by means of the chairs he met with on his passage, made vain efforts to
+      reach the choir railing. After advancing a few steps, vanquished by his
+      suffering, he staggered and fell upon the pavement, deprived of sense and
+      motion. At the same moment, Gabriel, in spite of the incredible energy
+      with which the desire to save Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had inspired him, felt the
+      door giving way beneath the formidable pressure from without.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Turning his head, to see if the Jesuit had at least quitted the church,
+      Gabriel, to his great alarm, perceived that he was lying motionless at a
+      few steps from the choir. To abandon the half-broken door, to run to
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, to lift him in his arms, and drag him within the
+      railing of the choir, was for the young priest an action rapid as thought;
+      for he closed the gate of the choir just at the instant that the quarryman
+      and his band, having finished breaking down the door, rushed in a body
+      into the church.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Standing in front of the choir, with his arms crossed upon his breast,
+      Gabriel waited calmly and intrepidly for this mob, still more exasperated
+      by such unexpected resistance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The door once forced, the assailants rushed in with great violence. But
+      hardly had they entered the church, than a strange scene took place. It
+      was nearly dark; only a few silver lamps shed their pale light round the
+      sanctuary, whose far outlines disappeared in the shadow. On suddenly
+      entering the immense cathedral, dark, silent, and deserted, the most
+      audacious were struck with awe, almost with fear in presence of the
+      imposing grandeur of that stony solitude. Outcries and threats died away
+      on the lips of the most furious. They seemed to dread awaking the echoes
+      of those enormous arches, those black vaults, from which oozed a
+      sepulchral dampness, which chilled their brows, inflamed with anger, and
+      fell upon their shoulders like a mantle of ice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Religious tradition, routine, habit, the memories of childhood, have so
+      much influence upon men, that hardly had they entered the church, than
+      several of the quarryman&rsquo;s followers respectfully took off their hats,
+      bowed their bare heads, and walked along cautiously, as if to check the
+      noise of their footsteps on the sounding stones. Then they exchanged a few
+      words in a low and fearful whisper. Others timidly raised their eyes to
+      the far heights of the topmost arches of that gigantic building, now lost
+      in obscurity, and felt almost frightened to see themselves so little in
+      the midst of that immensity of darkness. But at the first joke of the
+      quarryman, who broke this respectful silence, the emotion soon passed
+      away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blood and thunder!&rdquo; cried he; &ldquo;are you fetching breath to sing vespers?
+      If they had wine in the font, well and good!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were received with a burst of savage laughter. &ldquo;All this time
+      the villain will escape!&rdquo; said one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we shall be done,&rdquo; added Ciboule.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One would think we had cowards here, who are afraid of the sacristans!&rdquo;
+       cried the quarryman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never!&rdquo; replied the others in chorus; &ldquo;we fear nobody.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forward!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;forward!&rdquo; was repeated on all sides. And the animation,
+      which had been calmed down for a moment, was redoubled in the midst of
+      renewed tumult. Some moments after, the eyes of the assailants, becoming
+      accustomed to the twilight, were able to distinguish in the midst of the
+      faint halo shed around by a silver lamp, the imposing countenance of
+      Gabriel, as he stood before the iron railing of the choir.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The poisoner is here, hid in some corner,&rdquo; cried the quarryman. &ldquo;We must
+      force this parson to give us back the villain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He shall answer for him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He took him into the church.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He shall pay for both, if we do not find the other!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the first impression of involuntary respect was effaced from the minds
+      of the crowd, their voices rose the louder, and their faces became the
+      more savage and threatening, because they all felt ashamed of their
+      momentary hesitation and weakness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes!&rdquo; cried many voices, trembling with rage, &ldquo;we must have the life
+      of one or the other!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or of both!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So much the worse for this priest, if he wants to prevent us from serving
+      out our poisoner!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Death to him! death to him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With this burst of ferocious yells, which were fearfully re-echoed from
+      the groined arches of the cathedral, the mob, maddened by rage, rushed
+      towards the choir, at the door of which Gabriel was standing. The young
+      missionary, who, when placed on the cross by the savages of the Rocky
+      Mountains, yet entreated heaven to spare his executioners, had too much
+      courage in his heart, too much charity in his soul, not to risk his life a
+      thousand times over to save Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s&mdash;the very man who had
+      betrayed hire by such cowardly and cruel hypocrisy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0130" id="link2HCH0130">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXV. THE MURDERERS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he quarryman, followed by his gang, ran towards Gabriel, who had advanced
+      a few paces from the choir-railing, and exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with
+      rage: &ldquo;Where is the poisoner? We will have him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who has told you, my brethren, that he is a poisoner?&rdquo; replied Gabriel,
+      with his deep, sonorous voice. &ldquo;A poisoner! Where are the proofs&mdash;witnesses
+      or victims?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough of that stuff! we are not here for confession,&rdquo; brutally answered
+      the quarryman, advancing towards him in a threatening manner. &ldquo;Give up the
+      man to us; he shall be forthcoming, unless you choose to stand in his
+      shoes?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes!&rdquo; exclaimed several voices; &ldquo;they are &lsquo;in&rsquo; with one another! One
+      or the other we will have!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, then; since it is so,&rdquo; said Gabriel, raising his head, and
+      advancing with calmness, resignation; and fearlessness; &ldquo;he or me,&rdquo; added
+      he;&mdash;&ldquo;it seems to make no difference to you&mdash;you are determined
+      to have blood&mdash;take mine, and I will pardon you, my friends; for a
+      fatal delusion has unsettled your reason.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words of Gabriel, his courage, the nobleness of his attitude, the
+      beauty of his countenance, had made an impression on some of the
+      assailants, when suddenly a voice exclaimed: &ldquo;Look! there is the poisoner,
+      behind the railing!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where&mdash;where?&rdquo; cried they.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There&mdash;don&rsquo;t you see?&mdash;stretched on the floor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On hearing this, the mob, which had hitherto formed a compact mass, in the
+      sort of passage separating the two sides of the nave, between the rows of
+      chairs, dispersed in every direction, to reach the railing of the choir,
+      the last and only barrier that now sheltered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. During
+      this manoeuvre the quarryman, Ciboule, and others, advanced towards
+      Gabriel, exclaiming, with ferocious joy: &ldquo;This time we have him. Death to
+      the poisoner!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To save Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, Gabriel would have allowed himself to be
+      massacred at the entrance of the choir; but, a little further on, the
+      railing, not above four feet in height, would in another instant be scaled
+      or broken through. The Missionary lost all hope of saving the Jesuit from
+      a frightful death. Yet he exclaimed: &ldquo;Stop, poor deluded people!&rdquo;&mdash;and,
+      extending his arms, he threw himself in front of the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His words, gesture, and countenance, were expressive of an authority at
+      once so affectionate and so fraternal, that there was a momentary
+      hesitation amongst the mob. But to this hesitation soon succeeded the most
+      furious cries of &ldquo;Death; death!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You cry for his death?&rdquo; cried Gabriel, growing still paler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! yes!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, let him die,&rdquo; cried the missionary, inspired with a sudden thought;
+      &ldquo;let him die on the instant!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words of the young priest struck the crowd with amazement. For a few
+      moments, they all stood mute, motionless, and as it were, paralyzed,
+      looking at Gabriel in stupid astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This man is guilty, you say,&rdquo; resumed the young missionary, in a voice
+      trembling with emotion. &ldquo;You have condemned him without proof, without
+      witnesses&mdash;no matter, he must die. You reproach him with being a
+      poisoner; where are his victims? You cannot tell&mdash;but no matter; he
+      is condemned. You refuse to hear his defense, the sacred right of every
+      accused person&mdash;no matter; the sentence is pronounced. You are at
+      once his accusers, judges, and executioners. Be it so!&mdash;You have
+      never seen till now this unfortunate man, he has done you no harm, he has
+      perhaps not done harm to any one&mdash;yet you take upon yourselves the
+      terrible responsibility of his death&mdash;understand me well&mdash;of his
+      death. Be it so then! your conscience will absolve you&mdash;I will
+      believe it. He must die; the sacredness of God&rsquo;s house will not save him&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no!&rdquo; cried many furious voices.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; resumed Gabriel, with increasing warmth; &ldquo;no you have determined to
+      shed his blood, and you will shed it, even in the Lord&rsquo;s temple. It is,
+      you say, your right. You are doing an act of terrible justice. But why
+      then, so many vigorous arms to make an end of one dying man? Why these
+      outcries? this fury? this violence? Is it thus that the people, the strong
+      and equitable people, are wont to execute their judgments? No, no; when
+      sure of their right, they strike their enemies, it is with the calmness of
+      the judge, who, in freedom of soul and conscience, passes sentence. No,
+      the strong and equitable people do not deal their blows like men blind or
+      mad, uttering cries of rage, as if to drown the sense of some cowardly and
+      horrible murder. No, it is not thus that they exercise the formidable
+      right, to which you now lay claim&mdash;for you will have it&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, we will have it!&rdquo; shouted the quarryman, Ciboule, and others of the
+      more pitiless portion of the mob; whilst a great number remained silent,
+      struck with the words of Gabriel, who had just painted to them, in such
+      lively colors, the frightful act they were about to commit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed the quarryman, &ldquo;it is our right; we have determined to kill
+      the poisoner!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, and with bloodshot eyes, and flushed cheek, the wretch advanced
+      at the head of a resolute group, making a gesture as though he would have
+      pushed aside Gabriel, who was still standing in front of the railing. But
+      instead of resisting the bandit, the missionary advanced a couple of steps
+      to meet him, took him by the arm, and said in a firm voice: &ldquo;Come!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And dragging, as it were, with him the stupefied quarryman, whose
+      companions did not venture to follow at the moment, struck dumb as they
+      were by this new incident, Gabriel rapidly traversed the space which
+      separated him from the choir, opened the iron gate, and, still holding the
+      quarryman by the arm, led him up to the prostrate form of Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and said to him: &ldquo;There is the victim. He is condemned.
+      Strike!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rdquo; cried the quarryman, hesitating; &ldquo;I&mdash;all alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; replied Gabriel, with bitterness, &ldquo;there is no danger. You can
+      easily finish him. Look! he is broken down with suffering; he has hardly a
+      breath of life left; he will make no resistance. Do not be afraid!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The quarryman remained motionless, whilst the crowd, strangely impressed
+      with this incident, approached a little nearer the railing, without daring
+      to come within the gate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Strike then!&rdquo; resumed Gabriel, addressing the quarryman, whilst he
+      pointed to the crowd with a solemn gesture; &ldquo;there are the judges; you are
+      the executioner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No!&rdquo; cried the quarryman, drawing back, and turning away his eyes; &ldquo;I&rsquo;m
+      not the executioner&mdash;not I!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The crowd remained silent. For a few moments, not a word, not a cry,
+      disturbed the stillness of the solemn cathedral. In a desperate case,
+      Gabriel had acted with a profound knowledge of the human heart. When the
+      multitude, inflamed with blind rage, rushes with ferocious clamor upon a
+      single victim, and each man strikes his blow, this dreadful species of
+      combined murder appears less horrible to each, because they all share in
+      the common crime; and then the shouts, the sight of blood, the desperate
+      defence of the man they massacre, finish by producing a sort of ferocious
+      intoxication; but, amongst all those furious madmen, who take part in the
+      homicide, select one, and place him face to face with the victim, no
+      longer capable of resistance, and say to him, &ldquo;Strike!&rdquo;&mdash;he will
+      hardly ever dare to do so.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was thus with the quarryman; the wretch trembled at the idea of
+      committing a murder in cold blood, &ldquo;all alone.&rdquo; The preceding scene had
+      passed very rapidly; amongst the companions of the quarryman, nearest to
+      the railing, some did not understand an impression, which they would
+      themselves have felt as strongly as this bold man, if it had been said to
+      them: &ldquo;Do the office of executioner!&rdquo; These, therefore, began to murmur
+      aloud at his weakness. &ldquo;He dares not finish the poisoner,&rdquo; said one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The coward!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is afraid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He draws back.&rdquo; Hearing these words, the quarryman ran to the gate, threw
+      it wide open, and, pointing to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, exclaimed: &ldquo;If there is
+      one here braver than I am, let him go and finish the job&mdash;let him be,
+      the executioner&mdash;come!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On this proposal the murmurs ceased. A deep silence reigned once more in
+      the cathedral. All those countenances, but now so furious, became sad,
+      confused, almost frightened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The deluded mob began to appreciate the ferocious cowardice of the action
+      it had been about to commit. Not one durst go alone to strike the half
+      expiring man. Suddenly, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny uttered a dying rattle, his head
+      and one of his arms stirred with a convulsive movement, and then fell back
+      upon the stones as if he had just expired.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel uttered a cry of anguish, and threw himself on his knees close to
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, exclaiming: &ldquo;Great Heaven! he is dead!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      There is a singular variableness in the mind of a crowd, susceptible alike
+      to good or evil impressions. At the heart-piercing cry of Gabriel, all
+      these people, who, a moment before, had demanded, with loud uproar, the
+      massacre of this man, felt touched with a sudden pity. The words: &ldquo;He is
+      dead!&rdquo; circulated in low whispers through the crowd accompanied by a
+      slight shudder, whilst Gabriel raised with one hand the victim&rsquo;s heavy
+      head, and with the other sought to feel if the pulse still beat beneath
+      the ice-cold skin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Curate,&rdquo; said the quarryman, bending towards Gabriel, &ldquo;is there
+      really no hope?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The answer was waited for with anxiety, in the midst of deep silence. The
+      people hardly ventured to exchange a few words in whispers.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30101m.jpg" alt="30101m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30101.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blessed be God!&rdquo; exclaimed Gabriel, suddenly. &ldquo;His heart beats.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His heart beats,&rdquo; repeated the quarryman, turning his head towards the
+      crowd, to inform them of the good news.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! his heart beats!&rdquo; repeated the others, in whispers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is hope. We may yet save him,&rdquo; added Gabriel with an expression of
+      indescribable happiness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We may yet save him,&rdquo; repeated the quarryman, mechanically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We may yet save him,&rdquo; muttered the crowd.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quick, quick,&rdquo; resumed Gabriel, addressing the quarryman; &ldquo;help me,
+      brother. Let us carry him to a neighboring house, where he can have
+      immediate aid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The quarryman obeyed with readiness. Whilst the missionary lifted Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny by holding him under the arms, the quarryman took the legs of
+      the almost inanimate body. Together, they carried him outside of the
+      choir. At sight of the formidable quarryman, aiding the young priest to
+      render assistance to the man whom he had just before pursued with menaces
+      of death, the multitude felt a sudden thrill of compassion. Yielding to
+      the powerful influence of the words and example of Gabriel, they felt
+      themselves deeply moved, and each became anxious to offer services.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Curate, he would perhaps be better on a chair, that one could carry
+      upright,&rdquo; said Ciboule.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I go and fetch a stretcher from the hospital?&rdquo; asked another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mr. Curate, let me take your place; the body is too heavy for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t trouble yourself,&rdquo; said a powerful man, approaching the missionary
+      respectfully; &ldquo;I can carry him alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I run and fetch a coach, Mr. Curate?&rdquo; said a young vagabond, taking
+      off his red cap.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Right,&rdquo; said the quarryman; &ldquo;run away, my buck!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But first, ask Mr. Curate if you are to go for a coach,&rdquo; said Ciboule,
+      stopping the impatient messenger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; added one of the bystanders; &ldquo;we are here in a church, and Mr.
+      Curate has the command. He is at home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes; go at once, my child,&rdquo; said Gabriel to the obliging young
+      vagabond.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst the latter was making his way through the crowd, a voice said:
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve a little wicker-bottle of brandy; will that be of any use?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt,&rdquo; answered Gabriel, hastily; &ldquo;pray give it here. We can rub his
+      temples with the spirit, and make him inhale a little.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pass the bottle,&rdquo; cried Ciboule; &ldquo;but don&rsquo;t put your noses in it!&rdquo; And,
+      passed with caution from hand to hand, the flask reached Gabriel in
+      safety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst waiting for the coming of the coach, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had been
+      seated on a chair. Whilst several good-natured people carefully supported
+      the abbe, the missionary made him inhale a little brandy. In a few
+      minutes, the spirit had a powerful influence on the Jesuit; he made some
+      slight movements, and his oppressed bosom heaved with a deep sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is saved&mdash;he will live,&rdquo; cried Gabriel, in a triumphant voice;
+      &ldquo;he will live, my brothers!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! glad to hear it!&rdquo; exclaimed many voices.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! be glad, my brothers!&rdquo; repeated Gabriel; &ldquo;for, instead of being
+      weighed down with the remorse of crime, you will have a just and
+      charitable action to remember. Let us thank God, that he has changed your
+      blind fury into a sentiment of compassion! Let us pray to Him, that
+      neither you, nor those you love, may ever be exposed to such frightful
+      danger as this unfortunate man has just escaped. Oh, my brothers!&rdquo; added
+      Gabriel, as he pointed to the image of Christ with touching emotion, which
+      communicated itself the more easily to others from the expression of his
+      angelic countenance; &ldquo;oh, my brothers! let us never forget, that HE, who
+      died upon that cross for the defence of the oppressed, for the obscure
+      children of the people like to ourselves, pronounced those affectionate
+      words so sweet to the heart; &lsquo;Love ye one another!&rsquo;&mdash;Let us never
+      forget it; let us love and help one another, and we poor people shall then
+      become better, happier, just. Love&mdash;yes, love ye one another&mdash;and
+      fall prostrate before that Saviour, who is the God of all that are weak,
+      oppressed, and suffering in this world!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Gabriel knelt down. All present respectfully followed his
+      example, such power was there in his simple and persuasive words. At this
+      moment, a singular incident added to the grandeur of the scene. We have
+      said that a few seconds before the quarryman and his band entered the body
+      of the church, several persons had fled from it. Two of these had taken
+      refuge in the organ-loft, from which retreat they had viewed the preceding
+      scene, themselves remaining invisible. One of these persons was a young
+      man charged with the care of the organ, and quite musician enough to play
+      on it. Deeply moved by the unexpected turn of an event which at first
+      appeared so tragical, and yielding to an artistical inspiration, this
+      young man, at the moment when he saw the people kneeling with Gabriel,
+      could not forbear striking the notes. Then a sort of harmonious sigh, at
+      first almost insensible, seemed to rise from the midst of this immense
+      cathedral, like a divine aspiration. As soft and aerial as the balmy vapor
+      of incense, it mounted and spread through the lofty arches. Little by
+      little the faint, sweet sounds, though still as it were covered, changed
+      to an exquisite melody, religious, melancholy, and affectionate, which
+      rose to heaven like a song of ineffable gratitude and love. And the notes
+      were at first so faint, so covered, that the kneeling multitude had
+      scarcely felt surprise, and had yielded insensibly to the irresistible
+      influence of that enchanting harmony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then many an eye, until now dry and ferocious, became wet with tears&mdash;many
+      hard hearts beat gently, as they remembered the words pronounced by
+      Gabriel with so tender an accent: &ldquo;Love ye one another!&rdquo; It was at this
+      moment that Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny came to himself&mdash;and opened his eyes.
+      He thought himself under the influence of a dream. He had lost his senses
+      in sight of a furious populace, who, with insult and blasphemy on their
+      lips, pursued him with cries of death even to the sanctuary of the temple.
+      He opened his eyes&mdash;and, by the pale light of the sacred lamps, to
+      the solemn music of the organ, he saw that crowd, just now so menacing and
+      implacable, kneeling in mute and reverential emotion, and humbly bowing
+      their heads before the majesty of the shrine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Some minutes after, Gabriel, carried almost in triumph on the shoulders of
+      the crowd, entered the coach, in which Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who by degrees
+      had completely recovered his senses, was already reclining. By the order
+      of the Jesuit, the coach stopped before the door of a house in the Rue de
+      Vaugirard; he had the strength and courage to enter this dwelling alone;
+      Gabriel was not admitted, but we shall conduct the reader thither.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30109m.jpg" alt="30109m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30109.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0131" id="link2HCH0131">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVI. THE PATIENT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>t the end of the Rue de Vaugirard, there was then a very high wall, with
+      only one small doorway in all its length. On opening this door, you
+      entered a yard surrounded by a railing, with screens like Venetian blinds,
+      to prevent your seeing between the rails. Crossing this courtyard, you
+      come to a fine large garden, symmetrically planted, at the end of which
+      stood a building two stories high, looking perfectly comfortable, without
+      luxury, but with all that cozy simplicity which betokens discreet
+      opulence. A few days had elapsed since Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had been so
+      courageously rescued by Gabriel from the popular fury. Three
+      ecclesiastics, wearing black gowns, white bands, and square caps, were
+      walking in the garden with a slow and measured step. The youngest seemed
+      to be about thirty years of age; his countenance was pale, hollow, and
+      impressed with a certain ascetic austerity. His two companions, aged
+      between fifty or sixty, had, on the contrary, faces at once hypocritical
+      and cunning; their round, rosy cheeks shone brightly in the sunshine,
+      whilst their triple chins, buried in fat, descended in soft folds over the
+      fine cambric of their bands. According to the rules of their order (they
+      belonged to the Society of Jesus), which forbade their walking only two
+      together, these three members of the brotherhood never quitted each other
+      a moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I fear,&rdquo; said one of the two, continuing a conversation already begun,
+      and speaking of an absent person, &ldquo;I fear, that the continual agitation to
+      which the reverend father has been a prey, ever since he was attacked with
+      the cholera, has exhausted his strength, and caused the dangerous relapse
+      which now makes us fear for his life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They say,&rdquo; resumed the other, &ldquo;that never was there seen anxiety like to
+      his.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And moreover,&rdquo; remarked the young priest, bitterly, &ldquo;it is painful to
+      think, that his reverence Father Rodin has given cause for scandal, by
+      obstinately refusing to make a public confession, the day before yesterday
+      when his situation appeared so desperate, that, between two fits of a
+      delirium, it was thought right to propose to him to receive the last
+      sacraments.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His reverence declared that he was not so ill as they supposed,&rdquo; answered
+      one of the fathers, &ldquo;and that he would have the last duties performed when
+      he thought necessary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fact is, that for the last ten days, ever since he was brought here
+      dying, his life has been, as it were, only a long and painful agony; and
+      yet he continues to live.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I watched by him during the first three days of his malady, with M.
+      Rousselet, the pupil of Dr. Baleinier,&rdquo; resumed the youngest father; &ldquo;he
+      had hardly a moment&rsquo;s consciousness, and when the Lord did grant him a
+      lucid interval, he employed it in detestable execrations against the fate
+      which had confined him to his bed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is said,&rdquo; resumed the other, &ldquo;that Father Rodin made answer to his
+      Eminence Cardinal Malipieri, who came to persuade him to die in an
+      exemplary manner, worthy of a son of Loyola, our blessed founder&rdquo;&mdash;at
+      these words, the three Jesuits bowed their heads together, as if they had
+      been all moved by the same spring&mdash;&ldquo;it is said, that Father Rodin
+      made answer to his eminence: &lsquo;I do not need to confess publicly; I WANT TO
+      LIVE, AND I WILL LIVE.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not hear that,&rdquo; said the young priest, with an indignant air; &ldquo;but
+      if Father Rodin really made use of such expressions, it is&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here, no doubt, reflection came to him just in time, for he stole a
+      sidelong glance at his two silent, impassible companions, and added: &ldquo;It
+      is a great misfortune for his soul; but I am certain, his reverence has
+      been slandered.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was only as a calumnious report, that I mentioned those words,&rdquo; said
+      the other priest, exchanging a glance with his companion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of the garden gates opened, and one of the three reverend fathers
+      exclaimed, at the sight of the personage who now entered: &ldquo;Oh! here is his
+      Eminence Cardinal Malipieri, coming to pay a visit to Father Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;May this visit of his eminence,&rdquo; said the young priest, calmly, &ldquo;be more
+      profitable to Father Rodin than the last!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Cardinal Malipieri was crossing the garden, on his way to the apartment
+      occupied by Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cardinal Malipieri, whom we saw assisting at the sort of council held at
+      the Princess de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s, now on his way to Rodin&rsquo;s apartment, was
+      dressed as a layman, but enveloped in an ample pelisse of puce-colored
+      satin, which exhaled a strong odor of camphor, for the prelate had taken
+      care to surround himself with all sorts of anti-cholera specifics. Having
+      reached the second story of the house, the cardinal knocked at a little
+      gray door. Nobody answering, he opened it, and, like a man to whom the
+      locality was well known, passed through a sort of antechamber, and entered
+      a room in which was a turn-up bed. On a black wood table were many phials,
+      which had contained different medicines. The prelate&rsquo;s countenance seemed
+      uneasy and morose; his complexion was still yellow and bilious; the brown
+      circle which surrounded his black, squinting eyes appeared still darker
+      than usual.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pausing a moment, he looked round him almost in fear, and several times
+      stopped to smell at his anti-cholera bottle. Then, seeing he was alone, he
+      approached a glass over the chimney-piece, and examined with much
+      attention the color of his tongue; after some minutes spent in this
+      careful investigation, with the result of which he appeared tolerably
+      satisfied, he took some preservative lozenges out of a golden box, and
+      allowed them to melt in his mouth, whilst he closed his eyes with a
+      sanctified air. Having taken these sanitary precautions, and again pressed
+      his bottle to his nose, the prelate prepared to enter the third room, when
+      he heard a tolerably loud noise through the thin partition which separated
+      him from it, and, stopping to listen, all that was said in the next
+      apartment easily reached his ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now that my wounds are dressed, I will get up,&rdquo; said weak, but sharp and
+      imperious voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not think of it, reverend father,&rdquo; was answered in a stronger tone;
+      &ldquo;it is impossible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see if it is impossible,&rdquo; replied the other voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, reverend father, you will kill yourself. You are not in a state to
+      get up. You will expose yourself to a mortal relapse. I cannot consent to
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To these words succeeded the noise of a faint struggle, mingled with
+      groans more angry than plaintive, and the voice resumed: &ldquo;No, no, father;
+      for your own safety, I will not leave your clothes within your reach. It
+      is almost time for your medicine; I will go and prepare it for you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost immediately after, the door opened, and the prelate saw enter a man
+      of about twenty-five years of age, carrying on his arm an old olive
+      great-coat and threadbare black trousers, which he threw down upon a
+      chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This personage was Ange Modeste Rousselet, chief pupil of Dr. Baleinier;
+      the countenance of the young practitioner was mild, humble, and reserved;
+      his hair, very short in front, flowed down upon his neck behind. He made a
+      slight start in surprise on perceiving the cardinal, and bowed twice very
+      low, without raising his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before anything else,&rdquo; said the prelate, with his marked Italian accent,
+      still holding to his nose his bottle of camphor, &ldquo;have any choleraic
+      symptoms returned?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my lord; the pernicious fever, which succeeded the attack of cholera,
+      still continues.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good. But will not the reverend father be reasonable? What was the
+      noise that I just heard?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His reverence wished absolutely to get up and dress himself; but his
+      weakness is so great, that he could not have taken two steps from the bed.
+      He is devoured by impatience, and we fear that this agitation will cause a
+      mortal relapse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has Dr. Baleinier been here this morning?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has just left, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What does he think of the patient?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He finds him in the most alarming state, my lord. The night was so bad,
+      that he was extremely uneasy this morning. Father Rodin is at one of those
+      critical junctures, when a few hours may decide the life or death of the
+      patient. Dr. Baleinier is now gone to fetch what is necessary for a very
+      painful operation, which he is about to perform on the reverend father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Has Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny been told of this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny is himself very unwell, as your eminence knows; he has
+      not been able to leave his bed for the last three days.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I inquired about him as I came up,&rdquo; answered the prelate, &ldquo;and I shall
+      see him directly. But, to return to Father Rodin, have you sent for his
+      confessor, since he is in a desperate state, and about to undergo a
+      serious operation?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dr. Baleinier spoke a word to him about it, as well as about the last
+      sacraments; but Father Rodin exclaimed, with great irritation, that they
+      did not leave him a moment&rsquo;s peace, that he had as much care as any one
+      for his salvation, and that&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Per Bacco! I am not thinking of him,&rdquo; cried the cardinal, interrupting
+      Ange Modeste Rousselet with his pagan oath, and raising his sharp voice to
+      a still higher key; &ldquo;I am not thinking of him, but of the interests of the
+      Company. It is indispensable that the reverend father should receive the
+      sacraments with the most splendid solemnity, and that his end should not
+      only be Christian, but exemplary. All the people in the house, and even
+      strangers, should be invited to the spectacle, so that his edifying death
+      may produce an excellent sensation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what Fathers Grison and Brunet have already endeavored to
+      persuade his reverence, my lord; but your Eminence knows with what
+      impatience Father Rodin received this advice, and Dr. Baleinier did not
+      venture to persist, for fear of advancing a fatal crisis.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I will venture to do it; for in these times of revolutionary
+      impiety, a solemnly Christian death would produce a very salutary effect
+      on the public. It would indeed be proper to make the necessary
+      preparations to embalm the reverend father: he might then lie in state for
+      some days, with lighted tapers, according to Romish custom. My secretary
+      would furnish the design for the bier; it would be very splendid and
+      imposing; from his position in the Order, Father Rodin is entitled to have
+      everything in the most sumptuous style. He must have at least six hundred
+      tapers, and a dozen funeral lamps, burning spirits of wine, to hang just
+      over the body, and light it from above: the effect would be excellent. We
+      must also distribute little tracts to the people, concerning the pious and
+      ascetic life of his reverence&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here a sudden noise, like that of some piece of metal thrown angrily on
+      the floor, was heard from the next room, in which was the sick man, and
+      interrupted the prelate in his description.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope Father Rodin has not heard you talk of embalming him, my lord,&rdquo;
+       said Rousselet, in a whisper: &ldquo;his bed touches the partition, and almost
+      everything is audible through it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If Father Rodin has heard me,&rdquo; answered the cardinal, sinking his voice,
+      and retiring to the other end of the room, &ldquo;this circumstance will enable
+      me to enter at once on the business; but, in any case, I persist in
+      believing that the embalming and the lying in state are required to make a
+      good effect upon the public. The people are already frightened at the
+      cholera, and such funeral pomp would have no small influence on the
+      imagination.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I would venture to observe to your Eminence, that here the laws are
+      opposed to such exhibitions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The laws&mdash;already the laws!&rdquo; said the cardinal, angrily; &ldquo;has not
+      Rome also her laws? And is not every priest a subject of Rome? Is it not
+      time&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But, not choosing, doubtless, to begin a more explicit conversation with
+      the young doctor, the prelate resumed, &ldquo;We will talk of this hereafter.
+      But, tell me, since my last visit, has the reverend father had any fresh
+      attacks of delirium?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord; here is the note, as your Eminence commanded.&rdquo; So saying
+      Rousselet delivered a paper to the prelate. We will inform the reader that
+      this part of the conversation between Rousselet and the cardinal was
+      carried on at a distance from the partition, so that Rodin could hear
+      nothing of it, whilst that which related to the embalming had been
+      perfectly audible to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cardinal, having received the note from Rousselet, perused it with an
+      expression of lively curiosity. When he had finished, he crumpled it in
+      his hand, and said, without attempting to dissemble his vexation, &ldquo;Always
+      nothing but incoherent expression. Not two words together, from which you
+      can draw any reasonable conclusion. One would really think this man had
+      the power to control himself even in his delirium, and to rave about
+      insignificant matters only.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, addressing Rousselet, &ldquo;You are sure that you have reported
+      everything that escaped from him during his delirium?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With the exception of the same phrases, that he repeated over and over
+      again, your Eminence may be assured that I have not omitted a single word,
+      however unmeaning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Show me into Father Rodin&rsquo;s room,&rdquo; said the prelate, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my lord,&rdquo; answered the young doctor, with some hesitation, &ldquo;the fit
+      has only left him about an hour, and the reverend father is still very
+      weak.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The more the reason,&rdquo; replied the prelate, somewhat indiscreetly. Then,
+      recollecting himself, he added, &ldquo;He will the better appreciate the
+      consolations I have to offer. Should he be asleep, awake him, and announce
+      my visit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have only orders to receive from your Eminence,&rdquo; said Rousselet,
+      bowing, and entering the next room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Left alone, the cardinal said to himself, with a pensive air, &ldquo;I always
+      come back to that. When he was suddenly attacked by the cholera, Father
+      Rodin believed himself poisoned by order of the Holy See. He must then
+      have been plotting something very formidable against Rome, to entertain so
+      abominable a fear. Can our suspicions be well founded? Is he acting
+      secretly and powerfully on the Sacred College? But then for what end? This
+      it has been impossible to penetrate, so faithfully has the secret been
+      kept by his accomplices. I had hoped that, during his delirium, he would
+      let slip some word that would put us on the trace of what we are so much
+      interested to discover. With so restless and active a mind, delirium is
+      often the exaggeration of some dominant idea; yet here I have the report
+      of five different fits&mdash;and nothing&mdash;no, nothing but vague,
+      unconnected phrases.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The return of Rousselet put an end to these reflections. &ldquo;I am sorry to
+      inform my lord that the reverend father obstinately refuses to see any
+      one. He says that he requires absolute repose. Though very weak, he has a
+      savage and angry look, and I should not be surprised if he overheard your
+      Eminence talk about embalming him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The cardinal, interrupting Rousselet, said to him, &ldquo;Did Father Rodin have
+      his last fit of delirium in the night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Between three and half-past five this morning, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Between three and half-past five,&rdquo; repeated the prelate, as if he wished
+      to impress this circumstance on his memory, &ldquo;the attack presented no
+      particular symptoms?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my lord; it consisted of rambling, incoherent talk, as your Eminence
+      may see by this note.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, as he perceived the prelate approaching Father Rodin&rsquo;s door,
+      Rousselet added, &ldquo;The reverend father will positively see no one, my lord;
+      he requires rest, to prepare for the operation; it might be dangerous&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without attending to these observations, the cardinal entered Rodin&rsquo;s
+      chamber. It was a tolerably large room, lighted by two windows, and simply
+      but commodiously furnished. Two logs were burning slowly in the fireplace,
+      in which stood a coffee-pot, a vessel containing mustard poultice, etc. On
+      the chimney-piece were several pieces of rag, and some linen bandages. The
+      room was full of that faint chemical odor peculiar to the chambers of the
+      sick, mingled with so putrid a stench, that the cardinal stopped at the
+      door a moment, before he ventured to advance further. As the three
+      reverend fathers had mentioned in their walk, Rodin lived because he had
+      said to himself, &ldquo;I want to live, and I will live.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For, as men of timid imaginations and cowardly minds often die from the
+      mere dread of dying, so a thousand facts prove that vigor of character and
+      moral energy may often struggle successfully against disease, and triumph
+      over the most desperate symptoms.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30117m.jpg" alt="30117m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30117.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+    <p>
+      It was thus with the Jesuit. The unshaken firmness of his character, the
+      formidable tenacity of his will (for the will has sometimes a mysterious
+      and almost terrific power), aiding the skillful treatment of Dr.
+      Baleinier, had saved him from the pestilence with which he had been so
+      suddenly attacked. But the shock had been succeeded by a violent fever,
+      which placed Rodin&rsquo;s life in the utmost peril. This increased danger had
+      caused the greatest alarm to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who felt, in spite of his
+      rivalry and jealousy, that Rodin was the master-spirit of the plot in
+      which they were engaged, and could alone conduct it to a successful issue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The curtains of the room was half closed, and admitted only a doubtful
+      light to the bed on which Rodin was lying. The Jesuit&rsquo;s features had lost
+      the greenish hue peculiar to cholera patients, but remained perfectly
+      livid and cadaverous, and so thin, that the dry, rugged skin appeared to
+      cling to the smallest prominence of bone. The muscles and veins of the
+      long, lean, vulture-like neck resembled a bundle of cords. The head,
+      covered with an old, black, filthy nightcap, from beneath which strayed a
+      few thin, gray hairs, rested upon a dirty pillow; for Rodin would not
+      allow them to change his linen. His iron-gray beard had not been shaved
+      for some time, and stood out like the hairs of a brush. Under his shirt he
+      wore an old flannel waistcoat full of holes. He had one of his arms out of
+      bed, and his bony hairy hand, with its bluish nails, held fast a cotton
+      handkerchief of indescribable color.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      You might have taken him for a corpse, had it not been for the two
+      brilliant sparks which still burned in the depths of his eyes. In that
+      look, in which seemed concentrated all the remaining life and energy of
+      the man, you might read the most restless anxiety. Sometimes his features
+      revealed the sharpest pangs; sometimes the twisting of his hands, and his
+      sudden starts, proclaimed his despair at being thus fettered to a bed of
+      pain, whilst the serious interests which he had in charge required all the
+      activity of his mind. Thus, with thoughts continually on the stretch, his
+      mind often wandered, and he had fits of delirium, from which he woke as
+      from a painful dream. By the prudent advice of Dr. Baleinier, who
+      considered him not in a state to attend to matters of&mdash;importance,
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had hitherto evaded Rodin&rsquo;s questions with regard to the
+      Rennepont affair, which he dreaded to see lost and ruined in consequence
+      of his forced inaction. The silence of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny on this head, and
+      the ignorance in which they kept him, only augmented the sick man&rsquo;s
+      exasperation. Such was the moral and physical state of Rodin, when
+      Cardinal Malipieri entered his chamber against his will.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0132" id="link2HCH0132">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVII. THE LURE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>o understand fully the tortures of Rodin, reduced to inactivity by
+      sickness, and to explain the importance of Cardinal Malipieri&rsquo;s visit, we
+      must remember the audacious views of the ambitious Jesuit, who believed
+      himself following in the steps of Sixtus V., and expected to become his
+      equal. By the success of the Rennepont affair, to attain to the
+      generalship of his Order, by the corruption of the Sacred College to
+      ascend the pontifical throne, and then, by means of a change in the
+      statutes of the Company, to incorporate the Society of Jesus with the Holy
+      See, instead of leaving it independent, to equal and almost always rule
+      the Papacy&mdash;such were the secret projects of Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Their possibility was sanctioned by numerous precedents, for many mere
+      monks and priests had been suddenly raised to the pontifical dignity. And
+      as for their morality, the accession of the Borgias, of Julius II., and
+      other dubious Vicars of Christ, might excuse and authorize the pretensions
+      of the Jesuits.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though the object of his secret intrigues at Rome had hitherto been
+      enveloped in the greatest mystery, suspicions had been excited in regard
+      to his private communications with many members of the Sacred College. A
+      portion of that college, Cardinal Malipieri at the head of them, had
+      become very uneasy on the subject, and, profiting by his journey to
+      France, the cardinal had resolved to penetrate the Jesuit&rsquo;s dark designs.
+      If, in the scene we have just painted, the cardinal showed himself so
+      obstinately bent on having a conference with Rodin, in spite of the
+      refusal of the latter, it was because the prelate hoped, as we shall soon
+      see, to get by cunning at the secret, which had hitherto been so well
+      concealed. It was, therefore, in the midst of all these extraordinary
+      circumstances, that Rodin saw himself the victim of a malady, which
+      paralyzed his strength, at the moment when he had need of all his
+      activity, and of all the resources of his mind. After remaining for some
+      seconds motionless near the door, the cardinal, still holding his bottle
+      under his nose, slowly approached the bed where Rodin lay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter, enraged at this perseverance, and wishing to avoid an
+      interview which for many reasons was singularly odious to him, turned his
+      face towards the wall, and pretended to be asleep. Caring little for this
+      feint, and determined to profit by Rodin&rsquo;s state of weakness, the prelate
+      took a chair, and, conquering his repugnance, sat down close to the
+      Jesuit&rsquo;s bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My reverend and very dear father, how do you find yourself?&rdquo; said he to
+      him, in a honeyed tone, which his Italian accent seemed to render still
+      more hypocritical. Rodin pretended not to hear, breathed hard, and made no
+      answer. But the cardinal, not without disgust, shook with his gloved hand
+      the arm of the Jesuit, and repeated in a louder voice: &ldquo;My reverend and
+      very dear father, answer me, I conjure you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin could not restrain a movement of angry impatience, but he continued
+      silent. The cardinal was not a man to be discouraged by so little; he
+      again shook the arm of the Jesuit, somewhat more roughly, repeating, with
+      a passionless tenacity that would have incensed the most patient person in
+      the world: &ldquo;My reverend and very dear father, since you are not asleep,
+      listen to me, I entreat of you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Irritable with pain, exasperated by the obstinacy of the prelate, Rodin
+      abruptly turned his head, fixed on the Roman his hollow eyes, shining with
+      lurid fire, and, with lips contracted by a sardonic smile, said to him,
+      bitterly: &ldquo;You must be very anxious, my lord, to see me embalmed, and lie
+      in state with tapers, as you were saying just now, for you thus to come to
+      torment me in my last moments, and hasten my end!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my good father! how can you talk so?&rdquo; cried the cardinal, raising his
+      hands as if to call heaven to witness to the sincerity of the tender
+      interest he felt for the Jesuit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you that I heard all just now, my lord; for the partition is
+      thin,&rdquo; added Rodin, with redoubled bitterness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you mean that, from the bottom of my soul, I desired that you should
+      make an exemplary and Christian end, you are perfectly right, my dear
+      father. I did say so; for, after a life so well employed, it would be
+      sweet to see you an object of adoration for the faithful!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, my lord,&rdquo; cried Rodin, in a weak and broken voice, &ldquo;that it
+      is ferocious to express such wishes in the presence of a dying man. Yes,&rdquo;
+       he added, with growing animation, that contrasted strongly with his
+      weakness, &ldquo;take care what you do; for if I am too much plagued and
+      pestered&mdash;if I am not allowed to breathe my last breath quietly&mdash;I
+      give you notice that you will force me to die in anything but a Christian
+      manner, and if you mean to profit by an edifying spectacle, you will be
+      deceived.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This burst of anger having greatly fatigued Rodin, his head fell back upon
+      the pillow, and he wiped his cracked and bleeding lips with his old cotton
+      handkerchief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, come, be calm, my very dear father,&rdquo; resumed the cardinal, with a
+      patronizing air; &ldquo;do not give way to such gloomy ideas. Doubtless,
+      Providence reserves you for great designs, since you have been already
+      delivered from so much peril. Let us hope that you will be likewise saved
+      from your present danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin answered by a hoarse growl, and turned his face towards the wall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The imperturbable prelate continued: &ldquo;The views of Providence are not
+      confined to your salvation, my very dear father. Its power has been
+      manifested in another way. What I am about to tell you is of the highest
+      importance. Listen attentively.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without turning his head, Rodin muttered in a tone of angry bitterness,
+      which betrayed his intense sufferings: &ldquo;They desire my death. My chest is
+      on fire, my head racked with pain, and they have no pity. Oh, I suffer the
+      tortures of the damned!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! already&rdquo; thought the Roman, with a smile of sarcastic malice; then
+      he said aloud: &ldquo;Let me persuade you, my very dear father&mdash;make an
+      effort to listen to me; you will not regret it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Still stretched upon the bed, Rodin lifted his hands clasped upon his
+      cotton handkerchief with a gesture of despair, and then let them fall
+      again by his side.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cardinal slightly shrugged his shoulders, and laid great stress on
+      what follows, so that Rodin might not lose a word of it: &ldquo;My dear father,
+      it has pleased Providence that, during your fit of raving, you have made,
+      without knowing it, the most important revelations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The prelate waited with anxious curiosity for the effect of the pious trap
+      he had laid for the Jesuit&rsquo;s weakened faculties. But the latter, still
+      turned towards the wall, did not appear to have heard him and remained
+      silent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are, no doubt, reflecting on my words, my dear father,&rdquo; resumed the
+      cardinal; &ldquo;you are right, for it concerns a very serious affair. I repeat
+      to you that Providence has allowed you, during your delirium, to betray
+      your most secret thoughts&mdash;happily, to me alone. They are such as
+      would compromise you in the highest degree. In short, during your delirium
+      of last night, which lasted nearly two hours, you unveiled the secret
+      objects of your intrigues at Rome with many of the members of the Sacred
+      College.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The cardinal, rising softly, stooped over the bed to watch the expression
+      of Rodin&rsquo;s countenance. But the latter did not give him time. As a
+      galvanized corpse starts into strange and sudden motion, Rodin sprang into
+      a sitting posture at the last words of the prelate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has betrayed himself,&rdquo; said the cardinal, in a low voice, in Italian.
+      Then, resuming his seat, he fixed on the Jesuit his eyes, that sparkled
+      with triumphant joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though he did not hear the exclamation of Malipieri, nor remark the
+      expression of his countenance, Rodin, notwithstanding his state of
+      weakness, instantly felt the imprudence of his start. He pressed his hand
+      to his forehead, as though he had been seized with a giddiness; then,
+      looking wildly round him, he pressed to his trembling lips his old cotton
+      handkerchief, and gnawed it mechanically for some seconds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your emotion and alarm confirm the sad discoveries I have made,&rdquo; resumed
+      the cardinal, still more rejoicing at the success of his trick; &ldquo;and now,
+      my dear father,&rdquo; added he, &ldquo;you will understand that it is for your best
+      interest to enter into the most minute detail as to your projects and
+      accomplices at Rome. You may then hope, my dear father, for the indulgence
+      of the Holy See&mdash;that is, if your avowals are sufficiently explicit
+      to fill up the chasms necessarily left in a confession made during
+      delirium.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, recovered from his first surprise, perceived, but too late, that he
+      had fallen into a snare, not by any words he had spoken, but by his too
+      significant movements. In fact, the Jesuit had feared for a moment that he
+      might have betrayed himself during his delirium, when he heard himself
+      accused of dark intrigues with Rome; but, after some minutes of
+      reflection, his common sense suggested: &ldquo;If this crafty Roman knew my
+      secret, he would take care not to tell me so. He has only suspicions,
+      confirmed by my involuntary start just now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin wiped the cold sweat from his burning forehead. The emotion of this
+      scene augmented his sufferings, and aggravated the danger of his
+      condition. Worn out with fatigue, he could not remain long in a sitting
+      posture, and soon fell back upon the bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Per Bacco!&rdquo; said the cardinal to himself, alarmed at the expression of
+      the Jesuit&rsquo;s face; &ldquo;if he were to die before he had spoken, and so escape
+      the snare!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, leaning over the bed, the prelate asked: &ldquo;What is the matter, my
+      very dear father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am weak, my lord&mdash;I am in pain&mdash;I cannot express what I
+      suffer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us hope, my very dear father, that this crisis will have no fatal
+      results; but the contrary may happen, and it behooves the salvation of
+      your soul to make instantly the fullest confession. Were it even to
+      exhaust your strength, what is this perishable body compared to eternal
+      life?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what confession do you speak, my lord?&rdquo; said Rodin, in a feeble and
+      yet sarcastic tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What confession!&rdquo; cried the amazed cardinal; &ldquo;why, with regard to your
+      dangerous intrigues at Rome.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What intrigues?&rdquo; asked Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The intrigues you revealed during your delirium,&rdquo; replied the prelate,
+      with still more angry impatience. &ldquo;Were not your avowals sufficiently
+      explicit? Why, then, this culpable hesitation to complete them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My avowals&mdash;were explicit&mdash;you assure me?&rdquo; said Rodin, pausing
+      after each word for want of breath, but without losing his energy and
+      presence of mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I repeat it,&rdquo; resumed the cardinal; &ldquo;with the exception of a few
+      chasms, they were most explicit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then why repeat them?&rdquo; said Rodin, with the same sardonic smile on his
+      violet lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why repeat them?&rdquo; cried the angry prelate. &ldquo;In order to gain pardon; for
+      if there is indulgence and mercy for the repentant sinner, there must be
+      condemnation and curses for the hardened criminal!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, what torture! I am dying by slow fire!&rdquo; murmured Rodin. &ldquo;Since I have
+      told all,&rdquo; he resumed, &ldquo;I have nothing more to tell. You know it already.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know all&mdash;doubtless, I know all,&rdquo; replied the prelate, in a voice
+      of thunder; &ldquo;but how have I learned it? By confessions made in a state of
+      unconsciousness. Do you think they will avail you anything? No; the moment
+      is solemn&mdash;death is at hand, tremble to die with a sacrilegious
+      falsehood on your lips,&rdquo; cried the prelate, shaking Rodin violently by the
+      arm; &ldquo;dread the eternal flames, if you dare deny what you know to be the
+      truth. Do you deny it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I deny nothing,&rdquo; murmured Rodin, with difficulty. &ldquo;Only leave me alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then heaven inspires you,&rdquo; said the cardinal, with a sigh of
+      satisfaction; and, thinking he had nearly attained his object, he resumed,
+      &ldquo;Listen to the divine word, that will guide you, father. You deny
+      nothing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was&mdash;delirious&mdash;and cannot&mdash;(oh! how I suffer!)&rdquo; added
+      Rodin, by way of parenthesis; &ldquo;and cannot therefore&mdash;deny&mdash;the
+      nonsense&mdash;I may have uttered!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But when this nonsense agrees with the truth,&rdquo; cried the prelate, furious
+      at being again deceived in his expectation; &ldquo;but when raving is an
+      involuntary, providential revelation&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30125m.jpg" alt="30125m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30125.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cardinal Malipieri&mdash;your craft is no match&mdash;for my agony,&rdquo;
+       answered Rodin, in a failing voice. &ldquo;The proof&mdash;that I have not told
+      my secret&mdash;if I have a secret&mdash;is&mdash;that you want to make me
+      tell it!&rdquo; In spite of his pain and weakness, the Jesuit had courage to
+      raise himself in the bed, and look the cardinal full in the face, with a
+      smile of bitter irony. After which he fell back on the pillow, and pressed
+      his hands to his chest, with a long sigh of anguish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Damnation! the infernal Jesuit has found me out!&rdquo; said the cardinal to
+      himself, as he stamped his foot with rage. &ldquo;He sees that he was
+      compromised by his first movement; he is now upon his guard; I shall get
+      nothing more from him&mdash;unless indeed, profiting by the state of
+      weakness in which he is, I can, by entreaties, by threats, by terror&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The prelate was unable to finish. The door opened abruptly, and Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny entered the room, exclaiming with an explosion of joy:
+      &ldquo;Excellent news!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0133" id="link2HCH0133">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXVIII. GOOD NEWS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">B</span>y the alteration in the countenance of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, his pale cheek,
+      and the feebleness of his walk, one might see that the terrible scene in
+      the square of Notre-Dame, had violently reacted upon his health. Yet his
+      face was radiant and triumphant, as he entered Rodin&rsquo;s chamber,
+      exclaiming: &ldquo;Excellent news!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words, Rodin started. In spite of his weakness, he raised his
+      head, and his eyes shone with a curious, uneasy, piercing expression. With
+      his lean hand, he beckoned Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to approach the bed, and said
+      to him, in a broken voice, so weak that it was scarcely audible: &ldquo;I am
+      very ill&mdash;the cardinal has nearly finished me&mdash;but if this
+      excellent news&mdash;relates to the Rennepont affair&mdash;of which I hear
+      nothing&mdash;it might save me yet!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be saved then!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, forgetting the recommendations
+      of Dr. Baleinier; &ldquo;read, rejoice! What you foretold is beginning to be
+      realized!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he drew a paper from his pocket, and delivered it to Rodin, who
+      seized it with an eager and trembling hand. Some minutes before, Rodin
+      would have been really incapable of continuing his conversation with the
+      cardinal, even if prudence had allowed him to do so; nor could he have
+      read a single line, so dim had his sight become. But, at the words of
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, he felt such a renewal of hope and vigor, that, by a
+      mighty effort of energy and will, he rose to a sitting posture, and, with
+      clear head, and look of intelligent animation, he read rapidly the paper
+      that Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had just delivered to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cardinal, amazed at this sudden transfiguration, asked himself if he
+      beheld the same man, who, a few minutes before, had fallen back on his
+      bed, almost insensible. Hardly had Rodin finished reading, than he uttered
+      a cry of stifled joy, saying, with an accent impossible to describe: &ldquo;ONE
+      gone! it works&mdash;&lsquo;tis well!&rdquo; And, closing his eyes in a kind of
+      ecstatic transport, a smile of proud triumph overspread his face, and
+      rendered him still more hideous, by discovering his yellow and gumless
+      teeth. His emotion was so violent, that the paper fell from his trembling
+      hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has fainted,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with uneasiness, as he leaned
+      over Rodin. &ldquo;It is my fault, I forgot that the doctor cautioned me not to
+      talk to him of serious matters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; do not reproach yourself,&rdquo; said Rodin, in a low voice, half-raising
+      himself in the bed. &ldquo;This unexpected joy may perhaps cure me. Yes&mdash;I
+      scarce know what I feel&mdash;but look at my cheeks&mdash;it seems to me,
+      that, for the first time since I have been stretched on this bed of pain,
+      they are a little warm.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin spoke the truth. A slight color appeared suddenly on his livid and
+      icy cheeks; his voice though still very weak, became less tremulous, and
+      he exclaimed, in a tone of conviction that startled Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and
+      the prelate, &ldquo;This first success answers for the others. I read the
+      future. Yes, yes; our cause will triumph. Every member of the execrable
+      Rennepont family will be crushed&mdash;and that soon you will see&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, pausing, Rodin threw himself back on the pillow, exclaiming: &ldquo;Oh! I
+      am choked with joy. My voice fails me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what is it?&rdquo; asked the cardinal of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter replied, in a tone of hypocritical sanctity: &ldquo;One of the heirs
+      of the Rennepont family, a poor fellow, worn out with excesses and
+      debauchery, died three days ago, at the close of some abominable orgies,
+      in which he had braved the cholera with sacrilegious impiety. In
+      consequence of the indisposition that kept me at home, and of another
+      circumstance, I only received to-day the certificate of the death of this
+      victim of intemperance and irreligion. I must proclaim it to the praise of
+      his reverence&rdquo;&mdash;pointing to Rodin&mdash;&ldquo;that he told me, the worst
+      enemies of the descendants of that infamous renegade would be their own
+      bad passions, and that the might look to them as our allies against the
+      whole impious race. And so it has happened with Jacques Rennepont.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see,&rdquo; said Rodin, in so faint a voice that it was almost
+      unintelligible, &ldquo;the punishment begins already. One of the Renneponts is
+      dead&mdash;and believe me&mdash;this certificate,&rdquo; and he pointed to the
+      paper that Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny held in his hand, &ldquo;will one day be worth
+      forty millions to the Society of Jesus&mdash;and that&mdash;because&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The lips alone finished the sentence. During some seconds, Rodin&rsquo;s voice
+      had become so faint, that it was at last quite imperceptible. His larynx,
+      contracted by violent emotion, no longer emitted any sound. The Jesuit,
+      far from being disconcerted by this incident, finished his phrase, as it
+      were, by expressive pantomime. Raising his head proudly he tapped his
+      forehead with his forefinger, as if to express that it was to his ability
+      this first success was owing. But he soon fell back again on the bed,
+      exhausted, breathless, sinking, with his cotton handkerchief pressed once
+      more to his parched lips. The good news, as Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny called it,
+      had not cured Rodin. For a moment only, he had had the courage to forget
+      his pain. But the slight color on his cheek soon disappeared; his face
+      became once more livid. His sufferings, suspended for a moment, were so
+      much increased in violence, that he writhed beneath the coverlet, and
+      buried his face in the pillow, extending his arms above his head, and
+      holding them stiff as bars of iron. After this crisis, intense as it was
+      rapid: during which Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the prelate bent anxiously over
+      him, Rodin, whose face was bathed in cold sweat, made a sign that he
+      suffered less, and that he wished to drink of a potion to which he
+      pointed. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny fetched it for him, and while the cardinal held
+      him up with marked disgust, the abbe administered a few spoonfuls of the
+      potion, which almost immediately produced a soothing effect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall I call M. Rousselet?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, when Rodin was once
+      more laid down in bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin shook his head; then, with a fresh effort, he raised his right hand,
+      opened it, and pointed with his forefinger to a desk in a corner of the
+      room, to signify that, being no longer able to speak, he wished to write.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand your reverence,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;but first calm
+      yourself. Presently, if you require it. I will give you writing
+      materials.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Two knocks at the outer door of the next room interrupted this scene. From
+      motives of prudence, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had begged Rousselet to remain in
+      the first of the three rooms. He now went to open the door, and Rousselet
+      handed him a voluminous packet, saying: &ldquo;I beg pardon for disturbing you,
+      father, but I was told to let you have these papers instantly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, M. Rousselet,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;do you know at what
+      hour Dr. Baleinier will return?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will not be long, father, for he wishes to perform before night the
+      painful operation, that will have a decisive effect on the condition of
+      Father Rodin. I am preparing what is necessary for it,&rdquo; added Rousselet,
+      as he pointed to a singular and formidable apparatus, which Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny examined with a kind of terror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know if the symptom is a serious one,&rdquo; said the Jesuit; &ldquo;but the
+      reverend father has suddenly lost his voice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the third time this has happened within the last week,&rdquo; said
+      Rousselet; &ldquo;the operation of Dr. Baleiner will act both on the larynx and
+      on the lungs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is the operation a very painful one?&rdquo; asked Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is, perhaps, none more cruel in surgery,&rdquo; answered the young
+      doctor; &ldquo;and Dr. Baleinier has partly concealed its nature from Father
+      Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Please to wait here for Dr. Baleinier, and send him to us as soon as he
+      arrives,&rdquo; resumed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: and, returning to the sick chamber,
+      he sat down by the bedside, and said to Rodin, as he showed him the
+      letter: &ldquo;Here are different reports with regard to different members of
+      the Rennepont family, whom I have had looked after by others, my
+      indisposition having kept me at home for the last few days. I do not know,
+      father, if the state of your health will permit you to hear&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin made a gesture, at once so supplicating and peremptory, that Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny felt there would be at least as much danger in refusing as in
+      granting his request; so, turning towards the cardinal, still inconsolable
+      at not having discovered the Jesuit&rsquo;s secret, he said to him with
+      respectful deference, pointing at the same time to the letter: &ldquo;Have I the
+      permission of your Eminence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The prelate bowed, and replied: &ldquo;Your affairs are ours, my dear father.
+      The Church must always rejoice in what rejoices your glorious Company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny unsealed the packet, and found in it different notes in
+      different handwritings. When he had read the first, his countenance
+      darkened, and he said, in a grave tone: &ldquo;A misfortune&mdash;a great
+      misfortune.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin turned his head abruptly, and looked at him with an air of uneasy
+      questioning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Florine is dead of the cholera,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;and what is
+      the worst,&rdquo; added he, crumpling the note between his hands, &ldquo;before dying,
+      the miserable creature confessed to Mdlle. de Cardoville that she long
+      acted as a spy under the orders of your reverence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No doubt the death of Florine, and the confession she had made, crossed
+      some of the plans of Rodin, for he uttered an inarticulate murmur, and his
+      countenance expressed great vexation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Passing to another note, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny continued: &ldquo;This relates to
+      Marshal Simon, and is not absolutely bad, but still far from satisfactory,
+      as it announces some amelioration in his position. We shall see if it
+      merits belief, by information from another source.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin made a sign of impatience, to hasten Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to read the
+      note, which he did as follows. &ldquo;&lsquo;For some days, the mind of the marshal
+      has appeared to be less sorrowful, anxious and agitated. He lately passed
+      two hours with his daughters, which had not been the case for some time
+      before. The harsh countenance of the soldier Dagobert is becoming smoother&mdash;a
+      sure sign of some amelioration in the condition of the marshal. Detected
+      by their handwriting, the last anonymous letters were returned by Dagobert
+      to the postman, without having been opened by the marshal. Some other
+      method must be found to get them delivered.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Looking at Rodin, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny said to him: &ldquo;Your reverence thinks
+      with me that this note is not very satisfactory?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin held down his head. One saw by the expression of his countenance how
+      much he suffered by not being able to speak. Twice he put his hand to his
+      throat, and looked at Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny with anguish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, angrily, when he had perused another note,
+      &ldquo;for one lucky chance, to-day brings some very black ones.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words turning hastily to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and extending his
+      trembling hands, Rodin questioned him with look and gesture. The cardinal,
+      sharing his uneasiness, exclaimed: &ldquo;What do you learn by this note, my
+      dear father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We thought the residence of M. Hardy in our house completely unknown,&rdquo;
+       replied Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;but we now fear that Agricola Baudoin has
+      discovered the retreat of his old master, and that he has even
+      communicated with him by letter, through a servant of the house. So,&rdquo;
+       added the reverend father, angrily, &ldquo;during the three days that I have not
+      been able to visit the pavilion, one of my servants must have been bought
+      over. There is one of them, a man blind of one eye, whom I have always
+      suspected&mdash;the wretch! But no: I will not yet believe this treachery.
+      The consequences would be too deplorable; for I know how matters stand,
+      and that such a correspondence might ruin everything. By awaking in M.
+      Hardy memories with difficulty laid asleep, they might destroy in a single
+      day all that has been done since he inhabits our house. Luckily, this note
+      contains only doubts and fears; my other information will be more
+      positive, and will not, I hope, confirm them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My dear father,&rdquo; said the cardinal, &ldquo;do not despair. The Lord will not
+      abandon the good cause!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny seemed very little consoled by this assurance. He
+      remained still and thoughtful, whilst Rodin writhed his head in a paroxysm
+      of mute rage, as he reflected on this new check.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us turn to the last note,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, after a moment of
+      thoughtful silence. &ldquo;I have so much confidence in the person who sends it,
+      that I cannot doubt the correctness of the information it contains. May it
+      contradict the others!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In order not to break the chain of facts contained in this last note,
+      which was to have so startling an effect on the actors in this scene, we
+      shall leave it to the reader&rsquo;s imagination to supply the exclamations of
+      surprise, hate, rage and fear of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and the terrific
+      pantomime of Rodin, during the perusal of this formidable document, the
+      result of the observations of a faithful and secret agent of the reverend
+      fathers. Comparing this note with the other information received, the
+      results appeared more distressing to the reverend fathers. Thus Gabriel
+      had long and frequent conferences with Adrienne, who before was unknown to
+      him. Agricola Baudoin had opened a communication with Francis Hardy, and
+      the officers of justice were on the track of the authors and instigators
+      of the riot which had led to the burning of the factory of Baron
+      Tripeaud&rsquo;s rival. It seemed almost certain that Mdlle. de Cardoville had
+      had an interview with Prince Djalma.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30135m.jpg" alt="30135m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30135.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      This combination of facts showed that, faithful to the threats she had
+      uttered to Rodin, when she had unmasked the double perfidy of the reverend
+      father, Mdlle. de Cardoville was actively engaged in uniting the scattered
+      members of her family, to form a league against those dangerous enemies,
+      whose detestable projects, once unveiled and boldly encountered, could
+      hardly have a chance of success. The reader will now understand the
+      tremendous effect of this note on Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Rodin&mdash;on
+      Rodin, stretched powerless on a bed of pain at the moment when the
+      scaffolding, raised with so much labor, seemed to be tumbling around him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0134" id="link2HCH0134">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXIX. THE OPERATION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>e have given up the attempt to paint the countenance, attitude, and
+      gesticulation of Rodin during the reading of this note, which seemed to
+      ruin all his most cherished hopes. Everything was failing at once, at the
+      moment when only superhuman trust in the success of his plans could give
+      him sufficient energy to strive against mortal sickness. A single,
+      absorbing thought had agitated him even to delirium: What progress, during
+      his illness, had been made in this immense affair? He had first heard a
+      good piece of news, the death of Jacques Rennepont; but now the advantages
+      of this decease, which reduced the number of the heirs from seven to six,
+      were entirely lost. To what purpose would be this death, if the other
+      members of the family, dispersed and persecuted with such infernal
+      perseverance, were to unite and discover the enemies who had so long aimed
+      at them in darkness? If all those wounded hearts were to console,
+      enlighten, support each other, their cause would be gained, and the
+      inheritance rescued from the reverend fathers. What was to be done?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Strange power of the human will!&mdash;Rodin had one foot in the grave, he
+      was almost at the last gasp; his voice had failed him. And yet that
+      obstinate nature, so full of energy and resources, did not despair. Let
+      but a miracle restore his health, and that firm confidence in the success
+      of his projects which has given him power to struggle against disease,
+      tells him that he could yet save all&mdash;but then he must have health
+      and life! Health! life! His physician does not know if he will survive the
+      shock&mdash;if he can bear the pain&mdash;of a terrible operation. Health!
+      life! and just now Rodin heard talk of the solemn funeral they had
+      prepared for him. And yet&mdash;health, life, he will have them. Yes; he
+      has willed to live&mdash;and he has lived&mdash;why should he not live
+      longer? He will live&mdash;because he has willed it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All that we have just written passed though Rodin&rsquo;s mind in a second. His
+      features, convulsed by the mental torment he endured, must have assumed a
+      very strange expression, for Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the cardinal looked at
+      him in silent consternation. Once resolved to live, and to sustain a
+      desperate struggle with the Rennepont family, Rodin acted in consequence.
+      For a few moments Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the prelate believed themselves
+      under the influence of a dream. By an effort of unparalleled energy, and
+      as if moved by hidden mechanism, Rodin sprang from the bed, dragging the
+      sheet with him, and trailing it, like a shroud, behind his livid and
+      fleshless body. The room was cold; the face of the Jesuit was bathed in
+      sweat; his naked and bony feet left their moist print upon the stones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What are you doing? It is death!&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, rushing
+      towards Rodin, to force him to lie down again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the latter, extending one of his skeleton arms, as hard as iron,
+      pushed aside Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny with inconceivable vigor, considering the
+      state of exhaustion in which he had so long been.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has the strength of a man in a fit of epilepsy,&rdquo; said Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, recovering his balance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a steady step Rodin advanced to the desk on which Dr. Baleinier daily
+      wrote his prescriptions. Seating himself before it, the Jesuit took pen
+      and paper, and began to write in a firm hand. His calm, slow, and sure
+      movements had in them something of the deliberateness remarked in
+      somnambulists. Mute and motionless, hardly knowing whether they dreamed or
+      not, the cardinal and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny remained staring at the incredible
+      coolness of Rodin, who, half-naked, continued to write with perfect
+      tranquillity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father,&rdquo; said the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, advancing towards him, &ldquo;this is
+      madness!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin shrugged his shoulders, stopped him with a gesture and made him a
+      sign to read what he had just written.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The reverend father expected to see the ravings of a diseased brain; but
+      he took the note, whilst Rodin commenced another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; exclaimed Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;read this!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The cardinal read the paper, and returning it to the reverend father with
+      equal amazement, added: &ldquo;It is full of reason, ability, and resources. We
+      shall thus be able to neutralize the dangerous combination of Abbe Gabriel
+      and Mdlle. de Cardoville, who appear to be the most formidable leaders of
+      the coalition.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is really miraculous,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear father!&rdquo; whispered the cardinal, shaking his head; &ldquo;what a
+      pity that we are the only witnesses of this scene! What an excellent
+      MIRACLE we could have made of it! In one sense, it is another Raising of
+      Lazarus!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What an idea, my lord!&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in a low voice. &ldquo;It
+      is perfect&mdash;and we must not give it up&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This innocent little plot was interrupted by Rodin, who, turning his head,
+      made a sign to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny to approach, and delivered to him another
+      sheet, with this note attached: &ldquo;To be executed within an hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having rapidly perused the paper, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny exclaimed: &ldquo;Right! I
+      had not thought of that. Instead of being fatal, the correspondence
+      between Agricola and M. Hardy may thus have the best results. Really,&rdquo;
+       added the reverend father in a low voice to the prelate, while Rodin
+      continued to write, &ldquo;I am quite confounded. I read&mdash;I see&mdash;and
+      yet I can hardly believe my eyes. Just before, exhausted and dying&mdash;and
+      now with his mind as clear and penetrating as ever. Can this be one of the
+      phenomena of somnambulism, in which the mind alone governs and sustains
+      the body?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly the door opened, and Dr. Baleinier entered the room. At sight of
+      Rodin, seated half-naked at the desk, with his feet upon the cold stones,
+      the doctor exclaimed, in a tone of reproach and alarm: &ldquo;But, my lord&mdash;but,
+      father&mdash;it is murder to let the unhappy man do this!&mdash;If he is
+      delirious from fever, he must have the strait-waistcoat, and be tied down
+      in bed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying. Dr. Baleinier hastily approached Rodin, and took him by the
+      arm. Instead of finding the skin dry and chilly, as he expected, he found
+      it flexible, almost damp. Struck with surprise, the doctor sought to feel
+      the pulse of the left hand, which Rodin resigned, to him, whilst he
+      continued working with the right.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a prodigy!&rdquo; cried the doctor, as he counted Rodin&rsquo;s pulse; &ldquo;for a
+      week past, and even this morning, the pulse has been abrupt, intermittent,
+      almost insensible, and now it is firm, regular&mdash;I am really puzzled&mdash;what
+      then has happened? I can hardly believe what I see,&rdquo; added the doctor,
+      turning towards Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the cardinal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The reverend father, who had first lost his voice, was next seized with
+      such furious and violent despair caused by the receipt of bad news,&rdquo;
+       answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;that we feared a moment for his life; while
+      now, on the contrary, the reverend father has gained sufficient strength
+      to go to his desk, and write for some minutes, with a clearness of
+      argument and expression, which has confounded both the cardinal and
+      myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no longer any doubt of it,&rdquo; cried the doctor. &ldquo;The violent
+      despair has caused a degree of emotion, which will admirably prepare the
+      reactive crisis, that I am now almost certain of producing by the
+      operation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You persist in the operation?&rdquo; whispered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whilst Rodin
+      continued to write.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I might have hesitated this morning; but, disposed as he now is for it, I
+      must profit by the moment of excitement, which will be followed by greater
+      depression.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, without the operation&mdash;&rdquo; said the cardinal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This fortunate and unexpected crisis will soon be over, and the reaction
+      may kill him, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you informed him of the serious nature of the operation?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pretty nearly, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But it is time to bring him to the point.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what I will do, my lord,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier; and approaching
+      Rodin, who continued to write, he thus addressed him, in a firm voice: &ldquo;My
+      reverend father, do you wish to be up and well in a week?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin nodded, full of confidence, as much as to say: &ldquo;I am up already.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not deceive yourself,&rdquo; replied the doctor. &ldquo;This crisis is excellent,
+      but it will not last, and if we would profit by it, we must proceed with
+      the operation of which I have spoken to you&mdash;or, I tell you plainly,
+      I answer for nothing after such a shock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin was the more struck with these words, as, half an hour ago, he had
+      experienced the short duration of the improvement occasioned by Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny&rsquo;s good news, and as already he felt increased oppression on the
+      chest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dr. Baleinier, wishing to decide him, added: &ldquo;In a word, father, will you
+      live or die?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin wrote rapidly this answer, which he gave to the doctor: &ldquo;To live, I
+      would let you cut me limb from limb. I am ready for anything.&rdquo; And he made
+      a movement to rise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must tell you, reverend father, so as not to take you by surprise,&rdquo;
+       added Dr. Baleinier, &ldquo;that this operation is cruelly painful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin shrugged his shoulders and wrote with a firm hand: &ldquo;Leave me my
+      head; you may take all the rest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The doctor read these words aloud, and the cardinal and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      looked at each other in admiration of this dauntless courage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Reverend father,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, &ldquo;you must lie down.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin wrote: &ldquo;Get everything ready. I have still some orders to write. Let
+      me know when it is time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then folding up a paper, which he had sealed with a wafer, Rodin gave
+      these words to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;Send this note instantly to the agent
+      who addressed the anonymous letters to Marshal Simon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Instantly, reverend father,&rdquo; replied the abbe; &ldquo;I will employ a sure
+      messenger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Reverend father,&rdquo; said Baleinier to Rodin, &ldquo;since you must write, lie
+      down in bed, and write there, during our little preparations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin made an affirmative gesture, and rose. But already the prognostics
+      of the doctor were realized. The Jesuit could hardly remain standing for a
+      second; he fell back into a chair, and looked at Dr. Baleinier with
+      anguish, whilst his breathing became more and more difficult.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The doctor said to him: &ldquo;Do not be uneasy. But we must make haste. Lean
+      upon me and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Aided by these two supporters, Rodin was able to regain the bed. Once
+      there, he made signs that they should bring him pen, ink, and paper. Then
+      he continued to write upon his knees, pausing from time to time, to
+      breathe with great difficulty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Reverend father,&rdquo; said Baleinier to d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;are you capable of
+      acting as one of my assistants in the operation? Have you that sort of
+      courage?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said the reverend father; &ldquo;in the army I could never assist at an
+      amputation. The sight of blood is too much for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There will be no blood,&rdquo; said the doctor, &ldquo;but it will be worse. Please
+      send me three of our reverend fathers to assist me, and ask M. Rousselet
+      to bring in the apparatus.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny went out. The prelate approached the doctor, and
+      whispered, pointing to Rodin: &ldquo;Is he out of danger?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If he stands the operation&mdash;yes, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are you sure that he can stand it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To him I should say &lsquo;yes,&rsquo; to you &lsquo;I hope so.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And were he to die, would there be time to administer the sacraments in
+      public, with a certain pomp, which always causes some little delay?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His dying may continue, my lord&mdash;a quarter of an hour.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is short, but we must be satisfied with that,&rdquo; said the prelate.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30141m.jpg" alt="30141m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30141.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      And, going to one of the windows, he began to tap with his fingers on the
+      glass, while he thought of the illumination effects, in the event of
+      Rodin&rsquo;s lying in state. At this moment, Rousselet entered, with a large
+      square box under his arm. He placed it on the drawers, and began to
+      arrange his apparatus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How many have you prepared?&rdquo; said the doctor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Six, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Four will do, but it is well to be fully provided. The cotton is not too
+      thick?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how is the reverend father?&rdquo; asked the pupil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Humph!&rdquo; answered the doctor, in a whisper. &ldquo;The chest is terribly
+      clogged, the respiration hissing, the voice gone&mdash;still there is a
+      change.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All my fear is, sir, that the reverend father will not be able to stand
+      the dreadful pain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is another chance; but, under the circumstances, we must risk all.
+      Come, my dear boy, light the&mdash;taper; I hear our assistants.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny entered the room, accompanied by the three
+      Jesuits, who, in the morning, had walked in the garden. The two old men,
+      with their rosy cheeks, and the young one, with the ascetic countenance,
+      all three dressed in black, with their square caps and white bands,
+      appeared perfectly ready to assist Dr. Baleinier in his formidable
+      operation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0135" id="link2HCH0135">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXX. THE TORTURE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Reverend fathers,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, graciously, to the three, &ldquo;I thank
+      you for your kind aid. What you have to do is very simple, and, by the
+      blessing of heaven, this operation will save the life of our dear Father
+      Rodin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The three black-gowns cast up their eyes piously, and then bowed
+      altogether, like one man. Rodin, indifferent to what was passing around
+      him, never ceased an instant to write or reflect. Nevertheless, in spite
+      of his apparent calmness, he felt such difficulty in breathing, that more
+      than once Dr. Baleinier had turned round uneasily, as he heard the stifled
+      rattling in the throat of the sick man. Making a sign to his pupil, the
+      doctor approached Rodin and said to him: &ldquo;Come, reverend father; this is
+      the important moment. Courage!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No sign of alarm was expressed in the Jesuit&rsquo;s countenance. His features
+      remained impassible as those of a corpse. Only, his little reptile eyes
+      sparkled still more brightly in their dark cavities. For a moment, he
+      looked round at the spectators of this scene; then, taking his pen between
+      his teeth, he folded and wafered another letter, placed it on the table
+      beside the bed, and nodded to Dr. Baleinier, as if to say: &ldquo;I am ready.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must take off your flannel waistcoat, and your shirt, father.&rdquo; Rodin
+      hesitated an instant, and the doctor resumed: &ldquo;It is absolutely necessary,
+      father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Aided by Baleinier, Rodin obeyed, whilst the doctor added, no doubt to
+      spare his modesty: &ldquo;We shall only require the chest, right and left, my
+      dear father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And now, Rodin, stretched upon his back, with his dirty night-cap still on
+      his head, exposed the upper part of a livid trunk, or rather, the bony
+      cage of a skeleton, for the shadows of the ribs and cartilages encircled
+      the skin with deep, black lines. As for the arms, they resembled bones
+      twisted with cord and covered with tanned parchment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, M. Rousselet, the apparatus!&rdquo; said Baleinier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then addressing the three Jesuits, he added: &ldquo;Please draw near, gentlemen;
+      what you have to do is very simple, as you will see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was indeed very simple. The doctor gave to each of his four assistants
+      a sort of little steel tripod about two inches in diameter and three in
+      height; the circular centre of this tripod was filled with cotton; the
+      instrument was held in the left hand by means of a wooden handle. In the
+      right hand each assistant held a small tin tube about eighteen inches
+      long; at one end was a mouthpiece to receive the lips of the operator, and
+      the other spread out so as to form a cover to the little tripod. These
+      preparations had nothing alarming in them. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and the
+      prelate, who looked on from a little distance, could not understand how
+      this operation should be so painful. They soon understood it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dr. Baleinier, having thus provided his four assistants, made them
+      approach Rodin, whose bed had been rolled into the middle of the room. Two
+      of them were placed on one side, two on the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, gentlemen,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier, &ldquo;set light to the cotton; place the
+      lighted part on the skin of his reverence, by means of the tripod which
+      contains the wick; cover the tripod with the broad part of the tube, and
+      then blow through the other end to keep up the fire. It is very simple, as
+      you see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It was, in fact, full of the most patriarchal and primitive ingenuity.
+      Four lighted cotton rocks, so disposed as to burn very slowly, were
+      applied to the two sides of Rodin&rsquo;s chest. This is vulgarly called the
+      moxa. The trick is done, when the whole thickness of the skin has been
+      burnt slowly through. It lasts seven or eight minutes. They say that an
+      amputation is nothing to it. Rodin had watched the preparations with
+      intrepid curiosity. But, at the first touch of the four fires, he writhed
+      like a serpent, without being able to utter a cry. Even the expression of
+      pain was denied him. The four assistants being disturbed by, the sudden
+      start of Rodin, it was necessary to begin again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Courage, my dear father! offer these sufferings to the Lord!&rdquo; said Dr.
+      Baleinier, in a sanctified tone. &ldquo;I told you the operation would be very
+      painful; but then it is salutary in proportion. Come; you that have shown
+      such decisive resolution, do not fail at the last movement!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin had closed his eyes, conquered by the first agony of pain. He now
+      opened them, and looked at the doctor as if ashamed of such weakness. And
+      yet on the sides of his chest were four large, bleeding wounds&mdash;so
+      violent had been the first singe. As he again extended himself on the bed
+      of torture, Rodin made a sign that he wished to write. The doctor gave him
+      the pen, and he wrote as follows, by way of memorandum; &ldquo;It is better not
+      to lose any time. Inform Baron Tripeaud of the warrant issued against
+      Leonard, so that he may be on his guard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Having written this note, the Jesuit gave it to Dr. Baleinier, to hand it
+      to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who was as much amazed as the doctor and the
+      cardinal, at such extraordinary presence of mind in the midst of such
+      horrible pain. Rodin, with his eyes fixed on the reverend father, seemed
+      to wait with impatience for him to leave the room to execute his orders.
+      Guessing the thought of Rodin, the doctor whispered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who
+      went out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, reverend father,&rdquo; said the doctor, &ldquo;we must begin again. This time
+      do not move.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin did not answer, but clasped his hands over his head, closed his
+      eyes, and presented his chest. It was a strange, lugubrious, almost
+      fantastic spectacle. The three priests, in their long black gowns, leaned
+      over this body, which almost resembled a corpse, and blowing through their
+      tubes into the chest of the patient, seemed as if pumping up his blood by
+      some magic charm. A sickening odor of burnt flesh began to spread through
+      the silent chamber, and each assistant heard a slight crackling beneath
+      the smoking trivet; it was the skin of Rodin giving way to the action of
+      fire, and splitting open in four different parts of his chest. The sweat
+      poured from his livid face, which it made to shine; a few locks of his
+      gray hair stood up stiff and moist from his temples. Sometimes the spasms
+      were so violent, that the veins swelled on his stiffened arms, and were
+      stretched like cords ready to break.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Enduring this frightful torture with as much intrepid resignation as the
+      savage whose glory consists in despising pain, Rodin gathered his strength
+      and courage from the hope&mdash;we had almost said the certainty&mdash;of
+      life. Such was the make of this dauntless character, such the energy of
+      this powerful mind, that, in the midst of indescribable torments, his one
+      fixed idea never left him. During the rare intervals of suffering&mdash;for
+      pain is equal even at this degree of intensity&mdash;Rodin still thought
+      of the Rennepont inheritance, and calculated his chances, and combined his
+      measures, feeling that he had not a minute to lose. Dr. Baleinier watched
+      him with extreme attention, waiting for the effects of the reaction of
+      pain upon the patient, who seemed already to breathe with less difficulty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly Rodin placed his hand on his forehead, as if struck with some new
+      idea, and turning his head towards Dr. Baleinier, made a sign to him to
+      suspend the operation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must tell you, reverend father,&rdquo; answered the doctor, &ldquo;that it is not
+      half finished, and, if we leave off, the renewal will be more painful&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin made a sign that he did not care, and that he wanted to write.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gentlemen, stop a moment,&rdquo; said Dr. Baleinier; &ldquo;keep down your moxas, but
+      do not blow the fire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So the fire was to burn slowly, instead of fiercely, but still upon the
+      skin of the patient. In spite of this pain, less intense, but still sharp
+      and keen, Rodin, stretched upon his back, began to write, holding the
+      paper above his head. On the first sheet he traced some alphabetic signs,
+      part of a cipher known to himself alone. In the midst of the torture, a
+      luminous idea had crossed his mind; fearful of forgetting it amidst his
+      sufferings, he now took note of it. On another paper he wrote the
+      following, which was instantly delivered to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;Send B.
+      immediately to Faringhea, for the report of the last few days with regard
+      to Djalma, and let B. bring it hither on the instant.&rdquo; Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      went out to execute this new order. The cardinal approached a little
+      nearer to the scene of the operation, for, in spite of the bad odor of the
+      room, he took delight in seeing the Jesuit half roasted, having long
+      cherished against him the rancor of an Italian and a priest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, reverend father,&rdquo; said the doctor to Rodin, &ldquo;continue to be
+      admirably courageous, and your chest will free itself. You have still a
+      bitter moment to go through&mdash;and then I have good hope.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The patient resumed his former position. The moment Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      returned, Rodin questioned him with a look, to which the reverend father
+      replied by a nod. At a sign from the doctor, the four assistants began to
+      blow through the tubes with all their might. This increase of torture was
+      so horrible, that, in spite of his self-control, Rodin gnashed his teeth,
+      started convulsively, and so expanded his palpitating chest, that, after a
+      violent spasm, there rose from his throat and lungs a scream of terrific
+      pain&mdash;but it was free, loud, sonorous.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The chest is free!&rdquo; cried the doctor, in triumph. &ldquo;The lungs have play&mdash;the
+      voice returns&mdash;he is saved!&mdash;Blow, gentlemen, blow; and,
+      reverend father, cry out as much as you please: I shall be delighted to
+      hear you, for it will give you relief. Courage! I answer for the result.
+      It is a wonderful cure. I will publish it by sound of trumpet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Allow me, doctor,&rdquo; whispered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, as he approached Dr.
+      Baleinier; &ldquo;the cardinal can witness, that I claimed beforehand the
+      publication of this affair&mdash;as a miraculous fact.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let it be miraculous then,&rdquo; answered Dr. Baleinier, disappointed&mdash;for
+      he set some value on his own work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On hearing he was saved, Rodin though his sufferings were perhaps worse
+      than ever, for the fire had now pierced the scarf-skin, assumed almost an
+      infernal beauty. Through the painful contraction of his features shone the
+      pride of savage triumph; the monster felt that he was becoming once more
+      strong and powerful, and he seemed conscious the evils that his fatal
+      resurrection was to cause. And so, of still writhing beneath the flames,
+      he pronounced these words, the first that struggled from his chest: &ldquo;I
+      told you I should live!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You told us true,&rdquo; cried the doctor, feeling his pulse; &ldquo;the circulation
+      is now full and regular, the lungs are free. The reaction is complete. You
+      are saved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, the last shreds of cotton had burnt out. The trivets were
+      withdrawn, and on the skeleton trunk of Rodin were seen four large round
+      blisters. The skin still smoked, and the raw flesh was visible beneath. In
+      one of his sudden movements, a lamp had been misplaced, and one of these
+      burns was larger than the other, presenting as it were to the eye a double
+      circle. Rodin looked down upon his wounds. After some seconds of silent
+      contemplation, a strange smile curled his lips. Without changing his
+      position, he glanced at Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny with an expression impossible to
+      describe, and said to him, as he slowly counted the wounds touching them
+      with his flat and dirty nail: &ldquo;Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, what an omen!&mdash;Look
+      here! one Rennepont&mdash;two Renneponts&mdash;three Renneponts&mdash;four
+      Renneponts&mdash;where is then the fifth!&mdash;Ah! here&mdash;this wound
+      will count for two. They are twins.&rdquo;(41) And he emitted a little dry,
+      bitter laugh. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, the cardinal, and Dr. Baleinier, alone
+      understood the sense of these mysterious and fatal words, which Rodin soon
+      completed by a terrible allusion, as he exclaimed, with prophetic voice,
+      and almost inspired air: &ldquo;Yes, I say it. The impious race will be reduced
+      to ashes, like the fragments of this poor flesh. I say it, and it will be
+      so. I said I would live&mdash;and I do live!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (41) Jacques Rennepont being dead, and Gabriel out of the field, in
+      consequence of his donation, there remained only five persons of the
+      family&mdash;Rose and Blanche, Djalma, Adrienne, and Hardy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0136" id="link2HCH0136">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXI. VICE AND VIRTUE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>wo days have elapsed since Rodin was miraculously restored to life. The
+      reader will not have forgotten the house in the Rue Clovis, where the
+      reverend father had an apartment, and where also was the lodging of
+      Philemon, inhabited by Rose-Pompon. It is about three o&rsquo;clock in the
+      afternoon. A bright ray of light, penetrating through a round hole in the
+      door Mother Arsene&rsquo;s subterraneous shop, forms a striking contrast with
+      the darkness of this cavern. The ray streams full upon a melancholy
+      object. In the midst of fagots and faded vegetables, and close to a great
+      heap of charcoal, stands a wretched bed; beneath the sheet, which covers
+      it, can be traced the stiff and angular proportions of a corpse. It is the
+      body of Mother Arsene herself, who died two days before, of the cholera.
+      The burials have been so numerous, that there has been no time to remove
+      her remains. The Rue Clovis is almost deserted. A mournful silence reigns
+      without, often broken by the sharp whistling of the north wind. Between
+      the squalls, one hears a sort of pattering. It is the noise of the large
+      rats, running to and fro across the heap of charcoal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, another sound is heard, and these unclean animals fly to hide
+      themselves in their holes. Some one is trying to force open the door,
+      which communicates between the shop and the passage. It offers but little
+      resistance, and, in a few seconds, the worn-out lock gives way, and a
+      woman enters. For a short time she stands motionless in the obscurity of
+      the damp and icy cave. After a minute&rsquo;s hesitation, the woman advances and
+      the ray of light illumines the features of the Bacchanal Queen. Slowly,
+      she approached the funeral couch. Since the death of Jacques, the
+      alteration in the countenance of Cephyse had gone on increasing. Fearfully
+      pale, with her fine black hair in disorder, her legs and feet naked, she
+      was barely covered with an old patched petticoat and a very ragged
+      handkerchief.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30149m.jpg" alt="30149m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30149.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      When she came near the bed, she cast a glance of almost savage assurance
+      at the shroud. Suddenly she drew back, with a low cry of involuntary
+      terror. The sheet moved with a rapid undulation, extending from the feet
+      to the head of the corpse. But soon the sight of a rat, flying along the
+      side of the worm-eaten bedstead, explained the movement of the shroud.
+      Recovering from her fright, Cephyse began to look for several things, and
+      collected them in haste, as though she dreaded being surprised in the
+      miserable shop. First, she seized a basket, and filled it with charcoal;
+      then, looking from side to side, she discovered in a corner an earthen
+      pot, which she took with a burst of ominous joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not all, it is not all,&rdquo; said Cephyse, as she continued to search
+      with an unquiet air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last she perceived near the stove a little tin box, containing flint,
+      steel and matches. She placed these articles on the top of the basket, and
+      took it in one hand, and the earthen pot in the other. As she passed near
+      the corpse of the poor charcoal-dealer, Cephyse said, with a strange
+      smile: &ldquo;I rob you, poor Mother Arsene, but my theft will not do me much
+      good.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Cephyse left the shop, reclosed the door as well as she could, went up the
+      passage, and crossed the little court-yard which separated the front of
+      the building from that part in which Rodin had lodged. With the exception
+      of the windows of Philemon&rsquo;s apartment, where Rose-Pompon had so often sat
+      perched like a bird, warbling Beranger, the other windows of the house
+      were open. There had been deaths on the first and second floors, and, like
+      many others, they were waiting for the cart piled up with coffins.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Bacchanal Queen gained the stairs, which led to the chambers formerly
+      occupied by Rodin. Arrived at the landing-place she ascended another
+      ruinous staircase, steep as a ladder, and with nothing but an old rope for
+      a rail. She at length reached the half-rotten door of a garret, situated
+      in the roof. The house was in such a state of dilapidation, that, in many
+      places the roof gave admission to the rain, and allowed it to penetrate
+      into this cell, which was not above ten feet square, and lighted by an
+      attic window. All the furniture consisted of an old straw mattress, laid
+      upon the ground, with the straw peeping out from a rent in its ticking; a
+      small earthenware pitcher, with the spout broken, and containing a little
+      water, stood by the side of this couch. Dressed in rags, Mother Bunch was
+      seated on the side of the mattress, with her elbows on her knees, and her
+      face concealed in her thin, white hands. When Cephyse entered the room,
+      the adopted sister of Agricola raised her head; her pale, mild face seemed
+      thinner than ever, hollow with suffering, grief, misery; her eyes, red
+      with weeping, were fixed on her sister with an expression of mournful
+      tenderness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have what we want, sister,&rdquo; said Cephyse, in a low, deep voice; &ldquo;in
+      this basket there is wherewith to finish our misery.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, showing to Mother Bunch the articles she had just placed on the
+      floor, she added: &ldquo;For the first time in my life, I have been a thief. It
+      made me ashamed and frightened; I was never intended for that or worse. It
+      is a pity.&rdquo; added she, with a sardonic smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, the hunchback said to her sister, in a heart
+      rending tone: &ldquo;Cephyse&mdash;my dear Cephyse&mdash;are you quite
+      determined to die?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How should I hesitate?&rdquo; answered Cephyse, in a firm voice. &ldquo;Come, sister,
+      let us once more make our reckoning. If even I could forget my shame, and
+      Jacques&rsquo; contempt in his last moments, what would remain to me? Two
+      courses only: first, to be honest, and work for my living. But you know
+      that, in spite of the best will in the world, work will often fail, as it
+      has failed for the last few days, and, even when I got it, I would have to
+      live on four to five francs a week. Live? that is to say, die by inches. I
+      know that already, and I prefer dying at once. The other course would be
+      to live a life of infamy&mdash;and that I will not do. Frankly, sister,
+      between frightful misery, infamy, or death, can the choice be doubtful?
+      Answer me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, without giving Mother Bunch time to speak, Cephyse added, in an
+      abrupt tone: &ldquo;Besides, what is the good of discussing it? I have made up
+      my mind, and nothing shall prevent my purpose, since all that you, dear
+      sister, could obtain from me, was a delay of a few days, to see if the
+      cholera would not save us the trouble. To please you I consented; the
+      cholera has come, killed every one else in the house, but left us. You
+      see, it is better to do one&rsquo;s own business,&rdquo; added she, again smiling
+      bitterly. Then she resumed: &ldquo;Besides, dear sister, you also wish to finish
+      with life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, Cephyse,&rdquo; answered the sempstress, who seemed very much
+      depressed; &ldquo;but alone&mdash;one has only to answer for one&rsquo;s self&mdash;and
+      to die with you,&rdquo; added she, shuddering, &ldquo;appears like being an accomplice
+      in your death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you wish, then, to make an end of it, I in one place, you in another?&mdash;that
+      would be agreeable!&rdquo; said Cephyse, displaying in that terrible moment the
+      sort of bitter and despairing irony which is more frequent than may be
+      imagined in the midst of mortal anguish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no, no!&rdquo; said the other in alarm, &ldquo;not alone&mdash;I will not die
+      alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not see, dear sister, we are right not to part? And yet,&rdquo; added
+      Cephyse, in a voice of emotion, &ldquo;my heart almost breaks sometimes, to
+      think that you will die like me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How selfish!&rdquo; said the hunchback, with a faint smile. &ldquo;What reasons have
+      I to love life? What void shall I leave behind me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you are a martyr, sister,&rdquo; resumed Cephyse. &ldquo;The priests talk of
+      saints! Is there one of them so good as you? And yet you are about to die
+      like me, who have always been idle, careless, sinful&mdash;while you were
+      so hardworking, so devoted to all who suffered. What should I say? You
+      were an angel on the earth; and yet you will die like me, who have fallen
+      as low as a woman can fall,&rdquo; added the unfortunate, casting down her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, thoughtfully. &ldquo;Starting from the
+      same point, we have followed different roads, and yet we have reached the
+      same goal&mdash;disgust of life. For you, my poor sister, but a few days
+      ago, life was so fair, so full of pleasure and of youth; and now it is
+      equally heavy with us both. After all, I have followed to the end what was
+      my duty,&rdquo; added she, mildly. &ldquo;Agricola no longer needs me. He is married;
+      he loves, and is beloved; his happiness is secured. Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      wants for nothing. Fair, rich, prosperous&mdash;what could a poor creature
+      like myself do for her? Those who have been kind to me are happy. What
+      prevents my going now to my rest? I am so weary!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor sister!&rdquo; said Cephyse, with touching emotion, which seemed to expand
+      her contracted features; &ldquo;when I think that, without informing me, and in
+      spite of your resolution never to see that generous young lady, who
+      protected you, you yet had the courage to drag yourself to her house,
+      dying with fatigue and want, to try to interest her in my fate&mdash;yes,
+      dying, for your strength failed on the Champs-Elysees.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And when I was able to reach the mansion, Mdlle. de Cardoville was
+      unfortunately absent&mdash;very unfortunately!&rdquo; repeated the hunchback, as
+      she looked at Cephyse with anguish; &ldquo;for the next day, seeing that our
+      last resource had failed us, thinking more of me than of yourself, and
+      determined at any price to procure us bread&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She could not finish. She buried her face in her hands, and shuddered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I did as so many other hapless women have done when work fails or
+      wages do not suffice, and hunger becomes too pressing,&rdquo; replied Cephyse,
+      in a broken voice; &ldquo;only that, unlike so many others, instead of living on
+      my shame, I shall die of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! this terrible shame which kills you, my poor Cephyse, because you
+      have a heart, would have been averted, had I seen Mdlle. de Cardoville, or
+      had she but answered the letter which I asked leave to write to her at the
+      porter&rsquo;s lodge. But her silence proves to me that she is justly hurt at my
+      abrupt departure from her house. I can understand it; she believes me
+      guilty of the blackest ingratitude&mdash;for she must have been greatly
+      offended not to have deigned to answer me&mdash;and therefore I had not
+      the courage to write a second time. It would have been useless, I am sure;
+      for, good and just as she is, her refusals are inexorable when she
+      believes them deserved. And besides, for what good? It was too late; you
+      had resolved to die!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes, quite resolved: for my infamy was gnawing at my heart. Jacques
+      had died in my arms despising me; and I loved him&mdash;mark me, sister,&rdquo;
+       added Cephyse, with passionate enthusiasm, &ldquo;I loved him as we love only
+      once in life!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let our fate be accomplished, then!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch with a pensive
+      air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you have never told me, sister, the cause of your departure from
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s,&rdquo; resumed Cephyse, after a moment&rsquo;s silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will be the only secret that I shall take with me, dear Cephyse,&rdquo; said
+      the other, casting down her eyes. And she thought, with bitter joy, that
+      she would soon be delivered from the fear which had poisoned the last days
+      of her sad life&mdash;the fear of meeting Agricola, informed of the fatal
+      and ridiculous love she felt for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For, it must be said, this fatal and despairing love was one of the causes
+      of the suicide of the unfortunate creature. Since the disappearance of her
+      journal, she believed that the blacksmith knew the melancholy secret
+      contained in its sad pages. She doubted not the generosity and good heart
+      of Agricola; but she had such doubts of herself, she was so ashamed of
+      this passion, however pure and noble, that, even in the extremity to which
+      Cephyse and herself were reduced&mdash;wanting work, wanting bread&mdash;no
+      power on earth could have induced her to meet Agricola, in an attempt to
+      ask him for assistance. Doubtless, she would have taken another view of
+      the subject if her mind had not been obscured by that sort of dizziness to
+      which the firmest characters are exposed when their misfortunes surpass
+      all bounds. Misery, hunger, the influence, almost contagious in such a
+      moment, of the suicidal ideas of Cephyse, and weariness of a life so long
+      devoted to pain and mortification, gave the last blow to the sewing-girl&rsquo;s
+      reason. After long struggling against the fatal design of her sister, the
+      poor, dejected, broken-hearted creature finished by determining to share
+      Cephyse&rsquo;s fate, and seek in death the end of so many evils.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what are you thinking, sister?&rdquo; said Cephyse, astonished at the long
+      silence. The other replied, trembling: &ldquo;I think of that which made me
+      leave Mdlle. de Cardoville so abruptly, and appear so ungrateful in her
+      eyes. May the fatality which drove me from her house have made no other
+      victims! may my devoted service, however obscure and powerless, never be
+      missed by her, who extended her noble hand to the poor sempstress, and
+      deigned to call me sister! May she be happy&mdash;oh, ever happy!&rdquo; said
+      Mother Bunch, clasping her hands with the ardor of a sincere invocation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is noble, sister&mdash;such a wish in such a moment!&rdquo; said Cephyse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; said her sister, with energy, &ldquo;I loved, I admired that marvel of
+      genius, and heart, and ideal beauty&mdash;I viewed her with pious respect&mdash;for
+      never was the power of the Divinity revealed in a more adorable and purer
+      creation. At least one of my last thoughts will have been of her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you will have loved and respected your generous patroness to the
+      last.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the last!&rdquo; said the poor girl, after a moment&rsquo;s silence. &ldquo;It is true&mdash;you
+      are right&mdash;it will soon be the last!&mdash;in a few moments, all will
+      be finished. See how calmly we can talk of that which frightens so many
+      others!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, we are calm because we are resolved.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Quite resolved, Cephyse,&rdquo; said the hunchback, casting once more a deep
+      and penetrating glance upon her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes, if you are only as determined as I am.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied; if I put off from day to day the final moment,&rdquo; answered
+      the sempstress, &ldquo;it was because I wished to give you time to reflect. As
+      for me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She did not finish, but she shook her head with an air of the utmost
+      despondency.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, sister, let us kiss each other,&rdquo; said Cephyse; &ldquo;and, courage!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The hunchback rose, and threw herself into her sister&rsquo;s arms. They held
+      one another fast in a long embrace. There followed a few seconds of deep
+      and solemn silence, only interrupted by the sobs of the sisters, for now
+      they had begun to weep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, heaven! to love each other so, and to part forever!&rdquo; said Cephyse.
+      &ldquo;It is a cruel fate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To part?&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, and her pale, mild countenance, bathed in
+      tears, was suddenly illumined with a ray of divine hope; &ldquo;to part, sister?
+      oh, no! What makes me so calm is the deep and certain expectation, which I
+      feel here at my heart, of that better world where a better life awaits us.
+      God, so great, so merciful, so prodigal of good, cannot destine His
+      creatures to be forever miserable. Selfish men may pervert His benevolent
+      designs, and reduce their brethren to a state of suffering and despair.
+      Let us pity the wicked and leave them! Come up on high, sister; men are
+      nothing there, where God is all. We shall do well there. Let us depart,
+      for it is late.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, she pointed to the ruddy beams of the setting sun, which began
+      to shine upon the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Carried away by the religious enthusiasm of her sister, whose countenance,
+      transfigured, as it were, by the hope of an approaching deliverance,
+      gleamed brightly in the reflected sunset, Cephyse took her hands, and,
+      looking at her with deep emotion, exclaimed, &ldquo;Oh, sister! how beautiful
+      you look now!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then my beauty comes rather late in the day,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with a
+      sad smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sister; for you appear so happy, that the last scruples I had upon
+      your account are quite gone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then let us make haste,&rdquo; said the hunchback, as she pointed to the
+      chafing-dish.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, sister&mdash;it will not be long,&rdquo; said Cephyse. And she
+      took the chafing-dish full of charcoal, which she had placed in a corner
+      of the garret, and brought it out into the middle of the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know how to manage it?&rdquo; asked the sewing-girl approaching.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! it is very simple,&rdquo; answered Cephyse; &ldquo;we have only to close the door
+      and window, and light the charcoal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sister; but I think I have heard that every opening must be well
+      stopped, so as to admit no current of air.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, and the door shuts so badly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And look at the holes in the roof.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is to be done, sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell you,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch. &ldquo;The straw of our mattress, well
+      twisted, will answer every purpose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; replied Cephyse. &ldquo;We will keep a little to light our fire,
+      and with the rest we will stop up all the crevices in the roof, and make
+      filling for our doors and windows.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, smiling with that bitter irony, so frequent, we repeat, in the most
+      gloomy moments, Cephyse added, &ldquo;I say, sister, weather-boards at our doors
+      and windows, to prevent the air from getting in&mdash;what a luxury! we
+      are as delicate as rich people.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At such a time, we may as well try to make ourselves a little
+      comfortable,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, trying to jest like the Bacchanal Queen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And with incredible coolness, the two began to twist the straw into
+      lengths of braid, small enough to be stuffed into the cracks of the door,
+      and also constructed large plugs, destined to stop up the crevices in the
+      roof. While this mournful occupation lasted, there was no departure from
+      the calm and sad resignation of the two unfortunate creatures.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30157m.jpg" alt="30157m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30157.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0137" id="link2HCH0137">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXII. SUICIDE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">C</span>ephyse and her sister continued with calmness the preparations for their
+      death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Alas! how many poor young girls, like these sisters, have been, and still
+      will be, fatally driven to seek in suicide a refuge from despair, from
+      infamy, or from a too miserable existence! And upon society will rest the
+      terrible responsibility of these sad deaths, so long as thousands of human
+      creatures, unable to live upon the mockery of wages granted to their
+      labor, have to choose between these three gulfs of shame and woe; a life
+      of enervating toil and mortal privations, causes of premature death;
+      prostitution, which kills also, but slowly&mdash;by contempt, brutality,
+      and uncleanness; suicide&mdash;which kills at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few minutes, the two sisters had constructed, with the straw of their
+      couch, the calkings necessary to intercept the air, and to render
+      suffocation more expeditious and certain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The hunchback said to her sister, &ldquo;You are the taller, Cephyse, and must
+      look to the ceiling; I will take care of the window and door.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, sister; I shall have finished before you,&rdquo; answered
+      Cephyse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the two began carefully to stop up every crevice through which a
+      current of air could penetrate into the ruined garret. Thanks to her tall
+      stature, Cephyse was able to reach the holes in the roof, and to close
+      them up entirely. When they had finished this sad work, the sisters again
+      approached, and looked at each other in silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The fatal moment drew near; their faces, though still calm, seemed
+      slightly agitated by that strange excitement which always accompanies a
+      double suicide.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, &ldquo;now for the fire!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She knelt down before the little chafing-dish, filled with charcoal. But
+      Cephyse took hold of her under the arm, and obliged her to rise again,
+      saying to her, &ldquo;Let me light the fire&mdash;that is my business.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, Cephyse&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know, poor sister, that the smell of charcoal gives you the
+      headache!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the simplicity of this speech, for the Bacchanal Queen had spoken
+      seriously, the sisters could not forbear smiling sadly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind,&rdquo; resumed Cephyse; &ldquo;why suffer more and sooner than is
+      necessary?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, pointing to the mattress, which still contained a little straw,
+      Cephyse added, &ldquo;Lie down there, good little sister; when our fire is
+      alight, I will come and sit down by you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not be long, Cephyse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In five minutes it will be done.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The tall building, which faced the street, was separated by a narrow court
+      from that which contained the retreat of the two sisters, and was so much
+      higher, that when the sun had once disappeared behind its lofty roof, the
+      garret soon became dark. The light, passing through the dirty panes of the
+      small window, fell faintly on the blue and white patchwork of the old
+      mattress, on which Mother Bunch was now stretched, covered with rags.
+      Leaning on her left arm, with her chin resting in the palm of her hand,
+      she looked after her sister with an expression of heart-rending grief.
+      Cephyse, kneeling over the chafing-dish, with her face close to the black
+      charcoal, above which already played a little bluish flame, exerted
+      herself to blow the newly-kindled fire, which was reflected on the pale
+      countenance of the unhappy girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The silence was deep. No sound was heard but the panting breath of
+      Cephyse, and, at intervals, the slight crackling of the charcoal, which
+      began to burn, and already sent forth a faint sickening vapor. Cephyse,
+      seeing the fire completely lighted, and feeling already a little dizzy,
+      rose from the ground, and said to her sister, as she approached her, &ldquo;It
+      is done!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, kneeling on the mattress, whilst Cephyse
+      remained standing, &ldquo;how shall we place ourselves? I should like to be near
+      you to the last.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stop!&rdquo; said Cephyse, half executing the measures of which she spoke, &ldquo;I
+      will sit on the mattress with my back against the wall. Now, little
+      sister, you lie there. Lean your head upon my knees, and give me your
+      hand. Are you comfortable so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;but I cannot see you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is better. It seems there is a moment&mdash;very short, it is true&mdash;in
+      which one suffers a good deal. And,&rdquo; added Cephyse, in a voice of emotion,
+      &ldquo;it will be as well not to see each other suffer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, Cephyse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me kiss that beautiful hair for the last time,&rdquo; said Cephyse, as she
+      pressed her lips to the silky locks which crowned the hunchback&rsquo;s pale and
+      melancholy countenance, &ldquo;and then&mdash;we will remain very quiet.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, your hand,&rdquo; said the sewing-girl; &ldquo;for the last time, your hand&mdash;and
+      then, as you say, we will move no more. We shall not have to wait long, I
+      think, for I begin to feel dizzy. And you, sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not yet,&rdquo; replied Cephyse; &ldquo;I only perceive the smell of the charcoal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know where they will bury us?&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, after a moment&rsquo;s
+      silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No. Why do you ask?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because I should like it to be in Pere-la-Chaise. I went there once with
+      Agricola and his mother. What a fine view there is!&mdash;and then the
+      trees, the flowers, the marble&mdash;do you know the dead are better
+      lodged&mdash;than the living&mdash;and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the matter, sister?&rdquo; said Cephyse to her companion, who had
+      stopped short, after speaking in a slow voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am giddy&mdash;my temples throb,&rdquo; was the answer. &ldquo;How do you feel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I only begin to be a little faint; it is strange&mdash;the effect is
+      slower with me than you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you see,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, trying to smile, &ldquo;I was always so
+      forward. At school, do you remember, they said I was before the others.
+      And, now it happens again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope soon to overtake you this time,&rdquo; said Cephyse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What astonished the sisters was quite natural. Though weakened by sorrow
+      and misery, the Bacchanal Queen, with a constitution as robust as the
+      other was frail and delicate, was necessarily longer than her sister in
+      feeling the effects of the deleterious vapor. After a moment&rsquo;s silence,
+      Cephyse resumed, as she laid her hand on the head she still held upon her
+      knees, &ldquo;You say nothing, sister! You suffer, is it not so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, in a weak voice; &ldquo;my eyelids are heavy as lead&mdash;I
+      am getting benumbed&mdash;I feel that I speak more slowly&mdash;but I have
+      no acute pain. And you, sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whilst you were speaking, I felt giddy&mdash;and now my temples throb
+      violently.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As it was with me just now. One would think it was more painful and
+      difficult to die.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then after a moment&rsquo;s silence, the hunchback said suddenly to her sister,
+      &ldquo;Do you think that Agricola will much regret me, and think of me for some
+      time?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How can you ask?&rdquo; said Cephyse, in a tone of reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; answered Mother Bunch, mildly; &ldquo;there is a bad feeling in
+      such a doubt&mdash;but if you knew&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The other hesitated for an instant, and then said, dejectedly, &ldquo;Nothing.&rdquo;
+       Afterwards, she added, &ldquo;Fortunately, I die convinced that he will never
+      miss me. He married a charming girl, who loves him, I am sure, and will
+      make him perfectly happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she pronounced these last words, the speaker&rsquo;s voice grew fainter and
+      fainter. Suddenly she started and said to Cephyse, in a trembling, almost
+      frightened tone, &ldquo;Sister! Hold me in your arms&mdash;I am afraid&mdash;everything
+      looks dark&mdash;everything is turning round.&rdquo; And the unfortunate girl,
+      raising herself a little, hid her face in her sister&rsquo;s bosom, and threw
+      his weak arms around her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Courage, sister!&rdquo; said Cephyse, in a voice which was also growing faint,
+      as she pressed her closer to her bosom; &ldquo;it will soon be over.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And Cephyse added, with a kind of envy, &ldquo;Oh! why does my sister&rsquo;s strength
+      fail so much sooner than mine? I have still my perfect senses and I suffer
+      less than she does. Oh! if I thought she would die first!&mdash;But, no&mdash;I
+      will go and hold my face over the chafing-dish rather.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the movement Cephyse made to rise, a feeble pressure from her sister
+      held her back. &ldquo;You suffer, my poor child!&rdquo; said Cephyse, trembling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh yes! a good deal now&mdash;do not leave me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And I scarcely at all,&rdquo; said Cephyse, gazing wildly at the chafing-dish.
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; added she, with a kind of fatal! joy; &ldquo;now I begin to feel it&mdash;I
+      choke&mdash;my head is ready to split.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And indeed the destructive gas now filled the little chamber, from which
+      it had, by degrees, driven all the air fit for respiration. The day was
+      closing in, and the gloomy garret was only lighted by the reflection of
+      the burning charcoal, which threw a red glare on the sisters, locked in
+      each other&rsquo;s arms. Suddenly Mother Bunch made some slight convulsive
+      movements, and pronounced these words in a failing voice: &ldquo;Agricola&mdash;Mademoiselle
+      de Cardoville&mdash;Oh! farewell!&mdash;Agricola&mdash;I&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then she murmured some unintelligible words; the convulsive moments
+      ceased, and her arms, which had been clasped round Cephyse, fell inert
+      upon the mattress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister!&rdquo; cried Cephyse, in alarm, as she raised Mother Bunch&rsquo;s head, to
+      look at her face. &ldquo;Not already, sister!&mdash;And I?&mdash;and I?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sewing-girl&rsquo;s mild countenance was not paler than usual. Only her
+      eyes, half-closed, seemed no longer to see anything, and a half-smile of
+      mingled grief and goodness lingered an instant about her violet lips, from
+      which stole the almost imperceptible breath&mdash;and then the mouth
+      became motionless, and the face assumed a great serenity of expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you must not die before me!&rdquo; cried Cephyse, in a heart-rending tone,
+      as she covered with kisses the cold cheek. &ldquo;Wait for me, sister! wait for
+      me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch did not answer. The head, which Cephyse let slip from her
+      hands, fell back gently on the mattress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My God. It is not my fault, if we do not die together!&rdquo; cried Cephyse in
+      despair, as she knelt beside the couch, on which the other lay motionless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dead!&rdquo; she murmured in terror. &ldquo;Dead before me!&mdash;Perhaps it is that
+      I am the strongest. Ah! it begins&mdash;fortunately&mdash;like her, I see
+      everything dark-blue&mdash;I suffer&mdash;what happiness!&mdash;I can
+      scarcely breathe. Sister!&rdquo; she added, as she threw her arms round her
+      loved one&rsquo;s neck; &ldquo;I am coming&mdash;I am here!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the same instant the sound of footsteps and voices was heard from the
+      staircase. Cephyse had still presence of mind enough to distinguish the
+      sound. Stretched beside the body of her sister, she raised her head
+      hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The noise approached, and a voice was heard exclaiming, not far from the
+      doer: &ldquo;Good heavens! what a smell of fire!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, at the same instant, the door was violently shaken, and another voice
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;Open! open!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They will come in&mdash;they will save me&mdash;and my sister is dead&mdash;Oh,
+      no! I will not have the baseness to survive her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was the last thought of Cephyse. Using what little strength she had
+      left, she ran to the window and opened it&mdash;and, at the same instant
+      that the half-broken door yielded to a vigorous effort from without, the
+      unfortunate creature precipitated herself from that third story into the
+      court below. Just then, Adrienne and Agricola appeared on the threshold of
+      the chamber. In spite of the stifling odor of the charcoal, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville rushed into the garret, and, seeing the stove, she exclaimed,
+      &ldquo;The unhappy girl has killed herself!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, she has thrown herself from the window,&rdquo; cried Agricola: for, at the
+      moment of breaking open the door, he had seen a human form disappear in
+      that direction, and he now ran to the window.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30165m.jpg" alt="30165m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30165.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! this is frightful!&rdquo; he exclaimed, with a cry of horror, as he put his
+      hand before his eyes, and returned pale and terrified to Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, misunderstanding the cause of his terror, Adrienne, who had just
+      perceived Mother Bunch through the darkness, hastened to answer: &ldquo;No! she
+      is here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And she pointed to the pale form stretched on the mattress, beside which
+      Adrienne now threw herself on her knees. Grasping the hands of the poor
+      sempstress, she found them as cold as ice. Laying her hand on her heart,
+      she could not feel it beat. Yet, in a few seconds, as the fresh air rushed
+      into the room from the door and window, Adrienne thought she remarked an
+      almost imperceptible pulsation, and she exclaimed: &ldquo;Her heart beats! Run
+      quickly for help! Luckily, I have my smelling bottle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! help for her&mdash;and for the other too, if it is yet time!&rdquo;
+       cried the smith in despair, as he rushed down the stairs, leaving Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville still kneeling by the side of the mattress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0156" id="link2H_4_0156">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK X.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     XXXIII. Confessions XXXIV. More Confessions XXXV. The Rivals
+     XXXVI. The Interview XXXVII. Soothing Words XXXVIII. The Two
+     Carriages XXXIX. The Appointment XL. Anxiety XLI. Adrienne
+     and Djalma XLII. &ldquo;The Imitation&rdquo; XLIII. Prayer XLIV.
+     Remembrances XLV. The Blockhead XLVI. The Anonymous Letters
+     XLVII. The Golden City XLVIII. The Stung Lion XLIX. The Test
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0138" id="link2HCH0138">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIII. CONFESSIONS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>uring the painful scene that we have just described, a lively emotion
+      glowed in the countenance of Mdlle. de Cardoville, grown pale and thin
+      with sorrow. Her cheeks, once so full, were now slightly hollowed, whilst
+      a faint line of transparent azure encircled those large black eyes, no
+      longer so bright as formerly. But the charming lips, though contracted by
+      painful anxiety, had retained their rich and velvet moisture. To attend
+      more easily to Mother Bunch, Adrienne had thrown aside her bonnet, and the
+      silky waves of her beautiful golden hair almost concealed her face as she
+      bent over the mattress, rubbing the thin, ivory hands of the poor
+      sempstress, completely called to life by the salubrious freshness of the
+      air, and by the strong action of the salts which Adrienne carried in her
+      smelling-bottle. Luckily, Mother Bunch had fainted, rather from emotion
+      and weakness than from the effects of suffocation, the senses of the
+      unfortunate girl having failed her before the deleterious gas had attained
+      its highest degree of intensity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before continuing the recital of the scene between the sempstress and the
+      patrician, a few retrospective words will be necessary. Since the strange
+      adventure at the theatre of the Porte-Saint-Martin, where Djalma, at peril
+      of his life, rushed upon the black panther in sight of Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, the young lady had been deeply affected in various ways.
+      Forgetting her jealousy, and the humiliation she had suffered in presence
+      of Djalma&mdash;of Djalma exhibiting himself before every one with a woman
+      so little worthy of him&mdash;Adrienne was for a moment dazzled by the
+      chivalrous and heroic action of the prince, and said to herself: &ldquo;In spite
+      of odious appearances, Djalma loves me enough to brave death in order to
+      pick up my nosegay.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But with a soul so delicate as that of this young lady, a character so
+      generous, and a mind so true, reflection was certain soon to demonstrate
+      the vanity of such consolations, powerless to cure the cruel wounds of
+      offended dignity an love.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How many times,&rdquo; said Adrienne to herself, and with reason, &ldquo;has the
+      prince encountered, in hunting, from pure caprice and with no gain, such
+      danger as he braved in picking up my bouquet! and then, who tells me he
+      did not mean to offer it to the woman who accompanied him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Singular (it may be) in the eyes of the world, but just and great in those
+      of heaven, the ideas which Adrienne cherished with regard to love, joined
+      to her natural pride, presented an invincible obstacle to the thought of
+      her succeeding this woman (whoever she might be), thus publicly displayed
+      by the prince as his mistress. And yet Adrienne hardly dared avow to
+      herself, that she experienced a feeling of jealousy, only the more painful
+      and humiliating, the less her rival appeared worthy to be compared to her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At other times, on the contrary, in spite of a conscious sense of her own
+      value, Mdlle. de Cardoville, remembering the charming countenance of
+      Rose-Pompon, asked herself if the bad taste and improper manners of this
+      pretty creature resulted from precocious and depraved effrontery, or from
+      a complete ignorance of the usages of society. In the latter case, such
+      ignorance, arising from a simple and ingenuous nature, might in itself
+      have a great charm; and if to this attraction, combined with that of
+      incontestable beauty, were added sincere love and a pure soul, the obscure
+      birth, or neglected education of the girl might be of little consequence,
+      and she might be capable of inspiring Djalma with a profound passion. If
+      Adrienne hesitated to see a lost creature in Rose-Pompon, notwithstanding
+      unfavorable appearances, it was because, remembering what so many
+      travellers had related of Djalma&rsquo;s greatness of soul, and recalling the
+      conversation she had overheard between him and Rodin, she could not bring
+      herself to believe that a man of such remarkable intelligence, with so
+      tender a heart, so poetical, imaginative and enthusiastic a mind could be
+      capable of loving a depraved and vulgar creature, and of openly exhibiting
+      himself in public along with her. There was a mystery in the transaction,
+      which Adrienne sought in vain to penetrate. These trying doubts, this
+      cruel curiosity, only served to nourish Adrienne&rsquo;s fatal love; and we may
+      imagine her incurable despair, when she found that the indifference, or
+      even disdain of Djalma, was unable to stifle a passion that now burned
+      more fiercely than ever. Sometimes, having recourse to notions of
+      fatality, she fancied that she was destined to feel this love; that Djalma
+      must therefore deserve it, and that one day whatever was incomprehensible
+      in the conduct of the prince would be explained to his advantage. At other
+      times, on the contrary, she felt ashamed of excusing Djalma, and the
+      consciousness of this weakness was for Adrienne a constant occasion for
+      remorse and torture. The victim of all these agonies, she lived in perfect
+      solitude.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cholera soon broke out, startling as a clap of thunder. Too unhappy to
+      fear the pestilence on her own account, Adrienne was only moved by the
+      sorrows of others. She was amongst the first to contribute to those
+      charitable donations, which were now flowing in from all sides in the
+      admirable spirit of benevolence. Florine was suddenly attacked by the
+      epidemic. In spite of the danger, her mistress insisted on seeing her, and
+      endeavored to revive her failing courage. Conquered by this new mark of
+      kindness, Florine could no longer conceal the treachery in which she had
+      borne a part. Death was about to deliver her from the odious tyranny of
+      the people whose yoke weighed upon her, and she was at length in a
+      position to reveal everything to Adrienne. The latter thus learned how she
+      had been continually betrayed by Florine, and also the cause of the
+      sewing-girl&rsquo;s abrupt departure. At these revelations, Adrienne felt her
+      affection and tender pity for the poor sempstress greatly increase. By her
+      command, the most active steps were taken to discover traces of the
+      hunchback; but Florine&rsquo;s confession had a still more important result.
+      Justly alarmed at this new evidence of Rodin&rsquo;s machinations, Adrienne
+      remembered the projects formed, when, believing herself beloved, the
+      instinct of affection had revealed to her the perils to which Djalma and
+      other members of the Rennepont family were exposed. To assemble the race
+      around her, and bid them rally against the common enemy, such was
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s first thought, when she heard the confession of Florine. She
+      regarded it as a duty to accomplish this project. In a struggle with such
+      dangerous and powerful adversaries as Rodin, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier, and their allies, Adrienne saw not only the
+      praiseworthy and perilous task of unmasking hypocrisy and cupidity, but
+      also, if not a consolation, at least a generous diversion in the midst of
+      terrible sorrows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From this moment, a restless, feverish activity took the place of the
+      mournful apathy in which the young lady had languished. She called round
+      her all the members of her family capable of answering the appeal, and, as
+      had been mentioned in the secret note delivered to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny,
+      Cardoville House soon became the centre of the most active and unceasing
+      operations, and also a place of meeting, in which the modes of attack and
+      defence were fully discussed. Perfectly correct in all points, the secret
+      note of which we have spoken stated, as a mere conjecture, that Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville had granted an interview to Djalma. This fact was untrue, but
+      the cause which led to the supposition will be explained hereafter. Far
+      from such being the case, Mdlle. de Cardoville scarcely found, in
+      attending to the great family interests now at stake, a momentary
+      diversion from the fatal love, which was slowly undermining her health,
+      and with which she so bitterly reproached herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The morning of the day on which Adrienne, at length discovering Mother
+      Bunch&rsquo;s residence, came so miraculously to rescue her from death, Agricola
+      Baudoin had been to Cardoville House to confer on the subject of Francis
+      Hardy, and had begged Adrienne to permit him to accompany her to the Rue
+      Clovis, whither they repaired in haste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus, once again, there was a noble spectacle, a touching symbol! Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville and Mother Bunch, the two extremities of the social chain,
+      were united on equal terms&mdash;for the sempstress and the fair patrician
+      were equal in intelligence and heart&mdash;and equal also, because the one
+      was the ideal of riches, grace, and beauty, and the other the ideal of
+      resignation and unmerited misfortune&mdash;and does not a halo rest on
+      misfortune borne with courage and dignity? Stretched on her mattress, the
+      hunchback appeared so weak, that even if Agricola had not been detained on
+      the ground floor with Cephyse, now dying a dreadful death, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville would have waited some time, before inducing Mother Bunch to
+      rise and accompany her to her carriage. Thanks to the presence of mind and
+      pious fraud of Adrienne, the sewing-girl was persuaded that Cephyse had
+      been carried to a neighboring hospital, to receive the necessary succors,
+      which promised to be crowned with success. The hunchback&rsquo;s faculties
+      recovering slowly from their stupor, she at first received this fable
+      without the least suspicion&mdash;for she did not even know that Agricola
+      had accompanied Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And it is to you, lady, that Cephyse and I owe our lives,&rdquo; said she,
+      turning her mild and melancholy face towards Adrienne, &ldquo;you, kneeling in
+      this garret, near this couch of misery, where I and my sister meant to die&mdash;for
+      you assure me, lady, that Cephyse was succored in time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied! I was told just now that she was recovering her senses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And they told her I was living, did they not, lady? Otherwise, she would
+      perhaps regret having survived me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be quite easy, my dear girl!&rdquo; said Adrienne, pressing the poor hands in
+      her own, and gazing on her with eyes full of tears; &ldquo;they have told her
+      all that was proper. Do not trouble yourself about anything; only think of
+      recovering&mdash;and I hope you will yet enjoy that happiness of which you
+      have known so little, my poor child.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How kind you are, lady! After flying from your house&mdash;and when you
+      must think me so ungrateful!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Presently, when you are not so weak, I have a great deal to tell you.
+      Just now, it would fatigue you too much. But how do you feel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Better, lady. This fresh air&mdash;and then the thought, that, since you
+      are come&mdash;my poor sister will no more be reduced to despair; for I
+      will tell you all, and I am sure you will have pity on Cephyse&mdash;will
+      you not, lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rely upon me, my child,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, forced to dissemble her
+      painful embarrassment; &ldquo;you know I am interested in all that interests
+      you. But tell me,&rdquo; added Mdlle. de Cardoville, in a voice of emotion,
+      &ldquo;before taking this desperate resolution, did you not write to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, sorrowfully; &ldquo;and when you received no answer&mdash;how
+      cruel, how ungrateful you must have thought me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! never, lady, did I accuse you of such feelings; my poor sister will
+      tell you so. You had my gratitude to the last.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I believe you&mdash;for I knew your heart. But how then did you explain
+      my silence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had justly offended you by my sudden departure, lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Offended!&mdash;Alas! I never received your letter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet you know that I wrote to you, lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my poor girl; I know, also, that you wrote to me at my porter&rsquo;s
+      lodge. Unfortunately, he delivered your letter to one of my women, named
+      Florine, telling her it came from you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Florine! the young woman that was so kind to me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Florine deceived me shamefully; she was sold to my enemies, and acted as
+      a spy on my actions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She!&mdash;Good Heavens!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch. &ldquo;Is it possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She herself,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, bitterly; &ldquo;but, after all, we must pity
+      as well as blame her. She was forced to obey by a terrible necessity, and
+      her confession and repentance secured my pardon before her death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then she is dead&mdash;so young! so fair!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In spite of her faults, I was greatly moved by her end. She confessed
+      what she had done, with such heart-rending regrets. Amongst her avowals,
+      she told me she had intercepted a letter, in which you asked for an
+      interview that might save your sister&rsquo;s life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, lady; such were the terms of my letter. What interest had
+      they to keep it from you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They feared to see you return to me, my good guardian angel. You loved me
+      so tenderly, and my enemies dreaded your faithful affection, so
+      wonderfully aided by the admirable instinct of your heart. Ah! I shall
+      never forget how well-deserved was the horror with which you were inspired
+      by a wretch whom I defended against your suspicions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin?&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, with a shudder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Adrienne; &ldquo;but we will not talk of these people now. Their
+      odious remembrance would spoil the joy I feel in seeing you restored to
+      life&mdash;for your voice is less feeble, your cheeks are beginning to
+      regain a little color. Thank God! I am so happy to have found you once
+      more;&mdash;if you knew all that I hope, all that I expect from our
+      reunion&mdash;for we will not part again&mdash;promise me that, in the
+      name of our friendship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&mdash;your friend!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, timidly casting down her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A few days before your departure from my house, did I not call you my
+      friend, my sister? What is there changed? Nothing, nothing,&rdquo; added Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville, with deep emotion. &ldquo;One might say, on the contrary, that a
+      fatal resemblance in our positions renders your friendship even dearer to
+      me. And I shall have it, shall I not. Oh, do not refuse it me&mdash;I am
+      so much in want of a friend!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, lady? you in want of the friendship of a poor creature like me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, as she gazed on the other with an expression of
+      intense grief; &ldquo;nay, more, you are perhaps the only person, to whom I
+      could venture to confide my bitter sorrows.&rdquo; So saying, Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville colored deeply.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And how do I deserve such marks of confidence?&rdquo; asked Mother Bunch, more
+      and more surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You deserve it by the delicacy of your heart, by the steadiness of your
+      character,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, with some hesitation; &ldquo;then&mdash;you are a
+      woman&mdash;and I am certain you will understand what I suffer, and pity
+      me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pity you, lady?&rdquo; said the other, whose astonishment continued to
+      increase. &ldquo;You, a great lady, and so much envied&mdash;I, so humble and
+      despised, pity you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell me, my poor friend,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, after some moments of
+      silence, &ldquo;are not the worst griefs those which we dare not avow to any
+      one, for fear of raillery and contempt? How can we venture to ask interest
+      or pity, for sufferings that we hardly dare avow to ourselves, because
+      they make us blush?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The sewing-girl could hardly believe what she heard. Had her benefactress
+      felt, like her, the effects of an unfortunate passion, she could not have
+      held any other language. But the sempstress could not admit such a
+      supposition; so, attributing to some other cause the sorrows of Adrienne,
+      she answered mournfully, whilst she thought of her own fatal love for
+      Agricola, &ldquo;Oh! yes, lady. A secret grief, of which we are ashamed, must be
+      frightful&mdash;very frightful!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But then what happiness to meet, not only a heart noble enough to inspire
+      complete confidence, but one which has itself been tried by a thousand
+      sorrows, and is capable of affording you pity, support and counsel!&mdash;Tell
+      me, my dear child,&rdquo; added Mdlle. de Cardoville, as she looked attentively
+      at Mother Bunch, &ldquo;if you were weighed down by one of those sorrows, at
+      which one blushes, would you not be happy, very happy, to find a kindred
+      soul, to whom you might entrust your griefs, and half relieve them by
+      entire and merited confidence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For the first time in her life, Mother Bunch regarded Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      with a feeling of suspicion and sadness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The last words of the young lady seemed to her full of meaning &ldquo;Doubtless,
+      she knows my secret,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch to herself; &ldquo;doubtless, my journal
+      has fallen into her hands.&mdash;She knows my love for Agricola, or at
+      least suspects it. What she has been saying to me is intended to provoke
+      my confidence, and to assure herself if she has been rightly informed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These thoughts excited in the workgirl&rsquo;s mind no bitter or ungrateful
+      feeling towards her benefactress; but the heart of the unfortunate girl
+      was so delicately susceptible on the subject of her fatal passion, that,
+      in spite of her deep and tender affection for Mdlle. de Cardoville, she
+      suffered cruelly at the thought of Adrienne&rsquo;s being mistress of her
+      secret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0139" id="link2HCH0139">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIV. MORE CONFESSIONS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he fancy, at first so painful, that Mdlle. de Cardoville was informed of
+      her love for Agricola was soon exchanged in the hunchbacks heart, thanks
+      to the generous instincts of that rare and excellent creature, for a
+      touching regret, which showed all her attachment and veneration for
+      Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch to herself, &ldquo;conquered by the influence of
+      the adorable kindness of my protectress, I might have made to her a
+      confession which I could make to none other, and revealed a secret which I
+      thought to carry with me to my grave. It would, at least, have been a mark
+      of gratitude to Mdlle. de Cardoville; but, unfortunately, I am now
+      deprived of the sad comfort of confiding my only secret to my
+      benefactress. And then&mdash;however generous may be her pity for me,
+      however intelligent her affection, she cannot&mdash;she, that is so fair
+      and so much admired&mdash;she cannot understand how frightful is the
+      position of a creature like myself, hiding in the depth of a wounded
+      heart, a love at once hopeless and ridiculous. No, no&mdash;in spite of
+      the delicacy of her attachment, my benefactress must unconsciously hurt my
+      feelings, even whilst she pities me&mdash;for only sympathetic sorrows can
+      console each other. Alas! why did she not leave me to die?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These reflections presented themselves to the thinker&rsquo;s mind as rapidly as
+      thought could travel. Adrienne observed her attentively; she remarked that
+      the sewing-girl&rsquo;s countenance, which had lately brightened up, was again
+      clouded, and expressed a feeling of painful humiliation. Terrified at this
+      relapse into gloomy dejection, the consequences of which might be serious,
+      for Mother Bunch was still very weak, and, as it were, hovering on the
+      brink of the grave, Mdlle. de Cardoville resumed hastily: &ldquo;My friend, do
+      not you think with me, that the most cruel and humiliating grief admits of
+      consolation, when it can be entrusted to a faithful and devoted heart?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, lady,&rdquo; said the young sempstress, bitterly; &ldquo;but the heart which
+      suffers in silence, should be the only judge of the moment for making so
+      painful a confession. Until then, it would perhaps be more humane to
+      respect its fatal secret, even if one had by chance discovered it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right, my child,&rdquo; said Adrienne, sorrowfully, &ldquo;if I choose this
+      solemn moment to entrust you with a very painful secret, it is that, when
+      you have heard me, I am sure you will set more value on your life, as
+      knowing how much I need your tenderness, consolation, and pity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, the other half raised herself on the mattress, and looked
+      at Mdlle. de Cardoville in amazement. She could scarcely believe what she
+      heard; far from designing to intrude upon her confidence, it was her
+      protectress who was to make the painful confession, and who came to
+      implore pity and consolation from her!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What!&rdquo; stammered she; &ldquo;you, lady!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I come to tell you that I suffer, and am ashamed of my sufferings. Yes,&rdquo;
+       added the young lady, with a touching expression, &ldquo;yes&mdash;of all
+      confessions, I am about to make the most painful&mdash;I love&mdash;and I
+      blush for my love.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like myself!&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, involuntarily, clasping her hands
+      together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I love,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, with a long-pent-up grief; &ldquo;I love, and am not
+      beloved&mdash;and my love is miserable, is impossible&mdash;it consumes me&mdash;it
+      kills me&mdash;and I dare not confide to any one the fatal secret!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like me,&rdquo; repeated the other, with a fixed look. &ldquo;She&mdash;a queen in
+      beauty, rank, wealth, intelligence&mdash;suffers like me. Like me, poor
+      unfortunate creature! she loves, and is not loved again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, yes! like you, I love and am not loved again,&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville; &ldquo;was I wrong in saying, that to you alone I could confide my
+      secret&mdash;because, having suffered the same pangs, you alone can pity
+      them?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, lady,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, casting down her eyes, and recovering
+      from her first amazement, &ldquo;you knew&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I knew all, my poor child&mdash;but never should I have mentioned your
+      secret, had I not had one to entrust you with, of a still more painful
+      nature. Yours is cruel, but mine is humiliating. Oh, my sister!&rdquo; added
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, in a tone impossible to describe, &ldquo;misfortune, you,
+      see, blends and confounds together what are called distinctions of rank
+      and fortune&mdash;and often those whom the world envies are reduced by
+      suffering far below the poorest and most humble, and have to seek from the
+      latter pity and consolation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30175m.jpg" alt="30175m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30175.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Then, drying her tears, which nosy flowed abundantly, Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      resumed, in a voice of emotion: &ldquo;Come, sister! courage, courage! let us
+      love and sustain each other. Let this sad and mysterious bond unite us
+      forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, lady! forgive me. But now that you know the secret of my life,&rdquo; said
+      the workgirl, casting down her eyes, and unable to vanquish her confusion,
+      &ldquo;it seems to me, that I can never look at you without blushing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why? because you love Agricola?&rdquo; said Adrienne. &ldquo;Then I must die of
+      shame before you, since, less courageous than you, I had not the strength
+      to suffer and be resigned, and so conceal my love in the depths of my
+      heart. He that I love, with a love henceforth deprived of hope, knew of
+      that love and despised it&mdash;preferring to me a woman, the very choice
+      of whom was a new and grievous insult, if I am not much deceived by
+      appearances. I sometimes hope that I am deceived on this point. Now tell
+      me&mdash;is it for you to blush?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, lady! who could tell you all this?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which you only entrusted to your journal? Well, then&mdash;it was the
+      dying Florine who confessed her misdeeds. She had been base enough to
+      steal your papers, forced to this odious act, by the people who had
+      dominion over her. But she had read your journal&mdash;and as every good
+      feeling was not dead within her, your admirable resignation, your
+      melancholy and pious love, had left such an impression on her mind, that
+      she was able to repeat whole passages to me on her death bed, and thus to
+      explain the cause of your sudden disappearance&mdash;for she had no doubt
+      that the fear of seeing your love for Agricola divulged had been the cause
+      of your flight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! it is but too true, lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes!&rdquo; answered Adrienne, bitterly; &ldquo;those who employed the wretched
+      girl to act as she did, well knew the effect of the blow. It was not their
+      first attempt. They reduced you to despair, they would have killed you,
+      because you were devoted to me, and because you had guessed their
+      intentions. Oh! these black-gowns are implacable, and their power is
+      great!&rdquo; said Adrienne, shuddering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is fearful, lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But do not be alarmed, dear child; you see, that the arms of the wicked
+      have turned against themselves; for the moment I knew the cause of your
+      flight, you became dearer to me than ever. From that time I made every
+      exertion to find out where you were; after long efforts, it was only this
+      morning that the person I had employed succeeded in discovering that you
+      inhabited this house. Agricola was with me when I heard it, and instantly
+      asked to accompany me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola!&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, clasping her hands; &ldquo;he came&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my child&mdash;be calm. Whilst I attended to you, he was busy with
+      your poor sister. You will soon see him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, lady!&rdquo; resumed the hunchback, in alarm. &ldquo;He doubtless knows&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your love! No, no; be satisfied. Only think of the happiness of again
+      seeing your good and worthy brother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, lady! may he never know what caused me so much shame, that I was like
+      to die of it. Thank God, he is not aware of it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then let us have no more sad thoughts, my child. Only remember, that this
+      worthy brother came here in time to save us from everlasting regrets&mdash;and
+      you from a great fault. Oh! I do not speak of the prejudices of the world,
+      with regard to the right of every creature to return to heaven a life that
+      has become too burdensome!&mdash;I only say that you ought not to have
+      died, because those who love you, and whom you love, were still in need of
+      your assistance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought you happy; Agricola was married to the girl of his choice, who
+      will, I am sure, make him happy. To whom could I be useful?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First, to myself, as you see&mdash;and then, who tells you that Agricola
+      will never have need of you? Who tells you, that his happiness, or that of
+      his family, will last forever, and will not be tried by cruel shocks? And
+      even if those you love had been destined to be always happy, could their
+      happiness be complete without you? And would not your death, with which
+      they would perhaps have reproached themselves, have left behind it endless
+      regrets?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, lady,&rdquo; answered the other, &ldquo;I was wrong&mdash;the dizziness
+      of despair had seized me&mdash;frightful misery weighed upon us&mdash;we
+      had not been able to find work for some days&mdash;we lived on the charity
+      of a poor woman, and her the cholera carried off. To-morrow or next day,
+      we must have died of hunger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Die of hunger!&mdash;and you knew where I lived!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had written to you, lady, and receiving no answer, I thought you
+      offended at my abrupt departure.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor, dear child! you must have been, as you say, seized with dizziness
+      in that terrible moment; so that I have not the courage to reproach you
+      for doubting me a single instant. How can I blame you? Did I not myself
+      think of terminating my life?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, lady!&rdquo; cried the hunchback.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I thought of it&mdash;when they came to tell me, that Florine,
+      dying, wished to speak to me. I heard what she had to say; her revelations
+      changed my projects. This dark and mournful life which had become
+      insupportable to me, was suddenly lighted up. The sense of duty woke
+      within me. You were no doubt a prey to horrible misery; it was my duty to
+      seek and save you. Florine&rsquo;s confessions unveiled to me the new plots of
+      the enemies of my scattered family, dispersed by sorrows and cruel losses;
+      it was my duty to warn them of their danger, and to unite them against the
+      common enemy. I had been the victim of odious manoeuvres: it was my duty
+      to punish their authors, for fear that, encouraged by impunity, these
+      black-gowns should make other victims. Then the sense of duty gave me
+      strength, and I was able to rouse myself from my lethargy. With the help
+      of Abbe Gabriel, a sublime, oh! a sublime priest&mdash;the ideal of a true
+      Christian&mdash;the worthy brother of Agricola&mdash;I courageously
+      entered on the struggle. What shall I say to you, my child? The
+      performance of these duties, the hope of finding you again, have been some
+      relief to me in my trouble. If I was not consoled, I was at least
+      occupied. Your tender friendship, the example of your resignation, will do
+      the rest&mdash;I think so&mdash;I am sure so&mdash;and I shall forget this
+      fatal love.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the moment Adrienne pronounced these words, rapid footsteps were heard
+      upon the stairs, and a young, clear voice exclaimed: &ldquo;Oh! dear me, poor
+      Mother Bunch! How lucky I have come just now! If only I could be of some
+      use to her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Almost immediately, Rose-Pompon entered the garret with precipitation.
+      Agricola soon followed the grisette, and pointing to the open window,
+      tried to make Adrienne understand by signs, that she was not to mention to
+      the girl the deplorable end of the Bacchanal Queen. This pantomime was
+      lost on Mdlle. de Cardoville. Adrienne&rsquo;s heart swelled with grief,
+      indignation, pride, as she recognized the girl she had seen at the Porte
+      Saint-Martin in company with Djalma, and who alone was the cause of the
+      dreadful sufferings she endured since that fatal evening. And, strange
+      irony of fate! it was at the very moment when Adrienne had just made the
+      humiliating and cruel confession of her despised love, that the woman, to
+      whom she believed herself sacrificed, appeared before her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If the surprise of Mdlle. de Cardoville was great, Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s was not
+      less so. Not only did she recognize in Adrienne the fair young lady with
+      the golden locks, who had sat opposite to her at the theatre, on the night
+      of the adventure of the black panther, but she had serious reasons for
+      desiring most ardently this unexpected interview. It is impossible to
+      paint the look of malignant joy and triumph, that she affected to cast
+      upon Adrienne. The first impulse of Mdlle. de Cardoville was to quit the
+      room. But she could not bear to leave Mother Bunch at this moment, or to
+      give, in the presence of Agricola, her reasons for such an abrupt
+      departure, and moreover, an inexplicable and fatal curiosity held her
+      back, in spite of her offended pride. She remained, therefore, and was
+      about to examine closely, to hear and to judge, this rival, who had nearly
+      occasioned her death, to whom, in her jealous agony, she had ascribed so
+      many different aspects, in order to explain Djalma&rsquo;s love for such a
+      creature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0140" id="link2HCH0140">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXV. THE RIVALS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">R</span>ose-Pompon, whose presence caused such deep emotion in Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville, was dressed in the most showy and extravagant bad taste. Her
+      very small, narrow, rose-colored satin bonnet, placed so forward over her
+      face as almost to touch the tip of her little nose, left uncovered behind
+      half of her light, silky hair; her plaid dress, of an excessively broad
+      pattern, was open in front, and the almost transparent gauze, rather too
+      honest in its revelations, hardly covered the charms of the form beneath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The grisette having run all the way upstairs, held in her hands the ends
+      of her large blue shawl, which, falling from her shoulders, had slid down
+      to her wasp-like waist, and there been stopped by the swell of the figure.
+      If we enter into these details, it is to explain how, at the sight of this
+      pretty creature, dressed in so impertinent and almost indecent, a fashion,
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, who thought she saw in her a successful rival, felt
+      her indignation, grief, and shame redoubled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But judge of the surprise and confusion of Adrienne, when Mdlle. Rose
+      Pompon said to her, with the utmost freedom and pertness, &ldquo;I am delighted
+      to see you, madame. You and I must have a long talk together. Only I must
+      begin by kissing poor Mother Bunch&mdash;with your permission, madame!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To understand the tone and manner with which this word, &ldquo;madame&rdquo; was
+      pronounced, you must have been present at some stormy discussion between
+      two Rose-Pompons, jealous of each other; then you would be able to judge
+      how much provoking hostility may be compressed into the word &ldquo;madame,&rdquo;
+       under certain circumstances. Amazed at the impudence of Rose-Pompon,
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville remained mute; whilst Agricola, entirely occupied
+      with the interest he took in the workgirl, who had never withdrawn her
+      eyes from him since he entered the room, and with the remembrance of the
+      painful scene he had just quitted, whispered to Adrienne, without
+      remarking the grisette&rsquo;s effrontery, &ldquo;Alas, lady! it is all over. Cephyse
+      has just breathed her last sigh, without recovering her senses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunate girl!&rdquo; said Adrienne, with emotion; and for the moment she
+      forgot Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must keep this sad news from Mother Bunch, and only let her know it
+      hereafter, with great caution,&rdquo; resumed Agricola. &ldquo;Luckily, little Rose
+      Pompon knows nothing about it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And he pointed to the grisette, who was now stooping down by the side of
+      the workgirl. On hearing Agricola speak so familiarly of Rose-Pompon,
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s amazement increased. It is impossible to describe what she
+      felt; yet, strangely enough, her sufferings grew less and less, and her
+      anxiety diminished, as she listened to the chatter of the grisette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my good dear!&rdquo; said the latter, with as much volubility as emotion,
+      while her pretty blue eyes were filled with tears; &ldquo;is it possible that
+      you did so stupid a thing? Do not poor people help one another? Could you
+      not apply to me? You knew that others are welcome to whatever is mine, and
+      I would have made a raffle of Philemon&rsquo;s bazaar,&rdquo; added this singular
+      girl, with a burst of feeling, at once sincere, touching, and grotesque;
+      &ldquo;I would have sold his three boots, pipes, boating-costume, bed, and even
+      his great drinking-glass, and at all events you should not have been
+      brought to such an ugly pass. Philemon would not have minded, for he is a
+      good fellow; and if he had minded, it would have been all the same. Thank
+      heaven! we are not married. I am only wishing to remind you that you
+      should have thought of little Rose-Pompon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know you are obliging and kind, miss,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch: for she had
+      heard from her sister that Rose-Pompon, like so many of her class, had a
+      warm and generous heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After all,&rdquo; resumed the grisette, wiping with the back of her hand the
+      tip of her little nose, down which a tear was trickling, &ldquo;you may tell me
+      that you did not know where I had taken up my quarters. It&rsquo;s a queer
+      story, I can tell you. When I say queer,&rdquo; added Rose-Pompon, with a deep
+      sigh, &ldquo;it is quite the contrary&mdash;but no matter: I need not trouble
+      you with that. One thing is certain; you are getting better&mdash;and you
+      and Cephyse will not do such a thing again. She is said to be very weak.
+      Can I not see her yet, M. Agricola?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said the smith, with embarrassment, for Mother Bunch kept her eyes
+      fixed upon him; &ldquo;you must have patience.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But I may see her to-day, Agricola?&rdquo; exclaimed the hunchback.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will talk about that. Only be calm, I entreat.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30181m.jpg" alt="30181m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30181.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Agricola is right; you must be reasonable, my good dear,&rdquo; resumed Rose
+      Pompon; &ldquo;we will wait patiently. I can wait too, for I have to talk
+      presently to this lady;&rdquo; and Rose-Pompon glanced at Adrienne with the
+      expression of an angry cat. &ldquo;Yes, yes; I can wait; for I long to tell
+      Cephyse also that she may reckon upon me.&rdquo; Here Rose-Pompon bridled up
+      very prettily, and thus continued, &ldquo;Do not be uneasy! It is the least one
+      can do, when one is in a good position, to share the advantages with one&rsquo;s
+      friends, who are not so well off. It would be a fine thing to keep one&rsquo;s
+      happiness to one&rsquo;s self! to stuff it with straw, and put it under a glass,
+      and let no one touch it! When I talk of happiness, it&rsquo;s only to make talk;
+      it is true in one sense; but to another, you see, my good dear&mdash;Bah!
+      I am only seventeen&mdash;but no matter&mdash;I might go on talking till
+      tomorrow, and you would not be any the wiser. So let me kiss you once
+      more, and don&rsquo;t be down-hearted&mdash;nor Cephyse either, do you hear? for
+      I shall be close at hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, stooping still lower, Rose-Pompon cordially embraced Mother Bunch. It
+      is impossible to express what Mdlle. de Cardoville felt during this
+      conversation, or rather during this monologue of the grisette on the
+      subject of the attempted suicide. The eccentric jargon of Mdlle. Rose
+      Pompon, her liberal facility in disposing of Philemon&rsquo;s bazaar, to the
+      owner of which (as she said) she was luckily not married&mdash;the
+      goodness of her heart, which revealed itself in her offers of service&mdash;her
+      contrasts, her impertinence, her drollery&mdash;all this was so new and
+      inexplicable to Mdlle. de Cardoville, that she remained for some time mute
+      and motionless with surprise. Such, then, was the creature to whom Djalma
+      had sacrificed her!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If Adrienne&rsquo;s first impression at sight of Rose-Pompon had been horribly
+      painful, reflection soon awakened doubts, which were to become shortly
+      ineffable hopes. Remembering the interview she had overheard between Rodin
+      and Djalma, when, concealed in the conservatory, she had wished to prove
+      the Jesuit&rsquo;s fidelity, Adrienne, asked herself if it was reasonable, if it
+      was possible to believe, that the prince, whose ideas of love seemed to be
+      so poetical, so elevated, so pure, could find any charm in the disjointed
+      and silly chat of this young girl? Adrienne could not hesitate; she
+      pronounced the thing impossible, from the moment she had seen her rival
+      near, and witnessed her style both of manners and conversation, which,
+      without detracting from the prettiness of her features, gave them a
+      trivial and not very attractive character. Adrienne&rsquo;s doubts with regard
+      to the deep love of the prince for Rose Pompon were hence soon changed to
+      complete incredulity. Endowed with too much sense and penetration, not to
+      perceive that this apparent connection, so inconceivable on the part of
+      Djalma, must conceal some mystery, Mdlle. de Cardoville felt her hopes
+      revive. As this consoling thought arose in her mind, her heart, until now
+      so painfully oppressed, began once more to dilate; she felt vague
+      aspirations towards a better future; and yet, cruelly warned by the past,
+      she feared to yield too readily to a mere illusion, for she remembered the
+      notorious fact that the prince had really appeared in public with this
+      girl. But now that Mdlle. de Cardoville could fully appreciate what she
+      was, she found the conduct of the prince only the more incomprehensible.
+      And how can we judge soundly and surely of that which is enveloped in
+      mystery? And then a secret presentiment told her, that it would, perhaps,
+      be beside the couch of the poor sempstress, whom she had just saved from
+      death, that, by a providential coincidence, she would learn the secret on
+      which depended the happiness of her life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The emotions which agitated she heart of Adrienne, became so violent, that
+      her fine face was flushed with a bright red, her bosom heaved, and her
+      large, black eyes, lately dimmed by sadness, once more shone with a mild
+      radiance. She waited with inexpressible impatience for what was to follow.
+      In the interview, with which Rose-Pompon had threatened her, and which a
+      few minutes before Adrienne would have declined with all the dignity of
+      legitimate indignation, she now hoped to find the explanation of a
+      mystery, which it was of such importance for her to clear up. After once
+      more tenderly embracing Mother Bunch, Rose-Pompon got up from the ground,
+      and, turning towards Adrienne, eyed her from head to foot, with the utmost
+      coolness, and said to her, in a somewhat impertinent tone: &ldquo;It is now our
+      turn, madame&rdquo;&mdash;the word &ldquo;madame&rdquo; still pronounced with the accent
+      before described&mdash;&ldquo;we have a little matter to settle together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am at your order,&rdquo; answered Adrienne, with much mildness and
+      simplicity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of the triumphant and decisive air of Rose-Pompon, and on hearing
+      her challenge to Mdlle. de Cardoville, the worthy Agricola, after
+      exchanging a few words with Mother Bunch, opened his eyes and ears very
+      wide, and remained staring in amazement at the effrontery of the grisette;
+      then, advancing towards her, he whispered, as he plucked her by the
+      sleeve: &ldquo;I say, are you mad? Do you know to whom you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! what then? Is not one pretty woman worth another! I say that for
+      the lady. She will not eat me, I suppose,&rdquo; replied Rose-Pompon, aloud, and
+      with an air of defiance. &ldquo;I have to talk with madame, here. I am sure, she
+      knows why and wherefore. If not, I will tell her; it will not take me
+      long.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, who feared some ridiculous exposure on the subject of Djalma, in
+      the presence of Agricola, made a sign to the latter, and thus answered the
+      grisette: &ldquo;I am ready to hear you, miss, but not in this place. You will
+      understand why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, madame, I have my key. You can come to any apartments&rdquo;&mdash;the
+      last word pronounced with an air of ostentatious importance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us go then to your apartments, miss since you to me the honor to
+      receive me there,&rdquo; answered Mdlle. de Cardoville, in her mild, sweet
+      voice, and with a slight inclination of the head, so full of exquisite
+      politeness, that Rose-Pompon was daunted, notwithstanding all her
+      effrontery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, lady!&rdquo; said Agricola to Adrienne; &ldquo;you are good enough&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Agricola,&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville, interrupting him, &ldquo;please to
+      remain with our poor friend: I shall soon be back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, approaching Mother Bunch, who shared in Agricola&rsquo;s astonishment she
+      said to her: &ldquo;Excuse me for leaving you a few seconds. Only regain a
+      little strength, and, when I return, I will take you home with me, dear
+      sister.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, turning towards Rose-Pompon, who was more and more surprised at
+      hearing so fine a lady call the workgirl her sister, she added: &ldquo;I am
+      ready whenever you please, mademoiselle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Beg pardon, madame, if I go first to show you the way, but it&rsquo;s a regular
+      break-neck sort of a place,&rdquo; answered Rose-Pompon, pressing her elbows to
+      her sides, and screwing up her lips to prove that she was no stranger to
+      polite manners and fine language. And the two rivals quitted the garret
+      together, leaving Agricola alone with Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Luckily, the disfigured remains of the Bacchanal Queen had been carried
+      into Mother Arsene&rsquo;s subterraneous shop, so that the crowd of spectators,
+      always attracted by any fatal event, had assembled in front of the house;
+      and Rose-Pompon, meeting no one in the little court she had to traverse
+      with Adrienne, continued in ignorance of the tragical death of her old
+      friend Cephyse. In a few moments the grisette and Mdlle. de Cardoville had
+      reached Philemon&rsquo;s apartment. This singular abode remained in the same
+      state of picturesque disorder in which Rose-Pompon had left it, when Ninny
+      Moulin came to fetch her to act the heroine of a mysterious adventure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, completely ignorant of the eccentric modes of life of students
+      and their companions, could not, in spite of the thoughts which occupied
+      her mind, forebear examining, with a mixture of surprise and curiosity,
+      this strange and grotesque chaos, composed of the most dissimilar objects&mdash;disguises
+      for masked balls, skulls with pipes in their mouths, odd boots standing on
+      book shelves, monstrous bottles, women&rsquo;s clothes, ends of tobacco pipes,
+      etc., etc. To the first astonishment of Adrienne succeeded an impression
+      of painful repugnance. The young lady felt herself uneasy and out of place
+      in this abode, not of poverty, but disorder; whilst, on the contrary, the
+      sewing-girl&rsquo;s miserable garret had caused her no such feeling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose-Pompon, notwithstanding all her airs, was considerably troubled when
+      she found herself alone with Mdlle, de Cardoville; the rare beauty of the
+      young patrician, her fashionable look, the elegance of her manners, the
+      style, both dignified and affable, with which she had answered the
+      impertinent address of the grisette, began to have their effect upon the
+      latter, who, being moreover a good-natured girl, had been touched at
+      hearing Mdlle. de Cardoville call the hunchback &ldquo;friend and sister.&rdquo;
+       Without knowing exactly who Adrienne was, Rose-Pompon was not ignorant
+      that she belonged to the richest and highest class of society; she felt
+      already some remorse at having attacked her so cavalierly; and her
+      intentions, at first very hostile with regard to Mdlle. de Cardoville,
+      were gradually much modified. Yet, being very obstinate, and not wishing
+      to appear to submit to an influence that offended her pride, Rose-Pompon
+      endeavored to recover her assurance; and, having bolted the door, she said
+      to Adrienne: &ldquo;Pray do me the favor to sit down, madame&rdquo;&mdash;still with
+      the intention of showing that she was no stranger to refined manners and
+      conversation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville was about mechanically to take a chair, when Rose
+      Pompon, worthy to practise those ancient virtues of hospitality, which
+      regarded even an enemy as sacred in the person of a guest, cried out
+      hastily: &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t take that chair, madame; it wants a leg.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne laid her hand on another chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nor that either; the back is quite loose,&rdquo; again exclaimed Rose-Pompon.
+      And she spoke the truth; for the chair-back, which was made in the form of
+      a lyre, remained in the hands of Mdlle. de Cardoville, who said, as she
+      replaced it discreetly in its former position: &ldquo;I think, miss, that we can
+      very well talk standing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please, madame,&rdquo; replied Rose-Pompon, steadying herself the more
+      bravely the more uneasy she felt. And the interview of the lady and the
+      grisette began in this fashion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0141" id="link2HCH0141">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVI. THE INTERVIEW.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>fter a minute&rsquo;s hesitation, Rose-Pompon said to Adrienne, whose heart was
+      beating violently: &ldquo;I will tell you directly, madame, what I have on my
+      mind. I should not have gone out of my way to seek you, but, as I happen
+      to fall in with you, it is very natural I should take advantage of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, miss,&rdquo; said Adrienne, mildly, &ldquo;may I at least know the subject of
+      the conversation we are to have together?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame,&rdquo; replied Rose-Pompon, affecting an air of still more decided
+      confidence; &ldquo;first of all, you must not suppose I am unhappy, or going to
+      make a scene of jealousy, or cry like a forsaken damsel. Do not flatter
+      yourself! Thank heaven, I have no reason to complain of Prince Charming&mdash;that
+      is the pet name I gave him&mdash;on the contrary, he has made me very
+      happy. If I left him, it was against his will, and because I chose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rose-Pompon, whose heart was swelling in spite of her fine
+      airs, could not repress a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame,&rdquo; she resumed, &ldquo;I left him because I chose&mdash;for he quite
+      doted on me. If I had liked, he would have married me&mdash;yes, madame,
+      married me&mdash;so much the worse, if that gives you pain. Though, when I
+      say &lsquo;so much the worse,&rsquo; it is true that I meant to pain you. To be sure I
+      did&mdash;but then, just now when I saw you so kind to poor Mother Bunch,
+      though I was certainly in the right, still I felt something. However, to
+      cut matters short, it is clear that I detest you, and that you deserve
+      it,&rdquo; added Rose-Pompon, stamping her foot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From all this it resulted, even for a person much less sagacious than
+      Adrienne, and much less interested in discovering the truth, that Rose
+      Pompon, notwithstanding her triumphant airs in speaking of him whom she
+      represented as so much attached to her, and even anxious to wed her, was
+      in reality completely disappointed, and was now taking refuge in a
+      deliberate falsehood. It was evident that she was not loved, and that
+      nothing but violent jealousy had induced her to desire this interview with
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, in order to make what is vulgarly called a scene,
+      considering Adrienne (the reason will be explained presently) as her
+      successful rival. But Rose-Pompon, having recovered her good-nature, found
+      it very difficult to continue the scene in question, particularly as, for
+      many reasons, she felt overawed by Adrienne.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Though she had expected, if not the singular speech of the grisette, at
+      least something of the same result&mdash;for she felt it was impossible
+      that the prince could entertain a serious attachment for this girl&mdash;Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville was at first delighted to hear the confirmation of her hopes
+      from the lips of her rival; but suddenly these hopes were succeeded by a
+      cruel apprehension, which we will endeavor to explain. What Adrienne had
+      just heard ought to have satisfied her completely. Sure that the heart of
+      Djalma had never ceased to belong to her, she ought, according to the
+      customs and opinions of the world, to have cared little if, in the
+      effervescence of an ardent youth, he had chanced to yield to some
+      ephemeral caprice for this creature, who was, after all, very pretty and
+      desirable&mdash;the more especially as he had now repaired his error by
+      separating from her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding these good reasons, such an error of the senses would not
+      have been pardoned by Adrienne. She did not understand that complete
+      separation of the body and soul that would make the one exempt from the
+      stains of the other. She did not think it a matter of indifference to toy
+      with one woman whilst you were thinking of another. Her young, chaste,
+      passionate love demanded an absolute fealty&mdash;a fealty as just in the
+      eyes of heaven and nature as it may be ridiculous and foolish in the eyes
+      of man. For the very reason that she cherished a refined religion of the
+      senses, and revered them as an adorable and divine manifestation, Adrienne
+      had all sorts of delicate scruples and nice repugnances, unknown to the
+      austere spirituality of those ascetic prudes who despise vile matter too
+      much to take notice of its errors, and allow it to grovel in filth, to
+      show the contempt in which they hold it. Mdlle. de Cardoville was not one
+      of those wonderfully modest creatures who would die of confusion rather
+      than say plainly that they wished for a young and handsome husband, at
+      once ardent and pure. It is true that they generally marry old, ugly, and
+      corrupted men, and make up for it by taking two or three lovers six months
+      after. But Adrienne felt instinctively how much of virginal and celestial
+      freshness there is in the equal innocence of two loving and passionate
+      beings&mdash;what guarantees for the future in the remembrance which a man
+      preserves of his first love!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We say, then, that Adrienne was only half-satisfied, though convinced by
+      the vexation of Rose-Pompon that Djalma had never entertained a serious
+      attachment for the grisette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why do you detest me, miss?&rdquo; said Adrienne mildly, when Rose-Pompon
+      had finished her speech.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! bless me, madame!&rdquo; replied the latter, forgetting altogether her
+      assumption of triumph, and yielding to the natural sincerity of her
+      character; &ldquo;pretend that you don&rsquo;t know why I detest you!&mdash;Oh, yes!
+      people go and pick bouquets from the jaws of a panther for people that
+      they care nothing about, don&rsquo;t they? And if it was only that!&rdquo; added
+      Rose-Pompon, who was gradually getting animated, and whose pretty face, at
+      first contracted into a sullen pout, now assumed an expression of real and
+      yet half-comic sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if it was only the nosegay!&rdquo; resumed she. &ldquo;Though it gave me a
+      dreadful turn to see Prince Charming leap like a kid upon the stage, I
+      might have said to myself: &lsquo;Pooh! these Indians have their own way of
+      showing politeness. Here, a lady drops her nosegay, and a gentleman picks
+      it up and gives it to her; but in India it is quite another thing; the man
+      picks up the nosegay, and does not return it to the woman&mdash;he only
+      kills a panther before her eyes.&rsquo; Those are good manners in that country,
+      I suppose; but what cannot be good manners anywhere is to treat a woman as
+      I have been treated. And all thanks to you, madame!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These complaints of Rose-Pompon, at once bitter and laughable, did not at
+      all agree with what she had previously stated as to Djalma&rsquo;s passionate
+      love for her; but Adrienne took care not to point out this contradiction,
+      and said to her, mildly: &ldquo;You must be mistaken, miss, when you suppose
+      that I had anything to do with your troubles. But, in any case, I regret
+      sincerely that you should have been ill-treated by any one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you think I have been beaten, you are quite wrong,&rdquo; exclaimed Rose
+      Pompon. &ldquo;Ah! well, I am sure! No, it is not that. But I am certain that,
+      had it not been for you, Prince Charming would have got to love me a
+      little. I am worthy of the trouble, after all&mdash;and then there are
+      different sorts of love&mdash;I am not so very particular&mdash;not even
+      so much as that,&rdquo; added Rose-Pompon, snapping her fingers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;when Ninny Moulin came to fetch me, and brought me
+      jewels and laces to persuade me to go with him, he was quite right in
+      saying there was no harm in his offers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ninny Moulin?&rdquo; asked Mdlle. de Cardoville, becoming more and more
+      interested; &ldquo;who is this Ninny Moulin, miss?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30189m.jpg" alt="30189m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30189.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A religious writer,&rdquo; answered Rose-Pompon, pouting; &ldquo;the right-hand man
+      of a lot of old sacristans, whose money he takes on pretense of writing
+      about morality and religion. A fine morality it is!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words&mdash;&ldquo;a religious writer&rdquo;&mdash;&ldquo;sacristans&rdquo; Adrienne
+      instantly divined some new plot of Rodin or Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, of which
+      she and Djalma were to have been the victims. She began vaguely to
+      perceive the real state of the case, as she resumed: &ldquo;But, miss, under
+      what pretence could this man take you away with him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He came to fetch me, and said I need not fear for my virtue, and was only
+      to make myself look pretty. So I said to myself: &lsquo;Philemon&rsquo;s out of town,
+      and it&rsquo;s very dull here all alone: This seems a droll affair; what can I
+      risk by it?&rsquo;&mdash;Alas! I didn&rsquo;t know what I risked,&rdquo; added Rose Pompon,
+      with a sigh. &ldquo;Well! Ninny Moulin takes me away in a fine carriage. We stop
+      in the Place du Palais-Royal. A sullen-looking man, with a yellow face,
+      gets up in the room of Ninny Moulin, and takes me to the house of Prince
+      Charming. When I saw him&mdash;la! he was so handsome, so very handsome,
+      that I was quite dizzy-like; and he had such a kind, noble air, that I
+      said to myself, &lsquo;Well! there will be some credit if I remain a good girl
+      now!&rsquo;&mdash;I did not know what a true word I was speaking. I have been
+      good&mdash;oh! worse than good.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, miss! do you regret having been so virtuous?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you see, I regret, at least, that I have not had the pleasure of
+      refusing. But how can you refuse, when nothing is asked&mdash;when you are
+      not even thought worth one little loving word?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, miss, allow me to observe to you that the indifference of which you
+      complain does not see to have prevented your making a long stay in the
+      house in question.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How should I know why the prince kept me there, or took me out riding
+      with him, or to the play? Perhaps it is the fashion in his savage country
+      to have a pretty girl by your side, and to pay no attention to her at
+      all!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But why, then, did you remain, miss?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why did I remain?&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, stamping her loot with vexation. &ldquo;I
+      remained because, without knowing how it happened, I began to get very
+      fond of Prince Charming; and what is queer enough, I, who am as gay as a
+      lark, loved him because he was so sorrowful, which shows that it was a
+      serious matter. At last, one day, I could hold out no longer. I said:
+      &lsquo;Never mind; I don&rsquo;t care for the consequences. Philemon, I am sure, is
+      having his fun in the country.&rsquo; That set my mind at ease. So one morning,
+      I dress myself in my best, all very pretty, look in my glass, and say:
+      &lsquo;Well, that will do&mdash;he can&rsquo;t stand that! and, going to his room, I
+      tell him all that passes through my head; I laugh, I cry&mdash;at last I
+      tell him that I adore him. What do you think he answers, in his mild
+      voice, and as cold as a piece of marble? Why, &lsquo;Poor child&mdash;poor child&mdash;poor
+      child!&rsquo;&rdquo; added Rose-Pompon, with indignation; &ldquo;neither more nor less than
+      if I had come to complain to him of the toothache. But the worst of it is
+      that I am sure, if he were not in love elsewhere, he would be all fire and
+      gunpowder. Only now he is so sad, so dejected!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, pausing a moment, Rose-Pompon added: &ldquo;No, I will not tell you that;
+      you would be too pleased.&rdquo; But, after another pause, she continued: &ldquo;Well,
+      never mind; I will tell you, though&rdquo;; and this singular girl looked at
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville with a mixture of sympathy and deference. &ldquo;Why should
+      I keep it from you? I began by riding the high horse, and saying that the
+      prince wished to marry me; and I finished by confessing that he almost
+      turned me out. Well, it&rsquo;s not my fault; when I try to fib, I am sure to
+      get confused. So, madame, this is the plain truth:&mdash;When I met you at
+      poor Mother Bunch&rsquo;s, I was at first as angry as a little turkey-cock; but
+      when I heard you, that are such a fine great lady, speak so kindly to the
+      poor girl, and treat her as your sister, do what I would, my anger began
+      to go away. Since we have been here, I have done my utmost to get it up
+      again; but I find it impossible, and the more I see the difference between
+      us, the more I perceive that Prince Charming was right in thinking so much
+      of you. For you must know, madame, that he is over head and ears in love
+      with you. I don&rsquo;t say so merely because he killed the panther for you at
+      the Porte-Saint-Martin; but if you knew all the tricks he played with your
+      bouquet, and how he will sit up all night weeping in that room where he
+      saw you for the first time&mdash;and then your portrait, that he has drawn
+      upon glass, after the fashion of his country, and so many other things&mdash;the
+      fact is, that I, who was fond of him, and saw all this was at first in a
+      great rage; but afterwards it was so touching that it brought the tears
+      into my eyes. Yes, madame, just as it does now, when I merely think of the
+      poor prince. Oh, madame!&rdquo; added Rose-Pompon, her eyes swimming in tears,
+      and with such an expression of sincere interest, that Adrienne was much
+      moved by it; &ldquo;oh, madame, you look so mild and good, that you will not
+      make this poor prince miserable. Pray love him a little bit; what can it
+      matter to you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rose-Pompon, with a perfectly simple, though too familiar,
+      gesture, took hold of Adrienne&rsquo;s hand, as if to enforce her request. It
+      had required great self-command in Mdlle. de Cardoville to repress the
+      rush of joy that was mounting from her heart to her lips, to check the
+      torrent of questions which she burned to address to Rose-Pompon, and to
+      restrain the sweet tears of happiness that for some seconds had trembled
+      in her eyes; and, strangely enough, when Rose-Pompon took her hand,
+      Adrienne, instead of withdrawing it, pressed the offered hand almost
+      affectionately, and led her towards the window, as if to examine her sweet
+      face more attentively.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On entering the room, the grisette had thrown her bonnet and shawl down
+      upon the bed, so that Adrienne could admire the thick and silky masses of
+      light hair that crowned the fresh face of the charming girl, with its
+      firm, rosy cheeks, its mouth as red as a cherry, and its large blue
+      laughing eyes; and, thanks to the somewhat scanty dress of Rose-Pompon,
+      Adrienne could fully appreciate the various graces of her nymph-like
+      figure. Strange as it may appear, Adrienne was delighted at finding the
+      girl still prettier than she had at first imagined. The stoical
+      indifference of Djalma to so attractive a creature was the best proof of
+      the sincerity of the passion by which he was actuated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having taken the hand of Adrienne, Rose-Pompon was herself confused and
+      surprised at the kindness with which Mdlle. de Cardoville permitted this
+      familiarity. Emboldened by this indulgence, and by the silence of
+      Adrienne, who for some moments had been contemplating her with almost
+      grateful benevolence, the grisette resumed: &ldquo;Oh, you will not refuse,
+      madame? You will take pity on this poor prince?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      We cannot tell how Adrienne would have answered this indiscreet question
+      of Rose-Pompon, for suddenly a loud, wild, shrill, piercing sound,
+      evidently intended to imitate the crowing of a cock, was heard close to
+      the door of the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne started in alarm; but the countenance of Rose Pompon, just now so
+      sad, brightened up joyously at this signal, and, clapping her hands she
+      exclaimed, &ldquo;It is Philemon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What&mdash;who?&rdquo; said Adrienne, hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lover; oh, the monster! he must have come upstairs on tiptoe, to take
+      me by surprise with his crowing. Just like him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A second cock-a-doodle-doo, still louder than the first, was heard close
+      to the door. &ldquo;What a stupid, droll creature it is! Always the same joke,
+      and yet it always amuses me,&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And drying her tears with the back of her hand, she began to laugh like
+      one bewitched at Philemon&rsquo;s jest, which, though well known to her, always
+      seemed new and agreeable.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not open the door,&rdquo; whispered Adrienne, much embarrassed; &ldquo;do not
+      answer, I beg of you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Though the door is bolted, the key is on the outside; Philemon can see
+      that there is some one at home.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter&mdash;do not let him in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, madame, he lives here; the room belongs to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In fact, Philemon, probably growing tired of the little effect produced by
+      his two ornithological imitations, turned the key in the lock, and finding
+      himself unable to open the door, said in a deep bass voice: &ldquo;What, dearest
+      puss, have you shut yourself in? Are you praying Saint Flambard for the
+      return of Philly?&rdquo; (short for Philemon.)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne, not coshing to increase, by prolonging it, the awkwardness of
+      this ridiculous situation, went straight to the door and opened it, to the
+      great surprise of Philemon, who recoiled two or three steps.
+      Notwithstanding the annoyance of this incident, Mdlle. de Cardoville could
+      not help smiling at sight of Rose-Pompon&rsquo;s lover, and of the articles he
+      carried in his hand or under his arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Philemon was a tall fellow, with dark hair and a very fresh color, and,
+      being just arrived from a journey, he wore a white cap; his thick, black
+      beard flowed down on his sky-blue waistcoat; and a short olive-colored
+      velvet shooting-coat, with extravagantly large plaid trousers, completed
+      his costume. As for the accessories which had provoked a smile from
+      Adrienne, they consisted: first, of a portmanteau tucked under his arm,
+      with the head and neck of a goose protruding from it; secondly, of a cage
+      held in his hand, with an enormous white rabbit all alive within it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! the darling white rabbit! what pretty red eyes!&rdquo; Such, it must be
+      confessed, was the first exclamation of Rose-Pompon, though Philemon, to
+      whom it was not addressed, had returned after a long absence; but the
+      student far from being shocked at seeing himself thus sacrificed to his
+      long-earned companion, smiled complacently, rejoicing at the success of
+      his attempt to please his mistress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this passed very rapidly. While Rose-Pompon, kneeling before the cage,
+      was still occupied with her admiration of the rabbit, Philemon, struck
+      with the lofty air of Mdlle. de Cardoville, raised his hand to his cap,
+      and bowed respectfully as he made way for her to pass. Adrienne returned
+      his salutation with politeness, full of grace and dignity, and, lightly
+      descending the stairs, soon disappeared. Dazzled by her beauty, as well as
+      impressed with her noble and lofty bearing, and curious to know how in the
+      world Rose-Pompon had fallen in with such an acquaintance, Philemon said
+      to her, in his amorous jargon: &ldquo;Dearest puss! tell her Philly who is that
+      fine lady?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of my school-fellows, you great satyr!&rdquo; said Rose-Pompon, still
+      playing with the rabbit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, glancing at a box, which Philemon deposited close to the cage and
+      the portmanteau, she added: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll wager anything you have brought me some
+      more preserves!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Philly has brought something better to his dear puss,&rdquo; said the student,
+      imprinting two vigorous kisses on the rosy cheeks of Rose-Pompon, who had
+      at length, consented to stand up; &ldquo;Philly has brought her his heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fudge!&rdquo; said the grisette, delicately placing the thumb of her left hand
+      on the tip of her nose, and opening the fingers, which she slightly moved
+      to and fro. Philemon answered this provocation by putting his arm around
+      her waist; and then the happy pair shut their door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0142" id="link2HCH0142">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVII. SOOTHING WORDS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>uring the interview of Adrienne with Rose-Pompon a touching scene took
+      place between Agricola and Mother Bunch, who had been much surprised at
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s condescension with regard to the grisette.
+      Immediately after the departure of Adrienne, Agricola had knelt down
+      beside Mother Bunch, and said to her, with profound emotion: &ldquo;We are
+      alone, and I can at length tell you what weighs upon my heart. This act is
+      too cruel&mdash;to die of misery and despair, and not to send to me for
+      assistance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, Agricola&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, there is no excuse for this. What! we called each other by the names
+      of brother and sister, and for fifteen years gave every proof of sincere
+      affection&mdash;and, when the day of misfortune comes, you quit life
+      without caring for those you must leave behind&mdash;without considering
+      that to kill yourself is to tell them they are indifferent to you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me, Agricola! it is true. I had never thought of that,&rdquo; said the
+      workgirl, casting down her eyes; &ldquo;but poverty&mdash;want of work&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Misery! want of work! and was I not here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And despair!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But why despair? This generous young lady had received you in her house;
+      she knew your worth, and treated you as her friend&mdash;and just at the
+      moment when you had every chance of happiness, you leave the house
+      abruptly, and we remain in the most horrible anxiety on your account.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I feared&mdash;to be&mdash;to be a burden to my benefactress,&rdquo; stammered
+      she.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You a burden to Mdlle. de Cardoville, that is so rich and good!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I feared to be indiscreet,&rdquo; said the sewing-girl, more and more
+      embarrassed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Instead of answering his adopted sister, Agricola remained silent, and
+      contemplated her for some moments with an undefinable expression; then he
+      exclaimed suddenly, as if replying to a question put by himself: &ldquo;She will
+      forgive me for disobeying her.&mdash;I am sure of it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He next turned towards Mother Bunch, who was looking at him in
+      astonishment, and said to her in a voice of emotion: &ldquo;I am too frank to
+      keep up this deception. I am reproaching you&mdash;blaming you&mdash;and
+      my thoughts are quite different.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so, Agricola?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My heart aches, when I think of the evil I have done you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand you, my friend; you have never done me any evil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! never? even in little things? when, for instance, yielding to a
+      detestable habit, I, who loved and respected you as my sister, insulted
+      you a hundred times a day?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Insulted me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;when I gave you an odious and ridiculous nickname, instead of
+      calling you properly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, Mother Bunch looked at the smith in the utmost alarm,
+      trembling lest he had discovered her painful secret, notwithstanding the
+      assurance she had received from Mdlle. de Cardoville. Yet she calmed
+      herself a little when she reflected, that Agricola might of himself have
+      thought of the humiliation inflicted on her by calling her Mother Bunch,
+      and she answered him with a forced smile. &ldquo;Can you be grieved at so small
+      a thing? It was a habit, Agricola, from childhood. When did your good and
+      affectionate mother, who nevertheless loved me as her daughter, ever call
+      me anything else?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And did my mother consult you about my marriage, speak to you of the rare
+      beauty of my bride, beg you to come and see her, and study her character,
+      in the hope that the instinct of your affection for me would warn you&mdash;if
+      I made a bad choice? Did my mother have this cruelty?&mdash;No; it was I,
+      who thus pierced your heart!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The fears of the hearer were again aroused; there could be but little
+      doubt that Agricola knew her secret. She felt herself sinking with
+      confusion; yet, making a last effort not to believe the discovery, she
+      murmured in a feeble voice: &ldquo;True, Agricola! It was not your mother, but
+      yourself, who made me that request&mdash;and I was grateful to you for
+      such a mark of confidence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Grateful, my poor girl!&rdquo; cried the smith, whilst his eyes filled with
+      tears; &ldquo;no, it is not true. I pained you fearfully&mdash;I was merciless&mdash;heaven
+      knows, without being aware of it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But,&rdquo; said the other, in a voice now almost unintelligible, &ldquo;what makes
+      you think so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your love for me!&rdquo; cried the smith, trembling with emotion, as he clasped
+      Mother Bunch in a brotherly embrace.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30197m.jpg" alt="30197m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30197.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh heaven!&rdquo; murmured the unfortunate creature, as she covered her face
+      with her hands, &ldquo;he knows all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I know all,&rdquo; resumed Agricola, with an expression of ineffable
+      tenderness and respect: &ldquo;yes, I know all, and I will not have you blush
+      for a sentiment, which honors me, and of which I feel so justly proud.
+      Yes, I know all; and I say to myself with joy and pride, that the best,
+      the most noble heart in the world is mine&mdash;will be mine always. Come,
+      Magdalen; let us leave shame to evil passions. Raise your eyes, and look
+      at me! You know, if my countenance was ever false&mdash;if it ever
+      reflected a feigned emotion. Then look and tell me, if you cannot read in
+      my features, how proud I am, Magdalen, how justly proud of your love!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Overwhelmed with grief and confusion, Mother Bunch had not dared to look
+      on Agricola; but his words expressed so deep a conviction, the tones of
+      his voice revealed so tender an emotion, that the poor creature felt her
+      shame gradually diminish, particularly when Agricola added, with rising
+      animation: &ldquo;Be satisfied, my sweet, my noble Magdalen; I will be worthy of
+      this love. Believe me, it shall yet cause you as much happiness as it has
+      occasioned tears. Why should this love be a motive for estrangement,
+      confusion, fear? For what is love, in the sense in which it is held by
+      your generous heart? Is it not a continual exchange of devotion,
+      tenderness, esteem, of mutual and blind confidence?&mdash;Why, Magdalen!
+      we may have all this for one another&mdash;devotion, tenderness,
+      confidence&mdash;even more than in times past; for, on a thousand
+      occasions, your secret inspired you with fear and suspicion&mdash;while,
+      for the future, on the contrary, you will see me take such delight in the
+      place I fill in your good and valiant heart, that you will be happy in the
+      happiness you bestow. What I have just said may seem very selfish and
+      conceited; so much the worse! I do not know how to lie.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The longer the smith spoke, the less troubled became Mother Bunch. What
+      she had above all feared in the discovery of her secret was to see it
+      received with raillery, contempt, or humiliating compassion; far from
+      this, joy and happiness were distinctly visible on the manly and honest
+      face of Agricola. The hunchback knew him incapable of deception; therefore
+      she exclaimed, this time without shame or confusion, but rather with a
+      sort of pride.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30205m.jpg" alt="30205m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30205.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Every sincere and pure passion is so far good and con soling as to end by
+      deserving interest and sympathy, when it has triumphed over its first
+      excess! It is alike honorable to the heart which feels and that which
+      inspires it!&mdash;Thanks to you, Agricola&mdash;thanks to the kind words,
+      which have raised me in my own esteem&mdash;I feel that, instead of
+      blushing, I ought to be proud of this love. My benefactress is right&mdash;you
+      are right: why should I be ashamed of it? Is it not a true and sacred
+      love? To be near you, to love you, to tell you so, to prove it by constant
+      devotion, what did I ever desire more? And yet shame and fear, joined with
+      that dizziness of the brain which extreme misery produces, drove me to
+      suicide!&mdash;But then some allowance must be made for the suspicions of
+      a poor creature, who has been the subject of ridicule from her cradle. So
+      my secret was to die with me, unless some unforeseen accident should
+      reveal it to you; and, in that case, you are right&mdash;sure of myself,
+      sure of you, I ought to have feared nothing. But I may claim some
+      indulgence; mistrust, cruel mistrust of one&rsquo;s self makes one doubt others
+      also. Let us forget all that. Agricola, my generous brother, I will say to
+      you, as you said to me just now, &lsquo;Look at me; you know my countenance
+      cannot lie. Look at me: see if I shun your gaze; see if, ever in my life,
+      I looked so happy&rsquo;&mdash;and yet, even now, I was about to die!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She spoke the truth. Agricola himself could not have hoped so prompt an
+      effect from his words. In spite of the deep traces which misery, grief,
+      and sickness had imprinted on the girl&rsquo;s features, they now shone with
+      radiant happiness and serenity, whilst her blue eyes, gentle and pure as
+      her soul, were fixed, without embarrassment, on those of Agricola.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! thanks, thanks!&rdquo; cried the smith, in a rapture of delight: &ldquo;when I
+      see you so calm, and so happy, Magdalen, I am indeed grateful.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I am calm, I am happy,&rdquo; replied she; &ldquo;and happy I shall be, for I
+      can now tell you my most secret thoughts. Yes, happy; for this day, which
+      began so fatally, ends like a divine dream. Far from being afraid, I now
+      look at you with hope and joy. I have again found my generous
+      benefactress, and I am tranquil as to the fate of my poor sister. Oh!
+      shall we not soon see her? I should like her to take part in this
+      happiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She seemed so happy, that the smith did not dare to inform her of the
+      death of Cephyse, and reserved himself to communicate the same at a more
+      fitting opportunity. Therefore he answered: &ldquo;Cephyse, being the stronger,
+      has been the more shaken; it will not be prudent, I am told, to see her
+      to-day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will wait then. I can repress my impatience, I have so much to say to
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear, gentle Magdalen!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my friend!&rdquo; cried the girl, interrupting Agricola, with tears of joy:
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell you what I feel, when I hear you call me Magdalen. It is so
+      sweet, so soothing, that my heart expands with delight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor girl! how dreadfully she must have suffered!&rdquo; cried the smith, with
+      inexpressible emotion, &ldquo;when she displays so much happiness, so much
+      gratitude, at being called by her own poor name!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But consider, my friend; that word in your mouth contains a new life for
+      me. If you only knew what hopes, what pleasures I can now see gleaming in
+      the future! If you knew all the cherished longings of my tenderness! Your
+      wife, the charming Angela, with her angel face and angel-soul&mdash;oh! in
+      my turn, I can say to, you, &lsquo;Look at me, and see how sweet that name is to
+      my lips and heart!&rsquo; Yes, your charming, your good Angela will call me
+      Magdalen&mdash;and your children, Agricola, your children!&mdash;dear
+      little creatures!&mdash;to them also I shall be Magdalen&mdash;their good
+      Magdalen&mdash;and the love I shall bear them will make them mine, as well
+      as their mother&rsquo;s&mdash;and I shall have my part in every maternal care&mdash;and
+      they will belong to us three; will they not, Agricola?&mdash;Oh! let me,
+      let me weep! These tears without bitterness do me so much good; they are
+      tears that need not be concealed. Thank heaven! thank you, my friend!
+      those other tears are I trust dried forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      For some seconds, this affecting scene had been overlooked by an invisible
+      witness. The smith and Mother Bunch had not perceived Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      standing on the threshold of the door. As Mother Bunch had said, this day,
+      which dawned with all under such fatal auspices, had become for all a day
+      of ineffable felicity. Adrienne, too, was full of joy, for Djalma had been
+      faithful to her, Djalma loved her with passion. The odious appearances, of
+      which she had been the dupe and victim, evidently formed part of a new
+      plot of Rodin, and it only remained for Mdlle. de Cardoville to discover
+      the end of these machinations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another joy was reserved for her. The happy are quick in detecting
+      happiness in others, and Adrienne guessed, by the hunchback&rsquo;s last words,
+      that there was no longer any secret between the smith and the sempstress.
+      She could not therefore help exclaiming, as she entered: &ldquo;Oh! this will be
+      the brightest day of my life, for I shall not be happy alone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola and Mother Bunch turned round hastily. &ldquo;Lady,&rdquo; said the smith,
+      &ldquo;in spite of the promise I made you, I could not conceal from Magdalen
+      that I knew she loved me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now that I no longer blush for this love before Agricola, why should I
+      blush for it before you, lady, that told me to be proud of it, because it
+      is noble and pure?&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, to whom her happiness gave strength
+      enough to rise, and to lean upon Agricola&rsquo;s arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is well, my friend,&rdquo; said Adrienne, as she threw her arms round her to
+      support her; &ldquo;only one word, to excuse the indiscretion with which you
+      will perhaps reproach me. If I told your secret to M. Agricola&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know why it was, Magdalen?&rdquo; cried the smith, interrupting
+      Adrienne. &ldquo;It was only another proof of the lady&rsquo;s delicate generosity. &lsquo;I
+      long hesitate to confide to you this secret,&rsquo; said she to me this morning,
+      &lsquo;but I have at length made up my mind to it. We shall probably find your
+      adopted sister; you have been to her the best of brothers: but many times,
+      without knowing it, you have wounded her feelings cruelly&mdash;and now
+      that you know her secret, I trust in your kind heart to keep it
+      faithfully, and so spare the poor child a thousand pangs&mdash;pangs the
+      more bitter, because they come from you, and are suffered in silence.
+      Hence, when you speak to her of your wife, your domestic happiness, take
+      care not to gall that noble and tender heart.&rsquo;&mdash;Yes, Magdalen, these
+      were the reasons that led the lady to commit what she called an
+      indiscretion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I want words to thank you now and ever,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See, my friend,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, &ldquo;how often the designs of the wicked
+      turn against themselves. They feared your devotion to me, and therefore
+      employed that unhappy Florine to steal your journal&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So as to drive me from your house with shame, lady, When I supposed my
+      most secret thoughts an object of ridicule to all. There can be no doubt
+      such was their plan,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, my child. Well! this horrible wickedness, which nearly caused your
+      death, now turns to the confusion of the criminals. Their plot is
+      discovered&mdash;and, luckily, many other of their designs,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, as she thought of Rose-Pompon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then she resumed, with heartfelt joy: &ldquo;At last, we are again united,
+      happier than ever, and in our very happiness we shall find new resources
+      to combat our enemies. I say our enemies&mdash;for all that love me are
+      odious to these wretches. But courage, the hour is come, and the good
+      people will have their turn.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank heaven, lady,&rdquo; said the smith; &ldquo;or my part, I shall not be wanting
+      in zeal. What delight to strip them of their mask!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me remind you, M. Baudoin, that you have an appointment for to morrow
+      with M. Hardy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have not forgotten it, lady, any more than the generous offers I am to
+      convey to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is nothing. He belongs to my family. Tell him (what indeed I shall
+      write to him this evening), that the funds necessary to reopen his factory
+      are at his disposal; I do not say so for his sake only, but for that of a
+      hundred families reduced to want. Beg him to quit immediately the fatal
+      abode to which they have taken him: for a thousand reasons he should be on
+      his guard against all that surround him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied, lady. The letter he wrote to me in reply to the one I got
+      secretly delivered to him, was short, affectionate, sad&mdash;but he
+      grants me the interview I had asked for, and I am sure I shall be able to
+      persuade him to leave that melancholy dwelling, and perhaps to depart with
+      me, he has always had so much confidence in my attachment.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, M. Baudoin, courage!&rdquo; said Adrienne, as she threw her cloak over
+      the workgirl&rsquo;s shoulders, and wrapped her round with care. &ldquo;Let us be
+      gone, for it is late. As soon as we get home, I will give you a letter for
+      M. Hardy, and to-morrow you will come and tell me the result of your
+      visit. No, not to-morrow,&rdquo; she added, blushing slightly. &ldquo;Write to me
+      to-morrow, and the day after, about twelve, come to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Some minutes later, the young sempstress, supported by Agricola and
+      Adrienne, had descended the stairs of that gloomy house, and, being placed
+      in the carriage by the side of Mdlle. de Cardoville, she earnestly
+      entreated to be allowed to see Cephyse; it was in vain that Agricola
+      assured her it was impossible, and that she should see her the next day.
+      Thanks to the information derived from Rose-Pompon, Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      was reasonably suspicious of all those who surrounded Djalma, and she
+      therefore took measures, that, very evening, to have a letter delivered to
+      the prince by what she considered a sure hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0143" id="link2HCH0143">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE TWO CARRIAGES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t is the evening of the day on which Mdlle. de Cardoville prevented the
+      sewing-girl&rsquo;s suicide. It strikes eleven; the night is dark; the wind
+      blows with violence, and drives along great black clouds, which completely
+      hide the pale lustre of the moon. A hackney-coach, drawn by two
+      broken-winded horses, ascends slowly and with difficulty the slope of the
+      Rue Blanche, which is pretty steep near the barrier, in the part where is
+      situated the house occupied by Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The coach stops. The coachman, cursing the length of an interminable drive
+      &ldquo;within the circuit,&rdquo; leading at last to this difficult ascent, turns
+      round on his box, leans over towards the front window of the vehicle, and
+      says in a gruff tone to the person he is driving: &ldquo;Come! are we almost
+      there? From the Rue de Vaugirard to the Barriere Blanche, is a pretty good
+      stretch, I think, without reckoning that the night is so dark, that one
+      can hardly see two steps before one&mdash;and the street-lamps not lighted
+      because of the moon, which doesn&rsquo;t shine, after all!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look out for a little door with a portico-drive on about twenty yards
+      beyond&mdash;and then stop close to the wall,&rdquo; answered a squeaking voice,
+      impatiently, and with an Italian accent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is a beggarly Dutchman, that will make me as savage as a bear?&rdquo;
+       muttered the angry Jehu to himself. Then he added: &ldquo;Thousand thunders! I
+      tell you that I can&rsquo;t see. How the devil can I find out your little door?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you no sense? Follow the wall to the right, brush against it, and
+      you will easily find the little door. It is next to No. 50. If you do not
+      find it, you must be drunk,&rdquo; answered the Italian, with increased
+      bitterness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The coachman only replied by swearing like a trooper, and whipping up his
+      jaded horses. Then, keeping close to the wall, he strained his eyes in
+      trying to read the numbers of the houses, by the aid of his carriage
+      lamps.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some moments, the coach again stopped. &ldquo;I have passed No. 50, and
+      here is a little door with a portico,&rdquo; said the coachman. &ldquo;Is that the
+      one?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said the voice. &ldquo;Now go forward some twenty yards, and then stop.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! I never&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then get down from your box, and give twice three knocks at the little
+      door we have just passed&mdash;you understand me?&mdash;twice three
+      knocks.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that all you give me to drink?&rdquo; cried the exasperated coachman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When you have taken me back to the Faubourg Saint-Germain, where I live,
+      you shall have something handsome, if you do but manage matters well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ha! now the Faubourg Saint-Germain! Only that little bit of distance!&rdquo;
+       said the driver, with repressed rage. &ldquo;And I who have winded my horses,
+      wanted to be on the boulevard by the time the play was out. Well, I&rsquo;m
+      blowed!&rdquo; Then, putting a good face on his bad luck, and consoling himself
+      with the thought of the promised drink-money, he resumed: &ldquo;I am to give
+      twice three knocks at the little door?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; three knocks first&mdash;then pause&mdash;then three other knocks.
+      Do you understand?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What next?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell the person who comes, that he is waited for, and bring him here to
+      the coach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The devil burn you!&rdquo; said the coachman to himself, as he turned round on
+      the box, and whipped up his horses, adding: &ldquo;this crusty old Dutchman has
+      something to do with Free-masons, or, perhaps, smugglers, seeing we are so
+      near the gates. He deserves my giving him in charge, for bringing me all
+      the way from the Rue de Vaugirard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At twenty steps beyond the little door, the coach again stopped, and the
+      coachman descended from the box to execute the orders he had received.
+      Going to the little door, he knocked three times; then paused, as he had
+      been desired, and then knocked three times more. The clouds, which had
+      hitherto been so thick as entirely to conceal the disk of the moon, just
+      then withdrew sufficiently to afford a glimmering light, so that when the
+      door opened at the signal, the coachman saw a middle-sized person issue
+      from it, wrapped in a cloak, and wearing a colored cap.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This man carefully locked the door, and then advanced two steps into the
+      street. &ldquo;They are waiting for you,&rdquo; said the coachman; &ldquo;I am to take you
+      along with me to the coach.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Preceding the man with the cloak, who only answered him by a nod, he led
+      him to the coach-door, which he was about to open, and to let down the
+      step, when the voice exclaimed from the inside: &ldquo;It is not necessary. The
+      gentleman may talk to me through the window. I will call you when it is
+      time to start.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Which means that I shall be kept here long enough to send you to all the
+      devils!&rdquo; murmured the driver. &ldquo;However, I may as well walk about, just to
+      stretch my legs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he began to walk up and down, by the side of the wall in which
+      was the little door. Presently he heard the distant sound of wheels, which
+      soon came nearer and nearer, and a carriage, rapidly ascending the slope,
+      stopped on the other side of the little garden-door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, I say! a private carriage!&rdquo; said the coachman. &ldquo;Good horses those,
+      to come up the Rue Blanche at a trot.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The coachman was just making this observation, when, by favor of a
+      momentary gleam of light, he saw a man step from the carriage, advance
+      rapidly to the little door, open it, and go in, closing it after him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It gets thicker and thicker!&rdquo; said the coachman. &ldquo;One comes out, and the
+      other goes in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he walked up to the carriage. It was splendidly harnessed, and
+      drawn by two handsome and vigorous horses. The driver sat motionless, in
+      his great box-coat, with the handle of his whip resting on his right knee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s weather to drive about in, with such tidy dukes as yours,
+      comrade!&rdquo; said the humble hackney-coachman to this automaton, who remained
+      mute and impassible, without even appearing to know that he was spoken to.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t understand French&mdash;he&rsquo;s an Englishman. One could tell
+      that by his horses,&rdquo; said the coachman, putting this interpretation on the
+      silence of his brother whip. Then, perceiving a tall footman at a little
+      distance, dressed in a long gray livery coat, with blue collar and silver
+      buttons, the coachman addressed himself to him, by way of compensation,
+      but without much varying his phrase: &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s nice weather to stand about
+      in, comrade!&rdquo; On the part of the footman, he was met with the same
+      imperturbable silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They&rsquo;re both Englishmen,&rdquo; resumed the coachman, philosophically; and,
+      though somewhat astonished at the incident of the little door, he
+      recommenced his walk in the direction of his own vehicle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While these facts were passing, the man in the cloak, and the man with the
+      Italian accent continued their conversation, the one still in the coach,
+      and the other leaning with his hand on the door. It had already lasted for
+      some time, and was carried on in Italian. They were evidently talking of
+      some absent person, as will appear from the following.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So,&rdquo; said the voice from the coach, &ldquo;that is agreed to?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord,&rdquo; answered the man in the cloak; &ldquo;but only in case the eagle
+      should become a serpent.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, in the contrary event, you will receive the other half of the ivory
+      crucifix I gave you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall know what it means, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Continue to merit and preserve his confidence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will merit and preserve it, my lord, because I admire and respect this
+      man, who is stronger than the strongest, by craft, and courage, and will.
+      I have knelt before him with humility, as I would kneel before one of the
+      three black idols that stand between Bowanee and her worshippers; for his
+      religion, like mine, teaches to change life into nothingness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Humph!&rdquo; said the voice, in a tone of some embarrassment; &ldquo;these
+      comparisons are useless and inaccurate. Only think of obeying him, without
+      explaining your obedience.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let him speak, and I perform his will! I am in his hands like a corpse,
+      as he himself expresses it. He has seen, he sees every day, my devotion to
+      his interests with regard to Prince Djalma. He has only to say: &lsquo;Kill
+      him! &lsquo;and this son of a king&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For heaven&rsquo;s salve, do not have such ideas!&rdquo; cried the voice,
+      interrupting the man in the cloak. &ldquo;Thank heaven, you will never be asked
+      for such proofs of your submission.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I am ordered I do. Bowanee sees me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not doubt your zeal. I know that you are a loving and intelligent
+      barrier, placed between the prince and many guilty interests; and it is
+      because I have heard of that zeal, of your skill in circumventing this
+      young Indian, and, above all, of the motives of your blind devotion, that
+      I have wished to inform you of everything. You are the fanatical
+      worshipper of him you serve. That is well; man should be the obedient
+      slave of the god he chooses for himself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord; so long as the god remains a god.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We understand each other perfectly. As for your recompense, you know what
+      I have promised.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord, I have my reward already.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know what I know.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well. Then as for secrecy&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have securities, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;and sufficient ones.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The interest of the cause I serve, my lord, would alone be enough to
+      secure my zeal and discretion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True; you are a man of firm and ardent convictions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I strive to be so, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, after all, a very religious man in your way. It is very
+      praiseworthy, in these irreligious times, to have any views at all on such
+      matters&mdash;particularly when those views will just enable me to count
+      upon your aid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You may count upon it, my lord, for the same reason that the intrepid
+      hunter prefers a jackal to ten foxes, a tiger to ten jackals, a lion to
+      ten tigers, and the welmiss to ten lions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the welmiss?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is what spirit is to matter, the blade to the scabbard, the perfume to
+      the flower, the head to the body.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand. There never was a more just comparison. You are a man of
+      sound judgment. Always recollect what you have just told me, and make
+      yourself more and more worthy of the confidence of&mdash;your idol.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will he soon be in a state to hear me, my lord?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In two or three days, at most. Yesterday a providential crisis saved his
+      life; and he is endowed with so energetic a will, that his cure will be
+      very rapid.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Shall you see him again to-morrow, my lord?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, before my departure, to bid him farewell.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then tell him a strange circumstance, of which I have not been able to
+      inform him, but which happened yesterday.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What was it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had gone to the garden of the dead. I saw funerals everywhere, and
+      lighted torches, in the midst of the black night, shining upon tombs.
+      Bowanee smiled in her ebon sky. As I thought of that divinity of
+      destruction, I beheld with joy the dead-cart emptied of its coffins. The
+      immense pit yawned like the mouth of hell; corpses were heaped upon
+      corpses, and still it yawned the same. Suddenly, by the light of a torch,
+      I saw an old man beside me. He wept. I had seen him before. He is a Jew&mdash;the
+      keeper of the house in the Rue Saint-Francois&mdash;you know what I mean.&rdquo;
+       Here the man in the cloak started.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, I know; but what is the matter? why do you stop short?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because in that house there has been for a hundred and fifty years the
+      portrait of a man whom I once met in the centre of India, on the banks of
+      the Ganges.&rdquo; And the man in the cloak again paused and shuddered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A singular resemblance, no doubt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord, a singular resemblance&mdash;nothing more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the Jew&mdash;the old Jew?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am coming to that, my lord. Still weeping, he said to a gravedigger,
+      &lsquo;Well! and the coffin?&rsquo; &lsquo;You were right,&rsquo; answered the man; &lsquo;I found it in
+      the second row of the other grave. It had the figure of a cross on it,
+      formed by seven black nails. But how could you know the place and the
+      mark?&rsquo; &lsquo;Alas! it is no matter,&rsquo; replied the old Jew, with bitter
+      melancholy. &lsquo;You see that I was but too well informed on the subject. But
+      where is the coffin?&rsquo; &lsquo;Behind the great tomb of black marble; I have
+      hidden it there. So make haste; for, in the confusion, nothing will be
+      noticed. You have paid me well, and I wish you to succeed in what you
+      require.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what did the old Jew do with the coffin marked with the seven black
+      nails?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two men accompanied him, my lord, bearing a covered litter, with curtains
+      drawn round it. He lighted a lantern, and, followed by these two men, went
+      towards the place pointed out by the gravedigger. A stoppage, occasioned
+      by the dead-carts, made me lose sight of the old Jew, whom I was following
+      amongst the tombs. Afterwards I was unable to find him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is indeed a strange affair. What could this old Jew want with the
+      coffin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is said, my lord, that they use dead bodies in preparing their magic
+      charms.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those unbelievers are capable of anything&mdash;even of holding
+      communication with the Enemy of mankind. However, we will look after this:
+      the discovery may be of importance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this instant a clock struck twelve in the distance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Midnight! already?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must be gone. Good-bye&mdash;but for the last time swear to me that,
+      should matters so turn out, as soon as you receive the other half of the
+      ivory crucifix I have just given you, you will keep your promise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have sworn it by Bowanee, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t forget that, to make all sure, the person who will deliver to you
+      the other half of the crucifix is to say&mdash;come, what is he to say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is to say, my lord: &lsquo;There is many a slip &lsquo;twixt the cup and the
+      lip.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well. Adieu! secrecy and fidelity!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Secrecy and fidelity, my lord,&rdquo; answered the man in the cloak.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Some seconds after the hackney-coach started, carrying with it Cardinal
+      Malipieri, one of the speakers in the above dialogue. The other, whom the
+      reader has no doubt recognized as Faringhea, returned to the little
+      garden-door of the house occupied by Djalma. At the moment he was putting
+      the key into the lock, the door opened, to his great astonishment, and a
+      man came forth. Faringhea rushed upon the unknown, seized him violently by
+      the collar, and exclaimed: &ldquo;Who are you? whence came you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The stranger evidently found the tone of this question anything but
+      satisfactory; for, instead of answering, he struggled to disengage himself
+      from Faringhea&rsquo;s hold, and cried out, in a loud voice: &ldquo;Help! Peter!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Instantly the carriage, which had been standing a few yards off, dashed up
+      at full speed, and Peter, the tall footman, seizing the half-breed by the
+      shoulders, flung him back several paces, and thus made a seasonable
+      diversion in favor of the unknown.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, sir,&rdquo; said the latter to Faringhea, shaking himself, and still
+      protected by the gigantic footman, &ldquo;I am in a state to answer your
+      questions, though you certainly have a very rough way of receiving an old
+      acquaintance. I am Dupont, ex-bailiff of the estate of Cardoville, and it
+      was I who helped to fish you out of the water, when the ship was wrecked
+      in which you had embarked.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      By the light of the carriage-lamps, indeed, the half-caste recognized the
+      good, honest face of Dupont, formerly bailiff, and now house-steward, to
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville. It must not be forgotten that Dupont had been the
+      first to write to Mdlle. de Cardoville, to ask her to interest herself for
+      Djalma, who was then detained at Cardoville Castle by the injuries he had
+      received during the shipwreck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, sir, what is your business here? Why do you introduce yourself
+      clandestinely into this house?&rdquo; said Faringhea, in an abrupt and
+      suspicious tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will&mdash;just observe to you that there is nothing clandestine in the
+      matter. I came here in a carriage, with servants in the livery of my
+      excellent mistress, Mdlle. de Cardoville, charged by her, without any
+      disguise or mystery, to deliver a letter to Prince Djalma, her cousin,&rdquo;
+       replied Dupont, with dignity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On these words, Faringhea trembled with mute rage, as he answered: &ldquo;And
+      why, sir, come at this late hour, and introduce yourself by this little
+      door?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I came at this hour, my dear sir, because such was Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s
+      command, and I entered by this little gate because there is every reason
+      to believe that if I had gone around to the other I should not have been
+      permitted to see the prince.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are mistaken, sir,&rdquo; replied the half-caste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is possible: but as we knew that the prince usually passed a good
+      portion of the night in the little saloon, which communicates with the
+      greenhouse, and as Mdlle. de Cardoville had kept a duplicate key of this
+      door, I was pretty certain, by taking this course, to be able to deliver
+      into the prince&rsquo;s own hands the letter from Mdlle. de Cardoville, his
+      cousin, which I have now had the honor of doing, my dear sir; and I have
+      been deeply touched by the kindness with which the prince deigned to
+      receive me and to remember our last interview.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who kept you so well informed, sir, of the prince&rsquo;s habits?&rdquo; said
+      Faringhea, unable to control his vexation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I have been well informed as to his habits, my dear sir, I have had no
+      such correct knowledge of yours,&rdquo; answered Dupont, with a mocking air;
+      &ldquo;for I assure you that I had no more notion of seeing you than you had of
+      seeing me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, M. Dupont bowed with something like mock politeness to the
+      half-caste, and got into the carriage, which drove off rapidly, leaving
+      Faringhea in a state of the utmost surprise and anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0144" id="link2HCH0144">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XXXIX. THE APPOINTMENT.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he morning after&mdash;Dupont&rsquo;s mission to Prince Djalma, the latter was
+      walking with hasty and impatient step up and down the little saloon, which
+      communicated, as we already know, with the greenhouse from which Adrienne
+      had entered when she first appeared to him. In remembrance of that day, he
+      had chosen to dress himself as on the occasion in question; he wore the
+      same tunic of white cashmere, with a cherry-colored turban, to match with
+      his girdle; his gaiters, of scarlet velvet, embroidered with silver,
+      displayed the fine form of his leg, and terminated in small white morocco
+      slippers, with red heels. Happiness has so instantaneous, and, as it were,
+      material an influence upon young, lively, and ardent natures, that Djalma,
+      dejected and despairing only the day before, was no longer like the same
+      person. The pale, transparent gold of his complexion was no longer
+      tarnished by a livid hue. His large eyes, of late obscured like black
+      diamonds by a humid vapor, now shone with mild radiance in the centre of
+      their pearly setting; his lips, long pale, had recovered their natural
+      color, which was rich and soft as the fine purple flowers of his country.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ever and anon, pausing in his hasty walk, he stopped suddenly, and drew
+      from his bosom a little piece of paper, carefully folded, which he pressed
+      to his lips with enthusiastic ardor. Then, unable to restrain the
+      expression of his full happiness, he uttered a full and sonorous cry of
+      joy, and with a bound he was in front of the plate-glass which separated
+      the saloon from the conservatory, in which he had first seen Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville. By a singular power of remembrance, or marvellous
+      hallucination of a mind possessed by a fixed idea, Djalma had often seen,
+      or fancied he saw, the adored semblance of Adrienne appear to him through
+      this sheet of crystal. The illusion had been so complete, that, with his
+      eyes ardently fixed on the vision he invoked, he had been able, with the
+      aid of a pencil dipped in carmine, to trace with astonishing exactness,
+      the profile of the ideal countenance which the delirium of his imagination
+      had presented to his view.(42) It was before these delicate lines of
+      bright carmine that Djalma now stood in deep contemplation, after perusing
+      and reperusing, and raising twenty times to his lips, the letter he had
+      received the night before from the hands of Dupont. Djalma was not alone.
+      Faringhea watched all the movements of the prince, with a subtle,
+      attentive, and gloomy aspect. Standing respectfully in a corner of the
+      saloon, the half-caste appeared to be occupied in unfolding and spreading
+      out Djalma&rsquo;s sash, light, silky Indian web, the brown ground of which was
+      almost entirely concealed by the exquisite gold and silver embroidery with
+      which it was overlaid.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The countenance of the half-caste wore a dark and gloomy expression. He
+      could not deceive himself. The letter from Mdlle. de Cardoville, delivered
+      by Dupont to Djalma, must have been the cause of the delight he now
+      experienced, for, without doubt, he knew himself beloved. In that event,
+      his obstinate silence towards Faringhea, ever since the latter had entered
+      the saloon, greatly alarmed the half-caste, who could not tell what
+      interpretation to put upon it. The night before, after parting with
+      Dupont, he had hastened, in a state of anxiety easily understood, to look
+      for the prince, in the hope of ascertaining the effect produced by Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville&rsquo;s letter. But he found the parlor door closed, and when he
+      knocked, he received no answer from within. Then, though the night was far
+      advanced, he had dispatched a note to Rodin, in which he informed him of
+      Dupont&rsquo;s visit and its probable intention. Djalma had indeed passed the
+      night in a tumult of happiness and hope, and a fever of impatience quite
+      impossible to describe. Repairing to his bed-chamber only towards the
+      morning, he had taken a few moments of repose, and had then dressed
+      himself without assistance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Many times, but in vain, the half-caste had discreetly knocked at the door
+      of Djalma&rsquo;s apartment. It was only in the early part of the afternoon that
+      the prince had rung the bell to order his carriage to be ready by
+      half-past two. Faringhea having presented himself, the prince had given
+      him the order without looking at him, as he might have done to any other
+      of his servants. Was this suspicion, aversion, or mere absence of mind on
+      the part of Djalma? Such were the questions which the half caste put to
+      himself with growing anguish; for the designs of which he was the most
+      active and immediate instrument might all be ruined by the least suspicion
+      in the prince.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! the hours&mdash;the hours&mdash;how slow they are!&rdquo; cried the young
+      Indian, suddenly, in a low and trembling voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The day before yesterday, my lord, you said the hours were very long,&rdquo;
+       observed Faringhea, as he drew near Djalma in order to attract his
+      attention. Seeing that he did not succeed in this he advanced a few steps
+      nearer, and resumed: &ldquo;Your joy seems very great, my lord; tell the cause
+      of it to your poor and faithful servant, that he also may rejoice with
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30215m.jpg" alt="30215m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30215.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      If he heard the words, Djalma did not pay any attention to them. He made
+      no answer, and his large black eyes gazed upon vacancy. He seemed to smile
+      admiringly upon some enchanting vision, and he folded his two hands upon
+      his bosom, in the attitude which his countrymen assume at the hour of
+      prayer. After some instants of contemplation, he said: &ldquo;What o&rsquo;clock is
+      it?&rdquo;&mdash;but he asked this question of himself, rather than of any third
+      person.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It will soon be two o&rsquo;clock, my lord,&rdquo; said Faringhea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having heard this answer, Djalma seated himself, and hid his face in his
+      hands, as if completely absorbed in some ineffable meditation. Urged on by
+      his growing anxiety, and wishing at any cost to attract the attention of
+      Djalma, Faringhea approached still nearer to him, and, almost certain of
+      the effect of the words he was about to utter, said to him in a slow and
+      emphatic voice: &ldquo;My lord, I am sure that you owe the happiness which now
+      transports you to Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had this name been pronounced, than Djalma started from his chair,
+      looked the half-breed full in the face, and exclaimed, as if only just
+      aware of his presence, &ldquo;Faringhea! you here!&mdash;what is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your faithful servant shares in your joy, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What joy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That which the letter of Mdlle. de Cardoville has occasioned, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma returned no answer, but his eye shone with so much serene
+      happiness, that the half-caste recovered from his apprehensions. No cloud
+      of doubt or suspicion obscured the radiant features of the prince. After a
+      few moments of silence, Djalma fixed upon the half-caste a look
+      half-veiled with a tear of joy, and said to him, with the expression of
+      one whose heart overflows with love and happiness: &ldquo;Oh! such delight is
+      good&mdash;great&mdash;like heaven!&mdash;for it is heaven which&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You deserve this happiness, my lord, after so many sufferings.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What sufferings?&mdash;Oh! yes. I formerly suffered at Java; but that was
+      years ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord, this great good fortune does not astonish me. What have I always
+      told you? Do not despair; feign a violent passion for some other woman,
+      and then this proud young lady&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words Djalma looked at the half-caste with so piercing a glance,
+      that the latter stopped short; but the prince said to him with
+      affectionate goodness, &ldquo;Go on! I listen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, leaning his chin upon his hand, and his elbow on his knee, he gazed
+      so intently on Faringhea, and yet with such unutterable mildness, that
+      even that iron soul was touched for a moment with a slight feeling of
+      remorse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was saying, my lord,&rdquo; he resumed, &ldquo;that by following the counsels of
+      your faithful slave, who persuaded you to feign a passionate love for
+      another woman, you have brought the proud Mdlle. de Cardoville to come to
+      you. Did I not tell you it would be so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you did tell me so,&rdquo; answered Djalma, still maintaining the same
+      position, and examining the half-caste with the same fixed and mild
+      attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The surprise of Faringhea increased; generally, the prince, without
+      treating him with the least harshness, preserved the somewhat distant and
+      imperious manners of their common country, and he had never before spoken
+      to him with such extreme mildness. Knowing all the evil he had done the
+      prince, and suspicious as the wicked must ever be, the half-caste thought
+      for a moment, that his master&rsquo;s apparent kindness might conceal a snare.
+      He continued, therefore, with less assurance, &ldquo;Believe me, my lord, this
+      day, if you do but know how to profit by your advantages, will console you
+      for all your troubles, which have indeed been great&mdash;for only
+      yesterday, though you were generous enough to forget it, only yesterday
+      you suffered cruelly&mdash;but you were not alone in your sufferings. This
+      proud young lady suffered also!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think so?&rdquo; said Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! it is quite sure, my lord. What must she not have felt, when she saw
+      you at the theatre with another woman!&mdash;If she loved you only a
+      little, she must have been deeply wounded in her self-esteem; if she loved
+      you with passion, she must have been struck to the heart. At length, you
+      see, wearied out with suffering, she has come to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So that, any way, she must have suffered&mdash;and that does not move
+      your pity?&rdquo; said Djalma, in a constrained, but still very mild voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before thinking of others, my lord, I think of your distresses; and they
+      touch me too nearly to leave me any pity for other woes,&rdquo; added Faringhea
+      hypocritically, so greatly had the influence of Rodin already modified the
+      character of the Phansegar.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange!&rdquo; said Djalma, speaking to himself, as he viewed the half
+      caste with a glance still kind but piercing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is strange, my lord?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing. But tell me, since your advice has hitherto prospered so well,
+      what think you of the future?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of the future, my lord?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; in an hour I shall be with Mdlle. de Cardoville.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is a serious matter, my lord. The whole future will depend upon this
+      interview.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what I was just thinking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Believe me, my lord, women never love any so well, as the bold man who
+      spares them the embarrassment of a refusal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Explain more fully.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my lord, they despise the timid and languishing lover, who asks
+      humbly for what he might take by force.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But to-day I shall meet Mdlle. de Cardoville for the first time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have met her a thousand times in your dreams, my lord; and depend
+      upon it, she has seen you also in her dreams, since she loves you. Every
+      one of your amorous thoughts has found an echo in her heart. All your
+      ardent adorations have been responded to by her. Love has not two
+      languages, and, without meeting, you have said all that you had to say to
+      each other. Now, it is for you to act as her master, and she will be yours
+      entirely.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is strange&mdash;very strange!&rdquo; said Djalma, a second time, without
+      removing his eyes from Faringhea&rsquo;s face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mistaking the sense which the prince attached to these words, the half
+      caste resumed: &ldquo;Believe me, my lord, however strange it may appear, this
+      is the wisest course. Remember the past. Was it by playing the part of a
+      timid lover that you have brought to your feet this proud young lady, my
+      lord? No, it was by pretending to despise her, in favor of another woman.
+      Therefore, let us have no weakness. The lion does not woo like the poor
+      turtle-dove. What cares the sultan of the desert for a few plaintive howls
+      from the lioness, who is more pleased than angry at his rude and wild
+      caresses? Soon submissive, fearful and happy, she follows in the track of
+      her master. Believe me, my lord&mdash;try everything&mdash;dare everything&mdash;and
+      to-day you will become the adored sultan of this young lady, whose beauty
+      all Paris admires.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After some minutes&rsquo; silence, Djalma, shaking his head with an expression
+      of tender pity, said to the half-caste, in his mild, sonorous voice: &ldquo;Why
+      betray me thus? Why advise me thus wickedly to use violence, terror, and
+      surprise, towards an angel of purity, whom I respect as my mother? Is it
+      not enough for you to have been so long devoted to my enemies, whose
+      hatred has followed me from Java?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Had Djalma sprung upon the half-caste with bloodshot eye, menacing brow,
+      and lifted poniard, the latter would have been less surprised, and perhaps
+      less frightened, than when he heard the prince speak of his treachery in
+      this tone of mild reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He drew back hastily, as if about to stand on his guard. But Djalma
+      resumed, with the same gentleness, &ldquo;Fear nothing. Yesterday I should have
+      killed you! But to-day happy love renders me too just, too merciful for
+      that. I pity you, without any feeling of bitterness&mdash;for you must
+      have been very unhappy, or you could not have become so wicked.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord!&rdquo; said the half-caste, with growing amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you must have suffered much, and met with little mercy, poor
+      creature, to have become so merciless, in your hate, and proof against the
+      sight of a happiness like mine. When I listened to you just now, and saw
+      the sad perseverance of your hatred, I felt the deepest commiseration for
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, my lord&mdash;but&mdash;&rdquo; stammered the half-caste, and
+      was unable to find words to proceed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, now&mdash;what harm have I ever done you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;None, my lord,&rdquo; answered Faringhea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then why do you hate me thus? why pursue me with so much animosity? Was
+      it not enough to give me the perfidious counsel to feign a shameful love
+      for the young girl that was brought hither, and who quitted the house
+      disgusted at the miserable part she was to play?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your feigned love for that young girl, my lord,&rdquo; replied Faringhea,
+      gradually recovering his presence of mind, &ldquo;conquered the coldness of&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not say that,&rdquo; resumed the prince, interrupting him with the same
+      mildness. &ldquo;If I enjoy this happiness, which makes me compassionate towards
+      you, and raises me above myself, it is because Mdlle de Cardoville now
+      knows that I have never for a moment ceased to love her as she ought to be
+      loved, with adoration and reverence. It was your intention to have parted
+      us forever, and you had nearly succeeded.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you think this of me, my lord, you must look upon me as your most
+      mortal enemy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fear nothing, I tell you. I have no right to blame you. In the madness of
+      my grief, I listened to you and followed your advice. I was not only your
+      dupe, but your accomplice. Only confess that, when you saw me at your
+      mercy, dejected, crushed, despairing, it was cruel in you to advise the
+      course that might have been most fatal to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The ardor of my zeal may have deceived me, my lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am willing to believe it. And yet again to-day there were the same evil
+      counsels. You had no more pity for my happiness than for my sorrow. The
+      rapture of my heart inspires you with only one desire&mdash;that of
+      changing this rapture into despair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I, my lord!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you. It was your intention to ruin me&mdash;to dishonor me forever
+      in the eyes of Mdlle. de Cardoville. Now, tell me&mdash;why this furious
+      hate? what have I done to you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You misjudge me, my lord&mdash;and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me. I do not wish you to be any longer wicked and treacherous.
+      I wish to make you good. In our country, they charm serpents, and tame the
+      wildest tigers. You are a man, with a mind to reason, a heart to love, and
+      I will tame you too by gentleness. This day has bestowed on me divine
+      happiness; you shall have good cause to bless this day. What can I do for
+      you? what would you have&mdash;gold? You shall have it. Do you desire more
+      than gold? Do you desire a friend, to console you for the sorrows that
+      made you wicked, and to teach you to be good? Though a king&rsquo;s son, I will
+      be that friend&mdash;in spite of the evil&mdash;ay, because of the evil
+      you have done me. Yes; I will be your sincere friend, and it shall be my
+      delight to say to myself: &lsquo;The day on which I learned that my angel loved
+      me, my happiness was great indeed&mdash;for, in the morning, I had an
+      implacable enemy, and, ere night, his hatred was changed to friendship.&rsquo;
+      Believe me, Faringhea, misery makes crime, but happiness produces virtue.
+      Be happy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment the clock struck two. The prince started. It was time to go
+      on his visit to Adrienne. The handsome countenance of Djalma, doubly
+      embellished by the mild, ineffable expression with which it had been
+      animated whilst he was talking to the half-caste, now seemed illumined
+      with almost divine radiance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Approaching Faringhea, he extended his hand with the utmost, grace and
+      courtesy, saying to him, &ldquo;Your hand!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The half-caste, whose brow was bathed with a cold sweat, whose countenance
+      was pale and agitated, seemed to hesitate for an instant; then, overawed,
+      conquered, fascinated, he offered his trembling hand to the prince, who
+      pressed it, and said to him, in their country&rsquo;s fashion, &ldquo;You have laid
+      your hand honestly in a friend&rsquo;s; this hand shall never be closed against
+      you. Faringhea, farewell! I now feel myself more worthy to kneel before my
+      angel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And Djalma went out, on his way to the appointment with Adrienne. In spite
+      of his ferocity, in spite of the pitiless hate he bore to the whole human
+      race, the dark sectary of Bowanee was staggered by the noble and clement
+      words of Djalma, and said to himself, with terror, &ldquo;I have taken his hand.
+      He is now sacred for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, after a moment&rsquo;s silence, a thought occurred to him, and he
+      exclaimed, &ldquo;Yes&mdash;but he will not be sacred for him who, according to
+      the answer of last night, waits for him at the door of the house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the half-caste hastened into the next room, which looked upon
+      the street, and, raising a corner of the curtain, muttered anxiously to
+      himself, &ldquo;The carriage moves off&mdash;the man approaches. Perdition! it
+      is gone and I see no more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30221m.jpg" alt="30221m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30221.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0145" id="link2HCH0145">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XL. ANXIETY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">B</span>y a singular coincidence of ideas, Adrienne, like Djalma, had wished to
+      be dressed exactly in the same costume as at their interview in the house
+      in the Rue Blanche. For the site of this solemn meeting, so important to
+      her future happiness, Adrienne had chosen, with habitual tact, the grand
+      drawing-room of Cardoville House, in which hung many family portraits. The
+      most apparent were those of her father and mother. The room was large and
+      lofty, and furnished, like those which preceded it, with all the imposing
+      splendor of the age of Louis XIV. The ceiling, painted by Lebrun, to
+      represent the Triumph of Apollo, displayed his bold designing and vigorous
+      coloring, in the centre of a wide cornice, magnificently carved and gilt,
+      and supported at its angles by four large gilt figures, representing the
+      Seasons. Huge panels, covered with crimson damask, and set in frames,
+      served as the background to the family portraits which adorned this
+      apartment. It is easier to conceive than describe the thousand conflicting
+      emotions which agitated the bosom of Mdlle. de Cardoville as the moment
+      approached for her interview with Djalma. Their meeting had been hitherto
+      prevented by so many painful obstacles, and Adrienne was so well aware of
+      the vigilant and active perfidy of her enemies, that even now she doubted
+      of her happiness. Every instant, in spite of herself, her eyes wandered to
+      the clock. A few minutes more, and the hour of the appointment would
+      strike. It struck at last. Every reverberation was echoed from the depth
+      of Adrienne&rsquo;s heart. She considered that Djalma&rsquo;s modest reserve had,
+      doubtless, prevented his coming before the moment fixed by herself. Far
+      from blaming this discretion, she fully appreciated it. But, from that
+      moment, at the least noise in the adjoining apartments, she held her
+      breath and listened with the anxiety of expectation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For the first few minutes which followed the hour at which she expected
+      Djalma, Mdlle. de Cardoville felt no serious apprehension, and calmed her
+      impatience by the notion (which appears childish enough to those who have
+      never known the feverish agitation of waiting for a happy meeting), that
+      perhaps the clocks in the Rue Blanche might vary a little from those in
+      the Rue d&rsquo;Anjou. But when this supposed variation, conceivable enough in
+      itself, could no longer explain a delay of a quarter of an hour, of twenty
+      minutes, of more, Adrienne felt her anxiety gradually increase. Two or
+      three times the young girl rose, with palpitating heart, and went on
+      tip-toe to listen at the door of the saloon. She heard nothing. The clock
+      struck half-past three.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Unable to suppress her growing terror, and clinging to a last hope,
+      Adrienne returned towards the fireplace and rang the bell. After which she
+      endeavored to compose her features, so as to betray no outward sign of
+      emotion. In a few seconds, a gray-haired footman, dressed in black, opened
+      the door, and waited in respectful silence for the orders of his mistress.
+      The latter said to him, in a calm voice, &ldquo;Andrew, request Hebe to give you
+      the smelling bottle that I left on the chimney-piece in my room, and bring
+      it me here.&rdquo; Andrew bowed; but just as he was about to withdraw to execute
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s orders, which was only a pretext to enable her to ask a
+      question without appearing to attach much importance to it in her
+      servant&rsquo;s eyes, already informed of the expected visit of the prince,
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville added, with an air of indifference. &ldquo;Pray, is that
+      clock right?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Andrew drew out his watch, and replied as he cast his eyes upon it, &ldquo;Yes,
+      mademoiselle. I set my watch by the Tuileries. It is more than half past
+      three.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well&mdash;thank you!&rdquo; said Adrienne kindly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Andrew again bowed; but, before going out, he said to Adrienne, &ldquo;I forgot
+      to tell you, lady, that Marshal Simon called about an hour ago; but, as
+      you were only to be at home to Prince Djalma, we told him that you
+      received no company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well,&rdquo; said Adrienne. With another low bow, Andrew quitted the room,
+      and all returned to silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For the precise reason that, up to the last minute of the hour previous to
+      the time fixed for her interview with Djalma, the hopes of Adrienne had
+      not been disturbed by the slightest shadow of doubt, the disappointment
+      she now felt was the more dreadful. Casting a desponding look at one of
+      the portraits placed above her, she murmured, with a plaintive and
+      despairing accent, &ldquo;Oh, mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had Mdlle. de Cardoville uttered the words than the windows were
+      slightly shaken by a carriage rolling into the courtyard. The young lady
+      started, and was unable to repress a low cry of joy. Her heart bounded at
+      the thought of meeting Djalma, for this time she felt that he was really
+      come. She was quite as certain of it as if she had seen him. She resumed
+      her seat and brushed away a tear suspended from her long eyelashes. Her
+      hand trembled like a leaf. The sound of several doors opening and shutting
+      proved that the young lady was right in her conjecture. The gilded panels
+      of the drawing-room door soon turned upon their hinges, and the prince
+      appeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While a second footman ushered in Djalma, Andrew placed on a gilded table,
+      within reach of his mistress, a little silver salver, on which stood the
+      crystal smelling-bottle. Then he withdrew, and the door of the room was
+      closed. The prince and Mdlle. de Cardoville were left alone together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0146" id="link2HCH0146">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLI. ADRIENNE AND DJALMA.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he prince had slowly approached Mdlle. de Cardoville. Notwithstanding the
+      impetuosity of the Oriental&rsquo;s passions, his uncertain and timid step&mdash;timid,
+      yet graceful&mdash;betrayed his profound emotion. He did not venture to
+      lift his eyes to Adrienne&rsquo;s face; he had suddenly become very pale, and
+      his finely formed hands, folded over his bosom in the attitude of
+      adoration, trembled violently. With head bent down, he remained standing
+      at a little distance from Adrienne. This embarrassment, ridiculous in any
+      other person, appeared touching in this prince of twenty years of age,
+      endowed with an almost fabulous intrepidity, and of so heroic and generous
+      a character, that no traveller could speak of the son of Kadja sing
+      without a tribute of admiration and respect. Sweet emotion! chaste
+      reserve! doubly interesting if we consider that the burning passions of
+      this youth were all the more inflammable, because they had hitherto been
+      held in check.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No less embarrassed than her cousin, Adrienne de Cardoville remained
+      seated. Like Djalma, she cast down her eyes; but the burning blush on her
+      cheeks, the quick heaving of her virgin bosom, revealed an emotion that
+      she did not even attempt to hide. Notwithstanding the powers of her mind,
+      by turns gay, graceful, and witty&mdash;notwithstanding the decision of
+      her proud and independent character, and her complete acquaintance with
+      the manners of the world&mdash;Adrienne shared Djalma&rsquo;s simple and
+      enchanting awkwardness, and partook of that kind of temporary weakness,
+      beneath which these two pure, ardent, and loving beings appeared sinking&mdash;as
+      if unable to support the boiling agitation of the senses, combined with
+      the intoxicating excitement of the heart. And yet their eyes had not met.
+      Each seemed to fear the first electric shock of the other&rsquo;s glance&mdash;that
+      invincible attraction of two impassioned beings&mdash;that sacred fire,
+      which suddenly kindles the blood, and lifts two mortals from earth to
+      heaven; for it is to approach the Divinity to give one&rsquo;s self up with
+      religious fervor to the most noble and irresistible sentiment that He has
+      implanted within us&mdash;the only sentiment that, in His adorable wisdom,
+      the Dispenser of all good has vouchsafed to sanctify, by endowing it with
+      a spark of His own creative energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma was the first to raise his eyes. They were moist and sparkling. The
+      excitement of passionate love, the burning ardor of his age, so long
+      repressed, the intense admiration in which he held ideal beauty, were all
+      expressed in his look, mingled with respectful timidity, and gave to the
+      countenance of this youth an undefinable, irresistible character. Yes,
+      irresistible!&mdash;for, when Adrienne encountered his glance, she
+      trembled in every limb, and felt herself attracted by a magnetic power.
+      Already, her eyes were heavy with a kind of intoxicating languor, when, by
+      a great effort of will and dignity, she succeeded in overcoming this
+      delicious confusion, rose from her chair, and said to Djalma in a
+      trembling voice: &ldquo;Prince, I am happy to receive you here.&rdquo; Then, pointing
+      to one of the portraits suspended above her, she added, as if introducing
+      him to a living person: &ldquo;Prince&mdash;my mother!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      With an instinct of rare delicacy, Adrienne had thus summoned her mother
+      to be present at her interview with Djalma. It seemed a security for
+      herself and the prince, against the seductions of a first interview&mdash;which
+      was likely to be all the more perilous, that they both knew themselves
+      madly loved that they both were free, and had only to answer to Providence
+      for the treasures of happiness and enjoyment with which He had so
+      magnificently endowed them. The prince understood Adrienne&rsquo;s thoughts; so
+      that, when the young lady pointed to the portrait, Djalma, by a
+      spontaneous movement full of grace and simplicity, knelt down before the
+      picture, and said to it in a gentle, but manly voice: &ldquo;I will love and
+      revere you as my mother. And, in thought, my mother too shall be present,
+      and stand like you, beside your child!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      No better answer could have been given to the feeling which induced Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville to place herself, as it were, under the protection of her
+      mother. From that moment, confident in Djalma, confident in herself, the
+      young lady felt more at her ease, and the delicious sense of happiness
+      replaced those exciting emotions, which had at first so violently agitated
+      her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, seating herself once more, she said to Djalma, as she pointed to the
+      opposite chair: &ldquo;Pray take a seat, my dear cousin; and allow me to call
+      you so, for there is too much ceremony in the word prince; and do you call
+      me cousin also, for I find other names too grave. Having settled this
+      point, we can talk together like old friends.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes cousin,&rdquo; answered Djalma, blushing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, as frankness is proper between friends,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, &ldquo;I have
+      first to make you a reproach,&rdquo; she added, with a half-smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The prince had remained standing, with his arm resting on the chimney
+      piece, in an attitude full of grace and respect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, cousin,&rdquo; continued Adrienne, &ldquo;a reproach, that you will perhaps
+      forgive me for making. I had expected you a little sooner.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps, cousin, you may blame me for having come so soon.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At the moment when I left home, a man, whom I did not know, approached my
+      carriage, and said to me, with such an air of sincerity that I believed
+      him: &lsquo;You are able to save the life of a person who has been a second
+      father to you. Marshal Simon is in great danger, and, to rescue him, you
+      must follow me on the instant&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a snare,&rdquo; cried Adrienne, hastily. &ldquo;Marshal Simon was here,
+      scarcely an hour ago.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed!&rdquo; exclaimed Djalma, joyfully, and as if he had been relieved from
+      a great weight. &ldquo;Then there will be nothing to sadden this happy day!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, cousin,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, &ldquo;how came you not to suspect this
+      emissary?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Some words, which afterwards escaped from him, inspired me with doubts,&rdquo;
+       answered Djalma: &ldquo;but at first I followed him, fearing the marshal might
+      be in danger&mdash;for I know that he also has enemies.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now that I reflect on it, you were quite right, cousin, for some new plot
+      against the marshal was probable enough; and the least doubt was enough to
+      induce you to go to him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did so&mdash;even though you were waiting for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was a generous sacrifice; and my esteem for you is increased by it, if
+      it could be increased,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with emotion. &ldquo;But what became of
+      this man?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At my desire, he got into the carriage with me. Anxious about the
+      marshal, and in despair at seeing the time wasted, that I was to have
+      passed with you, cousin, I pressed him with all sorts of questions.
+      Several times, he replied to me with embarrassment, and then the idea
+      struck me that the whole might be a snare. Remembering all that they had
+      already attempted, to ruin me in your opinion, I immediately changed my
+      course. The vexation of the man who accompanied me then because so
+      visible, that I ought to have had no doubt upon the subject. Still, when I
+      thought of Marshal Simon, I felt a kind of vague remorse, which you,
+      cousin, have now happily set at rest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those people are implacable!&rdquo; said Adrienne; &ldquo;but our happiness will be
+      stronger than their hate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, she resumed, with her habitual frankness: &ldquo;My
+      dear cousin, it is impossible for me to conceal what I have at heart. Let
+      us talk for a few seconds of the past, which was made so painful to us,
+      and then we will forget it forever, like an evil dream.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will answer you sincerely, at the risk of injuring myself,&rdquo; said the
+      prince.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How could you make up your mind to exhibit yourself in public with&mdash;?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With that young girl?&rdquo; interrupted Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, cousin,&rdquo; replied Mdlle. de Cardoville, and she waited for Djalma&rsquo;s
+      answer with anxious curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A stranger to the customs of this country,&rdquo; said Djalma, without any
+      embarrassment, for he spoke the truth, &ldquo;with a mind weakened with despair,
+      and misled by the fatal counsels of a man devoted to my enemies, I
+      believed, even as I was told, that, by displaying before you the semblance
+      of another love, I should excite your jealousy, and thus&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, cousin; I understand it all,&rdquo; said Adrienne hastily, interrupting
+      Djalma in her turn, that she might spare him a painful confession. &ldquo;I too
+      must have been blinded by despair, not to have seen through this wicked
+      plot, especially after your rash and intrepid action. To risk death for
+      the sake of my bouquet!&rdquo; added Adrienne, shuddering at the mere
+      remembrance. &ldquo;But one last question,&rdquo; she resumed, &ldquo;though I am already
+      sure of your answer. Did you receive a letter that I wrote to you, on the
+      morning of the day in which I saw you at the theatre?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma made no reply. A dark cloud passed over his fine countenance, and,
+      for a second, his features assumed so menacing an expression, that
+      Adrienne was terrified at the effect produced by her words. But this
+      violent agitation soon passed away, and Djalma&rsquo;s brow became once more
+      calm and serene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have been more merciful that I thought,&rdquo; said the prince to Adrienne,
+      who looked at him with astonishment. &ldquo;I wished to come hither worthy of
+      you, my cousin. I pardoned the man who, to serve my enemies, had given me
+      all those fatal counsels. The same person, I am sure, must have
+      intercepted your letter. Just now, at the memory of the evils he thus
+      caused me, I, for a moment, regretted my clemency. But then, again, I
+      thought of your letter of yesterday&mdash;and my anger is all gone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then the sad time of fear and suspicion is over&mdash;suspicion, that
+      made me doubt of your sentiments, and you of mine. Oh, yes! far removed
+      from us be that fatal past!&rdquo; cried Adrienne de Cardoville, with deep joy..
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30229m.jpg" alt="30229m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30229.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Then, as if she had relieved her heart from the last thought of sadness,
+      she continued: &ldquo;The future is all your own&mdash;the radiant future,
+      without cloud or obstacle, pure in the immensity of its horizon, and
+      extending beyond the reach of sight!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe the tone of enthusiastic hope which
+      accompanied these words. But suddenly Adrienne&rsquo;s features assumed an
+      expression of touching melancholy, and she added, in a voice of profound
+      emotion: &ldquo;And yet&mdash;at this hour&mdash;so many unfortunate creatures
+      suffer pain!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This simple touch of pity for the misfortunes of others, at the moment
+      when the noble maiden herself attained to the highest point of happiness,
+      had such an effect on Djalma, that involuntarily he fell on his knees
+      before Adrienne, clasped his hands together, and turned towards her his
+      fine countenance, with an almost daring expression. Then, hiding his face
+      in his hands, he bowed his head without speaking a single word. There was
+      a moment of deep silence. Adrienne was the first to break it, as she saw a
+      tear steal through the slender fingers of the prince.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My friend! what is the matter?&rdquo; she exclaimed, as with a movement rapid
+      as thought, she stooped forward, and taking hold of Djalma&rsquo;s hands, drew
+      them from before his face. That face was bathed in tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You weep!&rdquo; cried Mdlle. de Cardoville, so much agitated that she kept the
+      hands of Djalma in her own; and, unable to dry his tears, the young Hindoo
+      allowed them to flow like so many drops of crystal over the pale gold of
+      his cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is not in this wide world a happiness like to mine!&rdquo; said the
+      prince, in his soft, melodious voice, and with a kind of exhaustion:
+      &ldquo;therefore do I feel great sadness, and so it should be. You give me
+      heaven&mdash;and were I to give you the whole earth, it would be but a
+      poor return. Alas! what can man do for a divinity, but humbly bless and
+      adore? He can never hope to return the gifts bestowed: and this makes him
+      suffer&mdash;not in his pride&mdash;but in his heart!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma did not exaggerate. He said what he really felt: and the rather
+      hyperbolical form, familiar to Oriental nations, could alone express his
+      thought. The tone of his regret was so sincere, his humility so gentle and
+      full of simplicity, that Adrienne, also moved to tears, answered him with
+      an effusion of serious tenderness, &ldquo;My friend, we are both at the supreme
+      point of happiness. Our future felicity appears to have no limits, and
+      yet, though derived from different sources, sad reflections have come to
+      both of us. It is, you see, that there are some sorts of happiness, which
+      make you dizzy with their own immensity. For a moment, the heart, the
+      mind, the soul, are incapable of containing so much bliss; it overflows
+      and drowns us. Thus the flowers sometimes hang their heads, oppressed by
+      the too ardent rays of the sun, which is yet their love and life. Oh, my
+      friend! this sadness may be great, but it also sweet!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she uttered these words, the voice of Adrienne grew fainter and
+      fainter, and her head bowed lower, as if she were indeed sinking beneath
+      the weight of her happiness. Djalma had remained kneeling before her, his
+      hands in hers&mdash;so that as she thus bent forward, her ivory forehead
+      and golden hair touched the amber-colored brow and ebon curls of Djalma.
+      And the sweet, silent tears of the two young lovers flowed together, and
+      mingled as they fell on their clasped hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst this scene was passing in Cardoville House, Agricola had gone to
+      the Rue de Vaugirard, to deliver a letter from Adrienne to M. Hardy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0147" id="link2HCH0147">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLII. &ldquo;THE IMITATION.&rdquo;
+     </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>s we have already said, M. Hardy occupied a pavilion in the &ldquo;Retreat&rdquo;
+       annexed to the house in the Rue de Vaugirard, inhabited by a goodly number
+      of the reverend fathers of the Company of Jesus. Nothing could be calmer
+      and more silent than this dwelling. Every one spoke in whispers, and the
+      servants themselves had something oily in their words, something
+      sanctified in their very walk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Like all that is subject to the chilling and destructive influences of
+      these men, this mournfully quiet house was entirely wanting in life and
+      animation. The boarders passed an existence of wearisome and icy monotony,
+      only broken by the use of certain devotional exercises; and thus, in
+      accordance with the selfish calculation of the reverend fathers, the mind,
+      deprived of all nourishment and all external support, soon began to droop
+      and pine away in solitude. The heart seemed to beat more slowly, the soul
+      was benumbed, the character weakened; at last, all freewill, all power of
+      discrimination, was extinguished, and the boarders, submitting to the same
+      process of self-annihilation as the novices of the Company, became, like
+      them, mere &ldquo;corpses&rdquo; in the hands of the brotherhood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The object of these manoeuvres was clear and simple. They secured the
+      means of obtaining all kinds of donations, the constant aim of the
+      skillful policy and merciless cupidity of these priests. By the aid of
+      enormous sums, of which they thus become the possessors or the trustees,
+      they follow out and obtain the success of their projects, even though
+      murder, incendiarism, revolt, and all the horrors of civil war, excited by
+      and through them, should drench in blood the lands over which they seek to
+      extend their dark dominion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such, then, was the asylum of peace and innocence in which Francois Hardy
+      had taken refuge. He occupied the ground-floor of a summer-house, which
+      opened upon a portion of the garden. His apartments had been judiciously
+      chosen, for we know with what profound and diabolical craft the reverend
+      fathers avail themselves of material influences, to make a deep impression
+      upon the minds they are moulding to their purpose. Imagine a prospect
+      bounded by a high wall, of a blackish gray, half-covered with ivy, the
+      plant peculiar to ruins. A dark avenue of old yew-trees, so fit to shade
+      the grave with their sepulchral verdure, extended from this wall to a
+      little semicircle, in front of the apartment generally occupied by M.
+      Hardy. Two or three mounds of earth, bordered with box, symmetrically cut,
+      completed the charms of this garden, which in every respect resembled a
+      cemetery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was about two o&rsquo;clock in the afternoon. Though the April sun shone
+      brightly, its rays, intercepted by the high wall of which we have spoken,
+      could not penetrate into that portion of the garden, obscure, damp, and
+      cold as a cavern, which communicated with M. Hardy&rsquo;s apartment. The room
+      was furnished with a perfect sense of the comfortable. A soft carpet
+      covered the floor; thick curtains of dark green baize, the same color as
+      the walls, sheltered an excellent bed, and hung in folds about the glass
+      door, which opened on the garden. Some pieces of mahogany furniture,
+      plain, but very clean and bright, stood round the room. Above the
+      secretary, placed just in front of the bed, was a large ivory crucifix,
+      upon a black velvet ground. The chimney-piece was adorned with a clock, in
+      an ebony case, with ivory ornaments representing all sorts of gloomy
+      emblems, such as hour-glasses, scythes, death&rsquo;s-heads, etc. Now imagine
+      this scene in twilight, with its solitary and mournful silence, only
+      broken at the hour of prayer by the lugubrious sound of the bells of the
+      neighboring chapel, and you will recognize the infernal skill, with which
+      these dangerous priests know how to turn to account every external object,
+      when they wish to influence the mind of those they are anxious to gain
+      over.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And this was not all. After appealing to the senses, it was necessary to
+      address themselves to the intellect&mdash;and this was the method adopted
+      by the reverend fathers. A single book&mdash;but one&mdash;was left, as if
+      by chance, within reach. This book was Thomas a Kempis&rsquo; &ldquo;Imitation.&rdquo; But
+      as it might happen that M. Hardy would not have the courage or the desire
+      to read this book, thoughts and reflections borrowed from its merciless
+      pages, and written in very large characters, were suspended in black
+      frames close to the bed, or at other parts within sight, so that,
+      involuntarily, in the sad leisure of his inactive dejection, the dweller&rsquo;s
+      eyes were almost necessarily attracted by them. To that fatal circle of
+      despairing thoughts they confined the already weakened mind of this
+      unfortunate man, so long a prey to the most acute sorrow. What he read
+      mechanically, every instant of the day and night, whenever the blessed
+      sleep fled from his eyes inflamed with tears, was not enough merely to
+      plunge the soul of the victim into incurable despair, but also to reduce
+      him to the corpse-like obedience required by the Society of Jesus. In that
+      awful book may be found a thousand terrors to operate on weak minds, a
+      thousand slavish maxims to chain and degrade the pusillanimous soul.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now imagine M. Hardy carried wounded into this house; while his heart,
+      torn by bitter grief and the sense of horrible treachery, bled even faster
+      than his external injuries. Attended with the utmost care, and thanks to
+      the acknowledged skill of Dr. Baleinier, M. Hardy soon recovered from the
+      hurts he had received when he threw himself into the embers of his burning
+      factory. Yet, in order to favor the projects of the reverend fathers, a
+      drug, harmless enough in its effects, but destined to act for a time upon
+      the mind of the patient, and often employed for that purpose in similar
+      important cases by the pious doctor, was administered to Hardy, and had
+      kept him pretty long in a state of mental torpor. To a soul agonized by
+      cruel deceptions, it appears an inestimable benefit to be plunged into
+      that kind of torpor, which at least prevents one from dwelling upon the
+      past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardy resigned himself entirely to this profound apathy, and at length
+      came to regard it as the supreme good. Thus do unfortunate wretches,
+      tortured by cruel diseases, accept with gratitude the opiate which kills
+      them slowly, but which at least deadens the sense of pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In sketching the portrait of M. Hardy, we tried to give some idea of the
+      exquisite delicacy of his tender soul, of his painful susceptibility with
+      regard to anything base or wicked, and of his extreme goodness,
+      uprightness, and generosity. We now allude to these admirable qualities,
+      because we must observe, that with him, as with almost all who possess
+      them, they were not, and could not be, united with an energetic and
+      resolute character. Admirably persevering in good deeds, the influence of
+      this excellent man, was insinuating rather than commanding; it was not by
+      the bold energy and somewhat overbearing will, peculiar to other men of
+      great and noble heart, that Hardy had realized the prodigy of his Common
+      Dwelling-house; it was by affectionate persuasion, for with him mildness
+      took the place of force. At sight of any baseness or injustice, he did not
+      rouse himself, furious and threatening; but he suffered intense pain. He
+      did not boldly attack the criminal, but he turned away from him in pity
+      and sorrow. And then his loving heart, so full of feminine delicacy, had
+      an irresistible longing for the blessed contact of dear affections; they
+      alone could keep it alive. Even as a poor, frail bird dies with the cold,
+      when it can no longer lie close to its brethren, and receive and
+      communicate the sweet warmth of the maternal nest. And now this sensitive
+      organization, this extremely susceptible nature, receives blow after blow
+      from sorrows and deceptions, one of which would suffice to shake, if it
+      did not conquer, the firmest and most resolute character. Hardy&rsquo;s best
+      friend has infamously betrayed him. His adored mistress has abandoned him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The house which he had founded for the benefit of his workmen, whom he
+      loved as brethren, is reduced to a heap of ashes. What then happens? All
+      the springs of his soul are at once broken. Too feeble to resist such
+      frightful attacks, too fatally deceived to seek refuge in other
+      affections, too much discouraged to think of laying the first stone of any
+      new edifice&mdash;this poor heart, isolated from every salutary influence,
+      finds oblivion of the world and of itself in a kind of gloomy torpor. And
+      if some remaining instincts of life and affection, at long intervals,
+      endeavored to rouse themselves within him, and if, half-opening his mind&rsquo;s
+      eye, which he had kept closed against the present, the past, and the
+      future, Hardy looks around him&mdash;what does he see? Only these
+      sentences, so full of terrible despair:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thou art nothing but dust and ashes. Grief and tears art thy portion.
+      Believe not in any son of man. There are no such things as friendship or
+      ties of kindred. All human affections are false. Die in the morning, and
+      thou wilt be forgotten before night. Be humble&mdash;despise thyself&mdash;and
+      let others despise thee. Think not, reason not, live not&mdash;but commit
+      thy fate to the hands of a superior, who will think and reason for thee.
+      Weep, suffer, think upon death. Yes, death! always death&mdash;that should
+      be thy thought when thou thinkest&mdash;but it is better not to think at
+      all. Let a feeling of ceaseless woe prepare thy way to heaven. It is only
+      by sorrow that we are welcome to the terrible God whom we adore!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Such were the consolations offered to this unfortunate man. Affrighted, he
+      again closed his eyes, and fell back into his lethargy. As for leaving
+      this gloomy retreat, he could not, or rather he did not desire to do so.
+      He had lost the power of will; and then, it must be confessed, he had
+      finished by getting accustomed to this house, and liked it well&mdash;they
+      paid him such discreet attentions, and yet left him so much alone with his
+      grief&mdash;there reigned all around such a death-like silence, which
+      harmonized closely with the silence of his heart; and that was now the
+      tomb of his last love, last friendship, last hope. All energy was dead
+      within him! Then began that slow, but inevitable transformation, so
+      judiciously foreseen by Rodin, who directed the whole of this machination,
+      even in its smallest details. At first alarmed by the dreadful maxims
+      which surrounded him, M. Hardy had at length accustomed himself to read
+      them over almost mechanically, just as the captive, in his mournful hours
+      of leisure, counts the nails in the door of his prison, or the bars of the
+      grated window. This was already a great point gained by the reverend
+      fathers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And soon his weakened mind was struck with the apparent correctness of
+      these false and melancholy aphorisms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus he read: &ldquo;Do not count upon the affection of any human creature&rdquo;&mdash;and
+      he had himself been shamefully betrayed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Man is born to sorrow and despair&rdquo;&mdash;and he was himself despairing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is no rest save in the cessation of thought&rdquo;&mdash;and the slumber
+      of his mind had brought some relief to his pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peepholes, skillfully concealed by the hangings and in the wainscoting of
+      these apartments, enabled the reverend fathers at all times to see and
+      hear the boarders, and above all to observe their countenance and manner,
+      when they believed themselves to be alone. Every exclamation of grief
+      which escaped Hardy in his gloomy solitude, was repeated to Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny by a mysterious listener. The reverend father, following
+      scrupulously Rodin&rsquo;s instructions, had at first visited his boarder very
+      rarely. We have said, that when Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny wished it, he could
+      display an almost irresistible power of charming, and accordingly he threw
+      all his tact and skill into the interviews he had with Hardy, when he came
+      from time to time to inquire after his health. Informed of everything by
+      his spies, and aided by his natural sagacity, he soon saw all the use that
+      might be made of the physical and moral prostration of the boarder.
+      Certain beforehand that Hardy would not take the hint, he spoke to him
+      frequently of the gloom of the house, advising him affectionately to leave
+      it, if he felt oppressed by its monotony, or at all events to seek beyond
+      its walls for some pleasure and amusement. To speak of pleasure and
+      amusement to this unfortunate man, was in his present state to insure a
+      refusal, and so it of course happened. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny did not at first
+      try to gain the recluse&rsquo;s confidence, nor did he speak to him of sorrow;
+      but every time he came, he appeared to take such a tender interest in him,
+      and showed it by a few simple and well timed words. By degrees, these
+      interviews, at first so rare, became more frequent and longer. Endowed
+      with a flow of honeyed, insinuating, and persuasive eloquence, Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny naturally took for his theme those gloomy maxims, to which
+      Hardy&rsquo;s attention was now so often directed.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30237m.jpg" alt="30237m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30237.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Supple, prudent, skillful, knowing that the hermit had hitherto professed
+      that generous natural religion which teaches the grateful adoration of
+      God, the love of humanity, the worship of what is just and good, and
+      which, disdaining dogmas, professes the same veneration for Marcus
+      Aurelius as for Confucius, for Plato as for Christ, for Moses as for
+      Lycurgus&mdash;Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny did not at first attempt to convert him,
+      but began by incessantly reminding him of the abominable deceptions
+      practised upon him; and, instead of describing such treachery as an
+      exception in life&mdash;instead of trying to calm, encourage, and revive
+      his drooping soul&mdash;instead of exhorting Hardy to seek oblivion and
+      consolation in the discharge of his duties toward humanity, towards his
+      brethren, whom he had previously loved and succored&mdash;Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny strove to inflame the bleeding wounds of the unfortunate man,
+      painted the human race in the most atrocious blackness, and, by declaring
+      all men treacherous, ungrateful, wicked, succeeded in rendering his
+      despair incurable. Having attained this object, the Jesuit took another
+      step. Knowing Hardy&rsquo;s admirable goodness of heart, and profiting by the
+      weakened state of his mind, he spoke to him of the consolation to be
+      derived by a man overwhelmed with sorrow, from the belief that every one
+      of his tears, instead of being unfruitful, was in fact agreeable to God,
+      and might aid in the salvation of souls&mdash;the belief, as the reverend
+      father adroitly added, that by faith alone can sorrow be made useful to
+      humanity, and acceptable to Divinity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whatever impiety, whatever atrocious Machiavelism there was in these
+      detestable maxims, which make of a loving-kind Deity a being delighted
+      with the tears of his creatures, was thus skillfully concealed from
+      Hardy&rsquo;s eyes, whose generous instincts were still alive. Soon did this
+      loving and tender soul, whom unworthy priests were driving to a sort of
+      moral suicide, find a mournful charm in the fiction, that his sorrows
+      would at least be profitable to other men. It was at first only a fiction;
+      but the enfeebled mind which takes pleasure in such a fable, finishes by
+      receiving it as a reality, and by degrees will submit to the consequences.
+      Such was Hardy&rsquo;s moral and physical state, when, by means of a servant who
+      had been bought over, he received from Agricola Baudoin a letter
+      requesting an interview. Alone, the workman could not have broken the band
+      of the Jesuit&rsquo;s pleadings, but he was accompanied by Gabriel, whose
+      eloquence and reasonings were of a most convincing nature to a spirit like
+      Hardy&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is unnecessary to point out to the reader, with what dignified reserve
+      Gabriel had confined himself to the most generous means of rescuing Hardy
+      from the deadly influence of the reverend fathers. It was repugnant to the
+      great soul of the young missionary, to stoop to a revelation of the odious
+      plots of these priests. He would only have taken this extreme course, had
+      his powerful and sympathetic words have failed to have any effect on
+      Hardy&rsquo;s blindness. About a quarter of an hour had elapsed since Gabriel&rsquo;s
+      departure, when the servant appointed to wait on this boarder of the
+      reverend fathers entered and delivered to him a letter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From whom is this?&rdquo; asked Hardy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From a boarder in the house, sir,&rdquo; answered the servant bowing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This man had a crafty hypocritical face; he wore his hair combed over his
+      forehead, spoke in a low voice, and always cast clown his eyes. Waiting
+      the answer, he joined his hands, and began to twiddle his thumbs. Hardy
+      opened the letter, and read as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;SIR,&mdash;I have only just heard, by mere chance, that you also inhabit
+      this respectable house: a long illness, and the retirement in which I
+      live, will explain my ignorance of your being so near. Though we have only
+      met once, sir, the circumstance which led to that meeting was of so
+      serious a nature, that I cannot think you have forgotten it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardy stopped, and tasked his memory for an explanation, and not finding
+      anything to put him on the right track, he continued to read:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This circumstance excited in me a feeling of such deep and respectful
+      sympathy for you, sir, that I cannot resist my anxious desire to wait upon
+      you, particularly as I learn, that you intend leaving this house to day&mdash;a
+      piece of information I have just derived from the excellent and worthy
+      Abbe Gabriel, one of the men I most love, esteem, and reverence. May I
+      venture to hope, sir, that just at the moment of quitting our common
+      retreat to return to the world, you will deign to receive favorably the
+      request, however intrusive, of a poor old man, whose life will henceforth
+      be passed in solitude, and who cannot therefore have any prospect of
+      meeting you, in that vortex of society which he has abandoned forever.
+      Waiting the honor of your answer, I beg you to accept, sir, the assurance
+      of the sentiments of high esteem with which I remain, sir, with the
+      deepest respect,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your very humble and most obedient servant,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;RODIN.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After reading this letter and the signature of the writer, Hardy remained
+      for some time in deep thought, without being able to recollect the name of
+      Rodin, or to what serious circumstances he alluded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a silence of some duration, he said to the servant &ldquo;M. Rodin gave
+      you this letter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who is M. Rodin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A good old gentleman, who is just recovering from a long illness, that
+      almost carried him off. Lately, he has been getting better, but he is
+      still so weak and melancholy, that it makes one sad to see him. It is a
+      great pity, for there is not a better and more worthy gentleman in the
+      house&mdash;unless it be you, sir,&rdquo; added the servant, bowing with an air
+      of flattering respect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Rodin;&rdquo; said Hardy, thoughtfully. &ldquo;It is singular, that I should not
+      remember the name nor any circumstance connected with it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you will give me your answer, sir,&rdquo; resumed the servant, &ldquo;I will take
+      it to M. Rodin. He is now with Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, to whom he is bidding
+      farewell.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Farewell?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, the post-horses have just come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Post-horses for whom?&rdquo; asked Hardy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is going on a journey then!&rdquo; said Hardy, with some surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! he will not, I think be long absent,&rdquo; said the servant, with a
+      confidential air, &ldquo;for the reverend father takes no one with him, and but
+      very light luggage. No doubt, the reverend father will come to say
+      farewell to you, sir, before he starts. But what answer shall I give M.
+      Rodin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The letter, just received, was couched in such polite terms&mdash;it spoke
+      of Gabriel with so much respect&mdash;that Hardy, urged moreover by a
+      natural curiosity, and seeing no motive to refuse this interview before
+      quitting the house, said to the servant: &ldquo;Please tell M. Rodin, that if he
+      will give himself the trouble to come to me, I shall be glad to see him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will let him know immediately, sir,&rdquo; answered the servant, bowing as he
+      left the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When alone, Hardy, while wondering who this M. Rodin could be, began to
+      make some slight preparations for his departure. For nothing in the world
+      would he have passed another night in this house; and, in order to keep up
+      his courage, he recalled every instant the mild, evangelical language of
+      Gabriel, just as the superstitious recite certain litanies, with a view of
+      escaping from temptation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The servant soon returned, and said: &ldquo;M. Rodin is here, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Beg him to walk in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin entered, clad in his long black dressing-gown, and with his old silk
+      cap in his hand. The servant then withdrew. The day was just closing.
+      Hardy rose to meet Rodin, whose features he did not at first distinguish.
+      But as the reverend father approached the window, Hardy looked narrowly at
+      him for an instant, and then uttered an exclamation, wrung from him by
+      surprise and painful remembrance. But, recovering himself from this first
+      movement, Hardy said to the Jesuit, in an agitated voice: &ldquo;You here, sir?
+      Oh, you are right! It was indeed a very serious circumstance that first
+      brought us together.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my dear sir!&rdquo; said Rodin, in a kindly and unctuous tone; &ldquo;I was sure
+      you would not have forgotten me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30245m.jpg" alt="30245m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30245.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0148" id="link2HCH0148">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIII. PRAYER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t will doubtless be remembered that Rodin had gone (although a stranger
+      to Hardy) to visit him at his factory, and inform him of De Blessac&rsquo;s
+      shameful treachery&mdash;a dreadful blow, which had only preceded by a few
+      moments a second no less horrible misfortune; for it was in the presence
+      of Rodin that Hardy had learned the unexpected departure of the woman he
+      adored. Painful to him must have been the sudden appearance of Rodin. Yes,
+      thanks to the salutary influence of Gabriel&rsquo;s counsels, he recovered
+      himself by degrees, and the contraction of his features being succeeded by
+      a melancholy calm, he said to Rodin: &ldquo;I did not indeed expect to meet you,
+      sir, in this house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, sir!&rdquo; answered Rodin, with a sigh, &ldquo;I did not expect to come
+      hither, probably to end my days beneath this roof, when I went, without
+      being acquainted with you, but only as one honest man should serve
+      another, to unveil to you a great infamy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed, sir, you then rendered me a true service; perhaps, in that
+      painful moment, I did not fully express my gratitude; for, at the same
+      moment in which you revealed to me the treachery of M. de Blessac&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were overwhelmed by another piece of painful intelligence,&rdquo; said
+      Rodin, interrupting M. Hardy; &ldquo;I shall never forget the sudden arrival of
+      that poor woman, who, pale and affrighted, and without considering my
+      presence, came to inform you that a person who was exceedingly dear to you
+      had quitted Paris abruptly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir; and, without stopping to thank you, I set out immediately,&rdquo;
+       answered Hardy, with a mournful air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you know, sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, after a moment&rsquo;s silence, &ldquo;that there are
+      sometimes very strange coincidences?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To what do you allude, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;While I went to inform you that you were betrayed in so infamous a manner&mdash;I
+      was myself&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin paused, as if unable to control his deep emotion, and his
+      countenance wore the expression of such overpowering grief that Hardy said
+      to him, with interest: &ldquo;What ails you, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgive me,&rdquo; replied Rodin, with a bitter smile. &ldquo;Thanks to the ghostly
+      counsels of the angelic Abbe Gabriel, I have reached a sort of
+      resignation. Still, there are certain memories which affect me with the
+      most acute pain. I told you,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, in a firmer voice, &ldquo;or was
+      going to tell you, that the very day after that on which I informed you of
+      the treachery practised against you, I was myself the victim of a
+      frightful deception. An adopted son&mdash;a poor unfortunate child, whom I
+      had brought up&mdash;&rdquo; He paused again, drew his trembling hand over his
+      eyes, and added: &ldquo;Pardon me, sir, for speaking of matters which must be
+      indifferent to you. Excuse the intrusive sorrow of a poor, broken hearted
+      old man!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have suffered too much myself, sir, to be indifferent to any kind of
+      sorrow,&rdquo; replied Hardy. &ldquo;Besides, you are no stranger to me&mdash;for you
+      did me a real service&mdash;and we both agree in our veneration for the
+      same young priest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Abbe Gabriel!&rdquo; cried Rodin, interrupting Hardy; &ldquo;ah, sir! he is my
+      deliverer, my benefactor. If you knew all his care and devotion, during my
+      long illness, caused by intense grief&mdash;if you knew the ineffable
+      sweetness of his counsels&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know them, sir,&rdquo; cried Hardy; &ldquo;oh, yes! I know how salutary is the
+      influence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In his mouth, sir, the precepts of religion are full of mildness,&rdquo;
+       resumed Rodin, with excitement. &ldquo;Do they not heal and console? do they not
+      make us love and hope, instead of fear and tremble?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, sir! in this very house,&rdquo; said Hardy, &ldquo;I have been able to make the
+      comparison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I was happy enough,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;to have the angelic Abbe Gabriel for my
+      confessor, or, rather, my confidant.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Hardy, &ldquo;for he prefers confidence to confession.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How well you know him!&rdquo; said Rodin, in a tone of the utmost simplicity.
+      Then he resumed: &ldquo;He is not a man but an angel. His words would convert
+      the most hardened sinner. Without being exactly impious, I had myself
+      lived in the profession of what is called Natural Religion; but the
+      angelic Abbe Gabriel has, by degrees, fixed my wavering belief, given it
+      body and soul, and, in fact, endowed me with faith.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes! he is a truly Christian priest&mdash;a priest of love and pardon!&rdquo;
+       cried Hardy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What you say is perfectly true,&rdquo; replied Rodin; &ldquo;for I came here almost
+      mad with grief, thinking only of the unhappy boy who had repaid my
+      paternal goodness with the most monstrous ingratitude, and sometimes I
+      yielded to violent bursts of despair, and sometimes sank into a state of
+      mournful dejection, cold as the grave itself. But, suddenly, the Abbe
+      Gabriel appeared&mdash;and the darkness fled before the dawning of a new
+      day.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30253m.jpg" alt="30253m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30253.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were right, sir; there are strange coincidences,&rdquo; said Hardy,
+      yielding more and more to the feeling of confidence and sympathy, produced
+      by the resemblance of his real position to Rodin&rsquo;s pretended one. &ldquo;And to
+      speak frankly,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;I am very glad I have seen you before quitting
+      this house. Were I capable of falling back into fits of cowardly weakness,
+      your example alone would prevent me. Since I listen to you, I feel myself
+      stronger in the noble path which the angelic Abbe Gabriel has opened
+      before me, as you so well express it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The poor old man will not then regret having listened to the first
+      impulse of his heart, which urged him to come to you,&rdquo; said Robin, with a
+      touching expression. &ldquo;You will sometimes remember me in that world to
+      which you are returning?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be sure of it, sir; but allow me to ask one question: You remain, you
+      say, in this house?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What would you have me do? There reigns here a calm repose, and one is
+      not disturbed in one&rsquo;s prayers,&rdquo; said Rodin, in a very gentle tone. &ldquo;You
+      see, I have suffered so much&mdash;the conduct of that unhappy youth was
+      so horrible&mdash;he plunged into such shocking excesses&mdash;that the
+      wrath of heaven must be kindled against him. Now I am very old, and it is
+      only by passing the few days that are left me in fervent prayer that I can
+      hope to disarm the just anger of the Lord. Oh! prayer&mdash;prayer! It was
+      the Abbe Gabriel who revealed to me all its power and sweetness&mdash;and
+      therewith the formidable duties it imposes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Its duties are indeed great and sacred,&rdquo; answered Hardy, with a pensive
+      air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you remember the life of Rancey?&rdquo; said Rodin, abruptly, as he darted a
+      peculiar glance at Hardy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The founder of La Trappe?&rdquo; said Hardy, surprised at Rodin&rsquo;s question. &ldquo;I
+      remember hearing a very vague account, some time ago, of the motives of
+      his conversion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is, mark you, no more striking an example of the power of prayer,
+      and of the state of almost divine ecstasy, to which it may lead a
+      religious soul. In a few words, I will relate to you this instructive and
+      tragic history. Rancey&mdash;but I beg your pardon; I fear I am
+      trespassing on your time.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30261m.jpg" alt="30261m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30261.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; answered Hardy, hastily; &ldquo;You cannot think how interested I am
+      in what you tell me. My interview with the Abbe Gabriel was abruptly
+      broken off, and in listening to you I fancy that I hear the further
+      development of his views. Go on, I conjure you.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With all my heart. I only wish that the instruction which, thanks to our
+      angelic priest, I derived from the story of Rancey might be as profitable
+      to you as it was to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This, then, also came from the Abbe Gabriel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He related to me this kind of parable in support of his exhortations,&rdquo;
+       replied Rodin. &ldquo;Oh, sir! do I not owe to the consoling words of that young
+      priest all that has strengthened and revived my poor old broken heart?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I shall listen to you with a double interest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Rancey was a man of the world,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, as he looked attentively
+      at Hardy; &ldquo;a gentleman&mdash;young, ardent, handsome. He loved a young
+      lady of high rank. I cannot tell what impediments stood in the way of
+      their union. But this love, though successful, was kept secret, and every
+      evening Rancey visited his mistress by means of a private staircase. It
+      was, they say, one of those passionate loves which men feel but once in
+      their lives. The mystery, even the sacrifice made by the unfortunate girl,
+      who forgot every duty, seemed to give new charms to this guilty passion.
+      In the silence and darkness of secrecy, these two lovers passed two years
+      of voluptuous delirium, which amounted almost to ecstasy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words Hardy started. For the first time of late his brow was
+      suffused with a deep blush; his heart throbbed violently; he remembered
+      that he too had once known the ardent intoxication of a guilty and hidden
+      love. Though the day was closing rapidly, Rodin cast a sidelong glance at
+      Hardy, and perceived the impression he had made. &ldquo;Some times,&rdquo; he
+      continued, &ldquo;thinking of the dangers to which his mistress was exposed, if
+      their connection should be discovered, Rancey wished to sever these
+      delicious ties; but the girl, beside herself with passion, threw herself
+      on the neck of her lover, and threatened him, in the language of intense
+      excitement, to reveal and to brave all, if he thought of leaving her. Too
+      weak and loving to resist the prayers of his mistress, Rancey again and
+      again yielded, and they both gave themselves up to a torrent of delight,
+      which carried them along, forgetful of earth and heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Hardy listened to Rodin with feverish and devouring avidity. The
+      Jesuit, in painting, with these almost sensual colors, an ardent and
+      secret love, revived in Hardy burning memories, which till now had been
+      drowned in tears. To the beneficent calm produced by the mild language of
+      Gabriel had succeeded a painful agitation, which, mingled with the
+      reaction of the shocks received that day, began to throw his mind into a
+      strange state of confusion.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30285m.jpg" alt="30285m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30285.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, having so far succeeded in his object, continued as follows: &ldquo;A
+      fatal day came at last. Rancey, obliged to go to the wars, quitted the
+      girl; but, after a short campaign, he returned, more in love than ever. He
+      had written privately, to say he would arrive almost immediately after his
+      letter. He came accordingly. It was night. He ascended, as usual, the
+      private staircase which led to the chamber of his mistress; he entered the
+      room, his heart beating with love and hope. His mistress had died that
+      morning!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; cried Hardy, covering his face with his hands, in terror.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She was dead,&rdquo; resumed Rodin. &ldquo;Two wax-candles were burning beside the
+      funeral couch. Rancey could not, would not believe that she was dead. He
+      threw himself on his knees by the corpse. In his delirium, he seized that
+      fair, beloved head, to cover it with kisses. The head parted from the
+      body, and remained in his hands! Yes,&rdquo; resumed Rodin as Hardy drew back,
+      pale and mute with terror, &ldquo;yes, the girl had fallen a victim to so swift
+      and extraordinary a disease, that she had not been able to receive the
+      last sacraments. After her death, the doctors, in the hope of discovering
+      the cause of this unknown malady, had begun to dissect that fair form&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As Rodin reached this part of his narrative, night was almost come. A sort
+      of hazy twilight alone reigned in this silent chamber, in the centre of
+      which appeared the pale and ghastly form of Rodin, clad in his long black
+      gown, whilst his eyes seemed to sparkle with diabolic fire. Overcome by
+      the violent emotions occasioned by this story, in which thoughts of death
+      and voluptuousness, love and horror, were so strangely mingled, Hardy
+      remained fixed and motionless, waiting for the words of Rodin, with a
+      combination of curiosity, anguish and alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And Rancey?&rdquo; said he, at last, in an agitated voice, whilst he wiped the
+      cold sweat from his brow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;After two days of furious delirium,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;he renounced the
+      world, and shut himself up in impenetrable solitude. The first period of
+      his retreat was frightful; in his despair, he uttered loud yells of grief
+      and rage, that were audible at some distance. Twice he attempted suicide,
+      to escape from the terrible visions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He had visions, then?&rdquo; said Hardy, with an increased agony of curiosity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Rodin, in a solemn tone, &ldquo;he had fearful visions. He saw
+      the girl, who, for his sake, had died in mortal sin, plunged in the heat
+      of the everlasting flames of hell! On that fair face, disfigured by
+      infernal tortures, was stamped the despairing laugh of the damned! Her
+      teeth gnashed with pain; her arms writhed in anguish! She wept tears of
+      blood, and, with an agonized and avenging voice, she cried to her seducer:
+      &lsquo;Thou art the cause of my perdition&mdash;my curse, my curse be upon
+      thee!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As he pronounced these last words, Rodin advanced three steps nearer to
+      Hardy, accompanying each step with a menacing gesture. If we remember the
+      state of weakness, trouble, and fear, in which M. Hardy was&mdash;if we
+      remember that the Jesuit had just roused in the soul of this unfortunate
+      man all the sensual and spiritual memories of a love, cooled, but not
+      extinguished, in tears&mdash;if we remember, too, that Hardy reproached
+      himself with the seduction of a beloved object, whom her departure from
+      her duties might (according to the Catholic faith) doom to everlasting
+      flames&mdash;we shall not wonder at the terrible effect of this
+      phantasmagoria, conjured up in silence and solitude, in the evening dusk,
+      by this fearful priest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The effect on Hardy was indeed striking, and the more dangerous, that the
+      Jesuit, with diabolical craft, seemed only to be carrying out, from
+      another point of view, the ideas of Gabriel. Had not the young priest
+      convinced Hardy that nothing is sweeter, than to ask of heaven forgiveness
+      for those who have sinned, or whom we have led astray? But forgiveness
+      implies punishment; and it was to the punishment alone that Rodin drew the
+      attention of his victim, by painting it in these terrible hues. With hands
+      clasped together, and eye fixed and dilated, Hardy trembled in all his
+      limbs, and seemed still listening to Rodin, though the latter had ceased
+      to speak. Mechanically, he repeated: &ldquo;My curse, my curse be upon thee?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then suddenly he exclaimed, in a kind of frenzy: &ldquo;The curse is on me also!
+      The woman, whom I taught to forget her sacred duties, and to commit mortal
+      sin&mdash;one day plunged in the everlasting flames&mdash;her arms
+      writhing in agony&mdash;weeping tears of blood&mdash;will cry to me from
+      the bottomless pit: &lsquo;My curse, my curse be upon thee!&rsquo;&mdash;One day,&rdquo; he
+      added, with redoubled terror, &ldquo;one day?&mdash;who knows? perhaps at this
+      moment!&mdash;for if the sea voyage had been fatal to her&mdash;if a
+      shipwreck&mdash;oh, God! she too would have died in mortal sin&mdash;lost,
+      lost, forever!&mdash;Oh, have mercy on her, my God! Crush me in Thy wrath&mdash;but
+      have mercy on her&mdash;for I alone am guilty!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And the unfortunate man, almost delirious, sank with clasped hands upon
+      the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; cried Rodin, in an affectionate voice, as he hastened to lift him
+      up, &ldquo;my dear sir&mdash;my dear friend&mdash;be calm! Comfort yourself. I
+      cannot bear to see you despond. Alas! my intention was quite the contrary
+      to that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The curse! the curse! yes, she will curse me also&mdash;she, that I loved
+      so much&mdash;in the everlasting flames!&rdquo; murmured Hardy, shuddering, and
+      apparently insensible to the other&rsquo;s words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear sir, listen to me, I entreat you,&rdquo; resumed the latter; &ldquo;let
+      me finish my story, and then you will find it as consoling as it now seems
+      terrible. For heaven&rsquo;s sake, remember the adorable words of our angelic
+      Abbe Gabriel, with regard to the sweetness of prayer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the name of Gabriel, Hardy recovered himself a little, and exclaimed,
+      in a heart-rending tone: &ldquo;Ay! his words were sweet and beneficent. Where
+      are they now? For mercy&rsquo;s sake, repeat to me those consoling words.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our angelic Abbe Gabriel,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;spoke to you of the sweetness
+      of prayer&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! prayer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, my dear sir, listen to me, and you shall see how prayer saved
+      Rancey, and made a saint of him. Yes, these frightful torments, that I
+      have just described, these threatening visions, were all conquered by
+      prayer, and changed into celestial delights.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg of you,&rdquo; said Hardy, in a faint voice, &ldquo;speak to me of Gabriel,
+      speak to me of heaven&mdash;but no more flames&mdash;no more hell&mdash;where
+      sinful women weep tears of blood&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied Rodin; and even as, in describing hell, his tone had
+      been harsh and threatening, it now became warm and tender, as he uttered
+      the following words: &ldquo;No; we will have no more images of despair&mdash;for,
+      as I have told you, after suffering infernal tortures, Rancey, thanks to
+      the power of prayer, enjoyed the delights of paradise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The delights of paradise?&rdquo; repeated Hardy, listening with anxious
+      attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One day, at the height of his grief, a priest, a good priest&mdash;another
+      Abbe Gabriel&mdash;came to Rancey. Oh, happiness! oh, providential change!
+      In a few days, he taught the sufferer the sacred mysteries of prayer&mdash;that
+      pious intercession of the creature, addressed to the Creator, in favor of
+      a soul exposed to the wrath of heaven. Then Rancey seemed transformed. His
+      grief was at once appeased. He prayed; and the more he prayed, the greater
+      was his hope. He felt that God listened to his prayer. Instead of trying
+      to forget his beloved, he now thought of her constantly, and prayed for
+      her salvation. Happy in his obscure cell, alone with that adored
+      remembrance, he passed days and nights in praying for her&mdash;plunged in
+      an ineffable, burning, I had almost said amorous ecstasy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to give an idea of the tone of almost sensual energy with
+      which Rodin pronounced the word &ldquo;amorous.&rdquo; Hardy started, changing from
+      hot to cold. For the first time, his weakened mind caught a glimpse of the
+      fatal pleasures of asceticism, and of that deplorable catalepsy, described
+      in the lives of St. Theresa, St. Aubierge and others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin perceived the other&rsquo;s thoughts, and continued &ldquo;Oh, Rancey was not
+      now the man to content himself with a vague, passing prayer, uttered in
+      the whirl of the world&rsquo;s business, which swallows it up, and prevents it
+      from reaching the ear of heaven. No, no; in the depth of solitude, he
+      endeavored to make his prayers even more efficacious, so ardently did he
+      desire the eternal salvation of his mistress.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What did he do then&mdash;oh! what did he do in his solitude?&rdquo; cried
+      Hardy, who was now powerless in the hands of the Jesuit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all,&rdquo; said Rodin, with a slight emphasis, &ldquo;he became a monk.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A monk!&rdquo; repeated Hardy, with a pensive air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;he became a monk, because his prayers were thus
+      more likely to be favorably accepted. And then, as in solitude our
+      thoughts are apt to wander, he fasted, and mortified his flesh, and
+      brought into subjection all that was carnal within him, so that, becoming
+      all spirit, his prayers might issue like a pure flame from his bosom, and
+      ascend like the perfume of incense to the throne of the Most High!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! what a delicious dream!&rdquo; cried Hardy, more and more under the
+      influence of the spell; &ldquo;to pray for the woman we have adored, and to
+      become spirit&mdash;perfume&mdash;light!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; spirit, perfume, light!&rdquo; said Rodin, with emphasis. &ldquo;But it is no
+      dream. How many monks, how many hermits, like Rancey, have, by prayers,
+      and austerity, and macerations, attained a divine ecstasy! and if you only
+      knew the celestial pleasures of such ecstasies!&mdash;Thus, after he
+      became a monk, the terrible dreams were succeeded by enchanting visions.
+      Many times, after a day of fasting, and a night passed in prayers and
+      macerations, Rancey sank down exhausted on the floor of his cell! Then the
+      spirit freed itself from the vile clogs of matter. His senses were
+      absorbed in pleasure; the sound of heavenly harmony struck upon his
+      ravished car; a bright, mild light, which was not of this world, dawned
+      upon his half-closed eyes; and, at the height of the melodious vibrations
+      of the golden harps of the Seraphim, in the centre of a glory, compared to
+      which the sun is pale, the monk beheld the image of that beloved woman&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Whom by his prayers he had at length rescued from the eternal flames?&rdquo;
+       said Hardy, in a trembling voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, herself,&rdquo; replied Rodin, with eloquent enthusiasm, for this monster
+      was skilled in every style of speech. &ldquo;Thanks to the prayers of her lover,
+      which the Lord had granted, this woman no longer shed tears of blood&mdash;no
+      longer writhed her beautiful arms in the convulsions of infernal anguish.
+      No, no; still fair&mdash;oh! a thousand times fairer than when she dwelt
+      on earth&mdash;fair with the everlasting beauty of angels&mdash;she smiled
+      on her lover with ineffable ardor, and, her eyes beaming with a mild
+      radiance, she said to him in a tender and passionate voice: &lsquo;Glory to the
+      Lord! glory to thee, O my beloved! Thy prayers and austerities have saved
+      me. I am numbered amongst the chosen. Thanks, my beloved, and glory!&rsquo;&mdash;And
+      therewith, radiant in her felicity, she stooped to kiss, with lips
+      fragrant with immortality, the lips of the enraptured monk&mdash;and their
+      souls mingled in that kiss, burning as love, chaste as divine grace
+      immense as eternity!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; cried Hardy, completely beside himself; &ldquo;a whole life of prayer,
+      fasting, torture, for such a moment&mdash;with her, whom I mourn&mdash;with
+      her, whom I have perhaps led to perdition!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say? such a moment!&rdquo; cried Rodin, whose yellow forehead was
+      bathed in sweat like that of a magnetizer, and who now took Hardy by the
+      hand, and drew still closer, as if to breathe into him the burning
+      delirium; &ldquo;it was not once in his religious life&mdash;it was almost every
+      day, that Rancey, plunged in divine ecstasy, enjoyed these delicious,
+      ineffable, superhuman pleasures, which are to the pleasures of earth what
+      eternity is to man&rsquo;s existence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing, no doubt, that Hardy was now at the point to which he wished to
+      bring him, and the night being almost entirely come, the reverend father
+      coughed two or three times in a significant manner, and looked towards the
+      door. At this moment, Hardy, in the height of his frenzy, exclaimed, with
+      a supplicating voice: &ldquo;A cell&mdash;a tomb&mdash;and the Ecstatic Vision!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The door of the room opened, and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny entered, with a cloak
+      under his arm. A servant followed him, bearing a light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About ten minutes after this scene, a dozen robust men with frank, open
+      countenances, led by Agricola, entered the Rue de Vaugirard, and advanced
+      joyously towards the house of the reverend fathers. It was a deputation
+      from the former workmen of M. Hardy. They came to escort him, and to
+      congratulate him on his return amongst them. Agricola walked at their
+      head. Suddenly he saw a carriage with post-horses issuing from the gateway
+      of the house. The postilion whipped up the horses, and they started at
+      full gallop. Was it chance or instinct? The nearer the carriage approached
+      the group of which he formed a part, the more did Agricola&rsquo;s heart sink
+      within him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The impression became so vivid that it was soon changed into a terrible
+      apprehension; and at the moment when the vehicle, which had its blinds
+      down, was about to pass close by him, the smith, in obedience to a
+      resistless impulse, exclaimed, as he rushed to the horses&rsquo; heads: &ldquo;Help,
+      friends! stop them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Postilion! ten louis if you ride over him!&rdquo; cried from the carriage the
+      military voice of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The cholera was still raging. The postilion had heard of the murder of the
+      poisoners. Already frightened at the sudden attack of Agricola, he struck
+      him a heavy blow on the head with the butt of his whip which stretched him
+      senseless on the ground. Then, spurring with all his might, he urged his
+      three horses into a triple gallop, and the carriage rapidly disappeared,
+      whilst Agricola&rsquo;s companions, who had neither understood his actions nor
+      the sense of his words, crowded around the smith, and did their best to
+      revive him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0149" id="link2HCH0149">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIV. REMEMBRANCES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>ther events took place a few days after the fatal evening in which M.
+      Hardy, fascinated and misled by the deplorable, mystic jargon of Rodin,
+      had implored Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny on his knees to remove him far from Paris,
+      into some deep solitude where he might devote himself to a life of prayer
+      and ascetic austerities. Marshal Simon, since his arrival in Paris, had
+      occupied, with his two daughters, a house in the Rue des Trois-Freres.
+      Before introducing the reader into this modest dwelling, we are obliged to
+      recall to his memory some preceding facts. The day of the burning of Hardy
+      &lsquo;s factory, Marshal Simon had come to consult with his father on a
+      question of the highest importance, and to communicate to him his painful
+      apprehensions on the subject of the growing sadness of his twin daughters,
+      which he was unable to explain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Marshal Simon held in religious reverence the memory of the Great Emperor.
+      His gratitude to the hero was boundless, his devotion blind, his
+      enthusiasm founded upon reason, his affection warm as the most sincere and
+      passionate friendship. But this was not all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One day the emperor, in a burst of joy and paternal tenderness, had led
+      the marshal to the cradle of the sleeping King of Rome, and said to him,
+      as he proudly pointed to the beautiful child: &ldquo;My old friend, swear to me
+      that you will serve the son as you have served the father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30293m.jpg" alt="30293m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30293.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Marshal Simon took and kept that vow. During the Restoration, the chief of
+      a military conspiracy in favor of Napoleon II., he had attempted in vain
+      to secure a regiment of cavalry, at that time commanded by the Marquis
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny. Betrayed and denounced, the marshal, after a desperate duel
+      with the future Jesuit, had succeeded in reaching Poland, and thus
+      escaping a sentence of death. It is useless to repeat the series of events
+      which led the marshal from Poland to India, and then brought him back to
+      Paris after the Revolution of July&mdash;an epoch at which a number of his
+      old comrades in arms had solicited and obtained from the government,
+      without his knowledge, the confirmation of the rank and title which the
+      emperor had bestowed upon him just before Waterloo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On his return to Paris, after his long exile, in spite of all the
+      happiness he felt in at length embracing his children, Marshal Simon was
+      deeply affected on learning the death of their mother, whom he adored.
+      Till the last moment, he had hoped to find her in Paris. The
+      disappointment was dreadful, and he felt it cruelly, though he sought
+      consolation in his children&rsquo;s affection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But soon new causes of trouble and anxiety were interwoven with his life
+      by the machinations of Rodin. Thanks to the secret intrigues of the
+      reverend father at the Courts of Rome and Vienna, one of his emissaries,
+      in a condition to inspire full confidence, and provided with undeniable
+      evidence to support his words, went to Marshal Simon, and said to him:
+      &ldquo;The son of the emperor is dying, the victim of the fears with which the
+      name of Napoleon still inspires Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From this slow expiring, you, Marshal Simon, one of the emperor&rsquo;s most
+      faithful friends, are able to rescue this unfortunate prince.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The correspondence in my hand proves that it would be easy to open
+      relations, of the surest and most secret nature, with one of the most
+      influential persons about the King of Rome, and this person would be
+      disposed to favor the prince&rsquo;s escape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is possible, by a bold, unexpected stroke, to deliver Napoleon II.
+      from the custody of Austria, which would leave him to perish by inches in
+      an atmosphere that is fatal to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The enterprise may be a rash one, but it has chances of success that you
+      Marshal Simon, more than any other, could change into certainties; for
+      your devotion to the emperor is well known, and we remember with what
+      adventurous audacity you conspired, in 1815, in favor of Napoleon II.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The state of languor and decline of the King of Rome was then in France a
+      matter of public notoriety. People even went so far as to affirm that the
+      son of the hero was carefully trained by priests, who kept him in complete
+      ignorance of the glory of his paternal name; and that, by the most
+      execrable machinations, they strove day by day to extinguish every noble
+      and generous instinct that displayed itself in the unfortunate youth. The
+      coldest hearts were touched and softened at the story of so sad and fatal
+      a destiny. When we remember the heroic character and chivalrous loyalty of
+      Marshal Simon, and his passionate devotion to the emperor, we can
+      understand how the father of Rose and Blanche was more interested than any
+      one else in the fate of the young prince, and how, if occasion offered, he
+      would feel himself obliged not to confine his efforts to mere regrets.
+      With regard to the reality of the correspondence produced by Rodin&rsquo;s
+      emissary, it had been submitted by the marshal to a searching test, by
+      means of his intimacy with one of his old companions in arms, who had been
+      for a long period on a mission to Vienna, in the time of the empire. The
+      result of this investigation, conducted with as much prudence as address,
+      so that nothing should transpire, showed that the marshal might give his
+      serious attention to the advances made him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hence, this proposition threw the father of Rose and Blanche into a cruel
+      perplexity; for, to attempt so bold and dangerous an enterprise, he must
+      once more abandon his children; whilst, on the contrary, if, alarmed at
+      this separation, he renounced the endeavor to save the King of Rome, whose
+      lingering death was perfectly true and well authenticated, the marshal
+      would consider himself as false to the vow he had sworn to the emperor. To
+      end these painful hesitations, full of confidence in the inflexible
+      uprightness of his father&rsquo;s character, the marshal had gone to ask his
+      advice; unfortunately the old republican workman, mortally wounded during
+      the attack on M. Hardy&rsquo;s factory, but still pondering over the serious
+      communication of his son, died with these words upon his Lips: &ldquo;My son,
+      you have a great duty to perform, under pain of not acting like a man of
+      honor, and of disobeying my last will. You must, without hesitation&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But, by a deplorable fatality, the last words, which would have completed
+      the sense of the old workman&rsquo;s thought, were spoken in so feeble a voice
+      as to be quite unintelligible. He died, leaving Marshal Simon in a worse
+      state of anxiety, as one of the two courses open to him had now been
+      formally condemned by his father, in whose judgment he had the most
+      implicit and merited confidence. In a word, his mind was now tortured by
+      the doubt whether his father had intended, in the name of honor and duty,
+      to advise him not to abandon his children, to engage in so hazardous an
+      enterprise, or whether, on the contrary, he had wished him to leave them
+      for a time, to perform the vow made to the emperor, and endeavor at least
+      to rescue Napoleon II. from a captivity that might soon be mortal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This perplexity, rendered more cruel by certain circumstances, to be
+      related hereafter, the tragical death of his father, who had expired in
+      his arms; the incessant and painful remembrance of his wife, who had
+      perished in a land of exile; and finally, the grief he felt at perceiving
+      the overgrowing sadness of Rose and Blanche, occasioned severe shocks to
+      Marshal Simon. Let us add that, in spite of his natural intrepidity, so
+      nobly proved by twenty years of war, the ravages of the cholera, the same
+      terrible malady to which his wife had fallen a victim in Siberia, filled
+      the marshal with involuntary dread. Yes, this man of iron nerves, who had
+      coolly braved death in so many battles, felt the habitual firmness of his
+      character give way at sight of the scenes of desolation and mourning which
+      Paris offered at every step. Yet, when Mdlle. de Cardoville gathered round
+      her the members of her family, to warn them against the plot of their
+      enemies, the affectionate tenderness of Adrienne for Rose and Blanche
+      appeared to exercise so happy an influence on their mysterious sorrow,
+      that the marshal, forgetting for a moment his fatal regrets, thought only
+      of enjoying this blessed change, which, alas! was but of short duration.
+      Having now recalled these facts to the mind of the reader, we shall
+      continue our story.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0150" id="link2HCH0150">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLV. THE BLOCKHEAD
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>e have stated that Marshal Simon occupied a small house in the Rue des
+      Trois-Freres. Two o&rsquo;clock in the afternoon had just struck in the
+      marshal&rsquo;s sleeping-chamber, a room furnished with military simplicity. In
+      the recess, in which stood the bed, hung a trophy composed of the arms
+      used by the marshal during his campaigns. On the secretary opposite was a
+      small bronze bust of the emperor, the only ornament of the apartment. Out
+      of doors the temperature was far from warm, and the marshal had become
+      susceptible to cold during his long residence in India. A good fire
+      therefore blazed upon the hearth. A door, concealed by the hangings, and
+      leading to a back staircase, opened slowly, and a man entered the chamber.
+      He carried a basket of wood, and advanced leisurely to the fireplace,
+      before which he knelt clown, and began to arrange the logs symmetrically
+      in a box that stood besides the hearth. After some minutes occupied in
+      this manner, still kneeling, he gradually approached another door, at a
+      little distance from the chimney, and appeared to listen with deep
+      attention, as if he wished to hear what was passing in the next room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This man, employed as an inferior servant in the house, had the most
+      ridiculously stupid look that can be imagined. His functions consisted in
+      carrying wood, running errands, etc. In other respects he was a kind of
+      laughing-stock to the other servants. In a moment of good humor, Dagobert,
+      who filled the post of major-domo, had given this idiot the name of
+      &ldquo;Loony&rdquo; (lunatic), which he had retained ever since, and which he deserved
+      in every respect, as well for his awkwardness and folly as for his
+      unmeaning face, with its grotesquely flat nose, sloping chin, and wide,
+      staring eyes. Add to this description a jacket of red stuff, and a
+      triangular white apron, and we must acknowledge that the simpleton was
+      quite worthy of his name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yet, at the moment when Loony listened so attentively at the door of the
+      adjoining room, a ray of quick intelligence animated for an instant his
+      dull and stupid countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When he had thus listened for a short time, Loony returned to the
+      fireplace, still crawling on his knees; then rising, he again took his
+      basket half full of wood, and once more approaching the door at which he
+      had listened knocked discreetly. No one answered. He knocked a second
+      time, and more loudly. Still there was the same silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he said, in a harsh, squeaking, laughable voice: &ldquo;Ladies, do you want
+      any wood, if you please, for your fire?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Receiving no answer, Loony placed his basket on the ground, opened the
+      door gently, and entered the next room, after casting a rapid glance
+      around. He came out again in a few seconds, looking from side to side with
+      an anxious air, like a man who had just accomplished some important and
+      mysterious task.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Taking up his basket, he was about to leave Marshal Simon&rsquo;s room, when the
+      door of the private staircase was opened slowly and with precaution, and
+      Dagobert appeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier, evidently surprised at the servant&rsquo;s presence, knitted his
+      brows, and exclaimed abruptly, &ldquo;What are you doing here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this sudden interrogation, accompanied by a growl expressive of the
+      ill-humor of Spoil-sport, who followed close on his master&rsquo;s heels, Loony
+      uttered a cry of real or pretended terror. To give, perhaps, an appearance
+      of greater reality to his dread, the supposed simpleton let his basket
+      fall on the ground, as if astonishment and fear had loosened his hold of
+      it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What are you doing, numbskull?&rdquo; resumed Dagobert, whose countenance was
+      impressed with deep sadness, and who seemed little disposed to laugh at
+      the fellow&rsquo;s stupidity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, M. Dagobert! how you frighten me! Dear me! what a pity I had not an
+      armful of plates, to prove it was not my fault if I broke them all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask what you are doing,&rdquo; resumed the soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, M. Dagobert,&rdquo; replied Loony, pointing to his basket, &ldquo;that I
+      came with some wood to master&rsquo;s room, so that he might burn it, if it was
+      cold&mdash;which it is.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well. Pick up your wood, and begone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, M. Dagobert! my legs tremble under me. How you did scare me, to be
+      sure!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you begone, brute?&rdquo; resumed the veteran; and seizing Loony by the
+      arm, he pushed him towards the door, while Spoil-sport, with recumbent
+      ears, and hair standing up like the quills of a porcupine, seemed inclined
+      to accelerate his retreat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am going, M. Dagobert, I am going,&rdquo; replied the simpleton, as he
+      hastily gathered up his basket; &ldquo;only please to tell the dog&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go to the devil, you stupid chatterbox!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, as he pushed
+      Loony through the doorway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then the soldier bolted the door which led to the private staircase, and
+      going to that which communicated with the apartments of the two sisters,
+      he double-locked it. Having done this, he hastened to the alcove in which
+      stood the bed and taking down a pair of loaded pistols, he carefully
+      removed the percussion caps, and, unable to repress a deep sigh, restored
+      the weapons to the place in which he had found them. Then, as if on second
+      thoughts, he took down an Indian dagger with a very sharp blade, and
+      drawing it from its silver-gilt sheath, proceeded to break the point of
+      this murderous instrument, by twisting it beneath one of the iron castors
+      of the bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert then proceeded to unfasten the two doors, and, returning slowly
+      to the marble chimney-piece, he leaned against it with a gloomy and
+      pensive air. Crouching before the fire, Spoil-sport followed with an
+      attentive eye the least movement of his master. The good dog displayed a
+      rare and intelligent sagacity. The soldier, having drawn out his
+      handkerchief, let fall, without perceiving it, a paper containing a roll
+      of tobacco. Spoil-sport, who had all the qualities of a retriever of the
+      Rutland race, took the paper between his teeth, and, rising upon his
+      hind-legs, presented it respectfully to Dagobert. But the latter received
+      it mechanically, and appeared indifferent to the dexterity of his dog. The
+      grenadier&rsquo;s countenance revealed as much sorrow as anxiety. After
+      remaining for some minutes near the fire, with fixed and meditative look,
+      he began to walk about the room in great agitation, one of his hands
+      thrust into the bosom of his long blue frock-coat, which was buttoned up
+      to the chin, and the other into one of his hind-pockets.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From time to time he stopped abruptly, and seemed to make reply to his own
+      thoughts, or uttered an exclamation of doubt and uneasiness; then, turning
+      towards the trophy of arms, he shook his head mournfully, and murmured,
+      &ldquo;No matter&mdash;this fear may be idle; but he has acted so
+      extraordinarily these two days, that it is at all events more prudent&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He continued his walk, and said, after a new and prolonged silence: &ldquo;Yes
+      he must tell me. It makes me too uneasy. And then the poor children&mdash;it
+      is enough to break one&rsquo;s heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And Dagobert hastily drew his moustache between his thumb and forefinger,
+      a nervous movement, which with him was an evident symptom of extreme
+      agitation. Some minutes after, the soldier resumed, still answering his
+      inward thoughts: &ldquo;What can it be? It is hardly possible to be the letters,
+      they are too infamous; he despises them. And yet But no, no&mdash;he is
+      above that!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And Dagobert again began to walk with hasty steps. Suddenly, Spoil-sport
+      pricked up his ears, turned his head in the direction of the staircase
+      door, and growled hoarsely. A few seconds after, some one knocked at the
+      door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is there?&rdquo; said Dagobert. There was no answer, but the person knocked
+      again. Losing patience, the soldier went hastily to open it, and saw the
+      servant&rsquo;s stupid face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you answer, when I ask who knocks!&rdquo; said the soldier, angrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert, you sent me away just now, and I was afraid of making you
+      cross, if I said I had come again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you want? Speak then&mdash;come in, stupid!&rdquo; cried the
+      exasperated. Dagobert, as he pulled him into the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert, don&rsquo;t be angry&mdash;I&rsquo;ll tell you all about it&mdash;it is
+      a young man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He wants to speak to you directly, Mr. Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His name?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;His name, M. Dagobert?&rdquo; replied Loony, rolling about and laughing with an
+      idiotic air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, his name. Speak, idiot!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, M. Dagobert! it&rsquo;s all in joke that you ask me his name!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are determined, fool that you are, to drive me out of my senses!&rdquo;
+       cried the soldier, seizing Loony by the collar. &ldquo;The name of this young
+      man!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be angry, M. Dagobert. I didn&rsquo;t tell you the name because you know
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Beast!&rdquo; said Dagobert, shaking his fist at him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, you do know it, M. Dagobert, for the young man is your own son. He
+      is downstairs, and wants to speak to you directly&mdash;yes, directly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The stupidity was so well assumed, that Dagobert was the dupe of it. Moved
+      to compassion rather than anger by such imbecility, he looked fixedly at
+      the servant, shrugged his shoulders, and said, as he advanced towards the
+      staircase, &ldquo;Follow me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30301m.jpg" alt="30301m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30301.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Loony obeyed; but, before closing the door, he drew a letter secretly from
+      his pocket, and dropped it behind him without turning his head, saying all
+      the while to Dagobert, for the purpose of occupying his attention: &ldquo;Your
+      son is in the court, M. Dagobert. He would not come up&mdash;that&rsquo;s why he
+      is still downstairs!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus talking, he closed the door, believing he had left the letter on the
+      floor of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s room. But he had reckoned without Spoil-sport.
+      Whether he thought it more prudent to bring up the rear, or, from
+      respectful deference for a biped, the worthy dog had been the last to
+      leave the room, and, being a famous carrier, as soon as he saw the letter
+      dropped by Loony, he took it delicately between his teeth, and followed
+      close on the heels of the servant, without the latter perceiving this new
+      proof of the intelligence and sagacity of Spoil-sport.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0151" id="link2HCH0151">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVI. THE ANONYMOUS LETTERS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>e will explain presently what became of the letter, which Spoil-sport
+      held between his teeth, and why he left his master, when the latter ran to
+      meet Agricola. Dagobert had not seen his son for some days. Embracing him
+      cordially, he led him into one of the rooms on the ground floor, which he
+      usually occupied. &ldquo;And how is your wife?&rdquo; said the soldier to his son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is well, father, thank you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Perceiving a great change in Agricola&rsquo;s countenance, Dagobert resumed:
+      &ldquo;You look sad. Has anything gone wrong since I saw you last?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All is over, father. We have lost him,&rdquo; said the smith, in a tone of
+      despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Lost whom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Hardy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Hardy!&mdash;why, three days ago, you told me you were going to see
+      him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father, I have seen him&mdash;and my dear brother Gabriel saw him
+      and spoke to him&mdash;how he speaks! with a voice that comes from the
+      heart!&mdash;and he had so revived and encouraged him, that M. Hardy
+      consented to return amongst us. Then I, wild with joy, ran to tell the
+      good news to some of my mates, who were waiting to hear the result of nay
+      interview with M. Hardy. I brought them all with me to thank and bless
+      him. We were within a hundred yards of the house belonging to the
+      black-gowns&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ali, the black-gowns!&rdquo; said Dagobert, with a gloomy air. &ldquo;Then some
+      mischief will happen. I know them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are not mistaken, father,&rdquo; answered Agricola, with a sigh. &ldquo;I was
+      running on with my comrades, when I saw a carriage coming towards us. Some
+      presentiment told me that they were taking away M. Hardy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By force!&rdquo; said Dagobert, hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; answered Agricola, bitterly; &ldquo;no&mdash;the priests are too cunning
+      for that. They know how to make you an accomplice in the evil they do you.
+      Shall I not always remember how they managed with my good mother?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, the worthy woman! there was a poor fly caught in the spider&rsquo;s web.
+      But this carriage, of which you speak?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On seeing it start from the house of the black-gowns,&rdquo; replied Agricola,
+      &ldquo;my heart sank within me; and, by an impulse stronger than myself, I
+      rushed to the horses&rsquo; heads, calling on my comrades to help me. But the
+      postilion knocked me down and stunned me with a blow from his whip. When I
+      recovered my senses, the carriage was already far away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You were not hurt?&rdquo; cried Dagobert, anxiously, as he examined his son
+      from top to toe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, father; a mere scratch.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What did you next, my boy?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hastened to our good angel, Mdlle. de Cardoville, and told her all.
+      &lsquo;You must follow M. Hardy on the instant,&rsquo; said she to me. &lsquo;Take my
+      carriage and post-horses. Dupont will accompany you; follow M. Hardy from
+      stage to stage; should you succeed in overtaking him your presence and
+      your prayers may perhaps conquer the fatal influence that these priests
+      have acquired over him.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was the best advice she could give you. That excellent young lady is
+      always right.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;An hour after, we were upon our way, for we learned by the returned
+      postilions, that M. Hardy had taken the Orleans road. We followed him as
+      far as Etampes. There we heard that he had taken a cross-road, to reach a
+      solitary house in a valley about four leagues from the highway. They told
+      us that this house called the Val-de-St. Herem, belonged to certain
+      priests, and that, as the night was so dark, and the road so bad, we had
+      better sleep at the inn, and start early in the morning. We followed this
+      advice, and set out at dawn. In a quarter of an hour, we quitted the
+      high-road for a mountainous and desert track. We saw nothing but brown
+      rocks, and a few birch trees. As we advanced, the scene became wilder and
+      wilder. We might have fancied ourselves a hundred leagues from Paris. At
+      last we stopped in front of a large, old, black-looking house with only a
+      few small windows in it, and built at the foot of a high, rocky mountain.
+      In my whole life I have never seen anything so deserted and sad. We got
+      out of the carriage, and I rang the bell. A man opened the door. &lsquo;Did not
+      the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny arrive here last night with a gentleman?&rsquo; said I to
+      this man, with a confidential air. &lsquo;Inform the gentleman directly, that I
+      come on business of importance, and that I must see him forthwith.&rsquo;&mdash;The
+      man, believing me an accomplice, showed us in immediately; a moment after,
+      the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny opened the door, saw me, and drew back; yet, in five
+      minutes more, I was in presence of M. Hardy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well!&rdquo; said Dagobert, with interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Agricola shook his head sorrowfully, and replied: &ldquo;I knew by the very
+      countenance of M. Hardy, that all was over. Addressing me in a mild but
+      firm voice, he said to me: &lsquo;I understand, I can even excuse, the motives
+      that bring you hither. But I am quite determined to live henceforth in
+      solitude and prayer. I take this resolution freely and voluntarily,
+      because I would fain provide for the salvation of my soul. Tell your
+      fellows that my arrangements will be such as to leave them a good
+      remembrance of me.&rsquo;&mdash;And as I was about to speak, M. Hardy
+      interrupted me, saying: &lsquo;It is useless, my friend. My determination is
+      unalterable. Do not write to me, for your letters would remain unanswered.
+      Prayer will henceforth be my only occupation. Excuse me for leaving you,
+      but I am fatigued from my journey!&rsquo;&mdash;He spoke the truth for he was as
+      pale as a spectre, with a kind of wildness about the eyes, and so changed
+      since the day before, as to be hardly the same man. His hand, when he
+      offered it on parting from me, was dry and burning. The Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      soon came in. &lsquo;Father,&rsquo; said M. Hardy to him, &lsquo;have the goodness to see M.
+      Baudoin to the door.&rsquo;&mdash;So saying, he waved his hand to me in token of
+      farewell, and retired to the next chamber. All was over; he is lost to us
+      forever.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Dagobert, &ldquo;those black-gowns have enchanted him, like so many
+      others.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In despair,&rdquo; resumed Agricola, &ldquo;I returned hither with M. Dupont. This,
+      then, is what the priests have made of M. Hardy&mdash;of that generous
+      man, who supported nearly three hundred industrious workmen in order and
+      happiness, increasing their knowledge, improving their hearts, and earning
+      the benediction of that little people, of which he was the providence.
+      Instead of all this, M. Hardy is now forever reduced to a gloomy and
+      unavailing life of contemplation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, the black-gowns!&rdquo; said Dagobert, shuddering, and unable to conceal a
+      vague sense of fear. &ldquo;The longer I live, the more I am afraid of them. You
+      have seen what those people did to your poor mother; you see what they
+      have just done to M. Hardy; you know their plots against my two poor
+      orphans, and against that generous young lady. Oh, these people are very
+      powerful! I would rather face a battalion of Russian grenadiers, than a
+      dozen of these cassocks. But don&rsquo;t let&rsquo;s talk of it. I have causes enough
+      beside for grief and fear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then seeing the astonished look of Agricola, the soldier, unable to
+      restrain his emotion, threw himself into the arms of his son, exclaiming
+      with a choking voice: &ldquo;I can hold out no longer. My heart is too full. I
+      must speak; and whom shall I trust if not you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, you frighten me!&rdquo; said Agricola, &ldquo;What is the matter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, you see, had it not been for you and the two poor girls, I should
+      have blown out my brains twenty times over rather than see what I see&mdash;and
+      dread what I do.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you dread, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since the last few days, I do not know what has come over the marshal&mdash;but
+      he frightens me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yet in his last interviews with Mdlle. de Cardoville&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, he was a little better. By her kind words, this generous young lady
+      poured balm into his wounds; the presence of the young Indian cheered him;
+      he appeared to shake off his cares, and his poor little girls felt the
+      benefit of the change. But for some days, I know not what demon has been
+      loosed against his family. It is enough to turn one&rsquo;s head. First of all,
+      I am sure that the anonymous letters have begun again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What letters, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The anonymous letters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what are they about?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You know how the marshal hated that renegade, the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny. When
+      he found that the traitor was here, and that he had persecuted the two
+      orphans, even as he persecuted their mother to the death&mdash;but that
+      now he had become a priest&mdash;I thought the marshal would have gone mad
+      with indignation and fury. He wishes to go in search of the renegade. With
+      one word I calmed him. &lsquo;He is a priest,&rsquo; I said; &lsquo;you may do what you
+      will, insult or strike him&mdash;he will not fight. He began by serving
+      against his country, he ends by becoming a bad priest. It is all in
+      character. He is not worth spitting upon.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;But surely I may punish
+      the wrong done to my children, and avenge the death of my wife,&rsquo; cried the
+      marshal, much exasperated.&mdash;&lsquo;They say, as you well know, that there
+      are courts of law to avenge your wrongs,&rsquo; answered I; &lsquo;Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville has lodged a charge against the renegade, for having attempted
+      to confine your daughters in a convent. We must champ the bit and wait.&rdquo;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Agricola, mournfully, &ldquo;and unfortunately there lacks proof to
+      bring it home to the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny. The other day, when I was examined
+      by Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s lawyer, with regard to our attempt on the
+      convent, he told me that we should meet with obstacles at every step, for
+      want of legal evidence, and that the priests had taken their precautions
+      with so much skill that the indictment would be quashed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is just what the marshal thinks, my boy, and this increases his
+      irritation at such injustice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He should despise the wretches.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the anonymous letters!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, what of them, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall know all. A brave and honorable man like the marshal, when his
+      first movement of indignation was over, felt that to insult the renegade
+      disguised in the garb of a priest, would be like insulting an old man or a
+      woman. He determined therefore to despise him, and to forget him as soon
+      as possible. But then, almost every day, there came by the post anonymous
+      letters, in which all sorts of devices were employed, to revive and excite
+      the anger of the marshal against the renegade by reminding him of all the
+      evil contrived by the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny against him and his family. The
+      marshal was reproached with cowardice for not taking vengeance on this
+      priest, the persecutor of his wife and children, the insolent mocker at
+      his misfortunes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And from whom do you suspect these letters to come, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot tell&mdash;it is that which turns one&rsquo;s brain. They must come
+      from the enemies of the marshal, and he has no enemies but the
+      black-gowns.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father, since these letters are to excite his anger against the Abbe
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, they can hardly have been written by priests.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what I have said to myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what, then, can be their object?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Their object? oh, it is too plain!&rdquo; cried Dagobert. &ldquo;The marshal is
+      hasty, ardent; he has a thousand reasons to desire vengeance on the
+      renegade. But he cannot do himself justice, and the other sort of justice
+      fails him. Then what does he do? He endeavors to forget, he forgets. But
+      every day there comes to him an insolent letter, to provoke and exasperate
+      his legitimate hatred, by mockeries and insults. Devil take me! my head is
+      not the weakest&mdash;but, at such a game, I should go mad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father, such a plot would be horrible, and only worthy of hell!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that is not all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What more?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The marshal has received other letters; those he has not shown me&mdash;but,
+      after he had read the first, he remained like a man struck motionless, and
+      murmured to himself: &lsquo;They do not even respect that&mdash;oh! it is too
+      much&mdash;too much!&rsquo;&mdash;And, hiding his face in his hands he wept.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The marshal wept!&rdquo; cried the blacksmith, hardly able to believe what he
+      heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered Dagobert, &ldquo;he wept like a child.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what could these letters contain, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I did not venture to ask him, he appeared so miserable and dejected.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But thus harassed and tormented incessantly, the marshal must lead a
+      wretched life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And his poor little girls too! he sees them grow sadder and sadder,
+      without being able to guess the cause. And the death of his father, killed
+      almost in his arms! Perhaps, you will think all this enough; but, no! I am
+      sure there is something still more painful behind. Lately, you would
+      hardly know the marshal. He is irritable about nothing, and falls into
+      such fits of passion, that&mdash;&rdquo; After a moment&rsquo;s hesitation, the
+      soldier resumed: &ldquo;I way tell this to you, my poor boy. I have just been
+      upstairs, to take the caps from his pistols.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, father!&rdquo; cried Agricola; &ldquo;you fear&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the state of exasperation in which I saw him yesterday, there is
+      everything to fear.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then happened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since some time, he has often long secret interviews with a gentleman,
+      who looks like an old soldier and a worthy man. I have remarked that the
+      gloom and agitation of the marshal are always redoubled after one of these
+      visits. Two or three times, I have spoken to him about it; but I saw by
+      his look, that I displeased him, and therefore I desisted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! yesterday, this gentleman came in the evening. He remained here
+      until eleven o&rsquo;clock, and his wife came to fetch him, and waited for him
+      in a coach. After his departure, I went up to see if the marshal wanted
+      anything. He was very pale, but calm; he thanked me, and I came down
+      again. You know that my room is just under his. I could hear the marshal
+      walking about as if much agitated, and soon after he seemed to be knocking
+      down the furniture. In alarm, I once more went upstairs. He asked me, with
+      an irritated air, what I wanted, and ordered me to leave the room. Seeing
+      him in that way, I remained; he grew more angry, still I remained;
+      perceiving a chair and table thrown down, I pointed to them with so sad an
+      air that he understood me. You know that he has the best heart in the
+      world, so, taking me by the hand, he said to me: &lsquo;Forgive me for causing
+      you this uneasiness, my good Dagobert; but just now, I lost my senses, and
+      gave way to a burst of absurd fury; I think I should have thrown myself
+      out of the window, had it been open. I only hope, that my poor dear girls
+      have not heard me,&rsquo; added he, as he went on tip-toe to open the door which
+      communicates with his daughters&rsquo; bedroom. When he had listened anxiously
+      for a moment, he returned to me, and said: &lsquo;Luckily, they are asleep.&rsquo;&mdash;Then
+      I asked him what was the cause of his agitation, and if, in spite of my
+      precautions, he had received any more anonymous letters. &lsquo;No,&rsquo; replied he,
+      with a gloomy air; &lsquo;but leave me, my friend. I am now better. It has done
+      me good to see you. Good&mdash;night, old comrade! go downstairs to bed.&rsquo;&mdash;I
+      took care not to contradict him; but, pretending to go down, I came up
+      again, and seated myself on the top stair, listening. No doubt, to calm
+      himself entirely, the marshal went to embrace his children, for I heard
+      him open and shut their door. Then he returned to his room, and walked
+      about for a long time, but with a more quiet step. At last, I heard him
+      throw himself on his bed, and I came down about break of day. After that,
+      all remained tranquil.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30309m.jpg" alt="30309m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30309.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But whatever can be the matter with him, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know. When I went up to him, I was astonished at the agitation
+      of his countenance, and the brilliancy of his eyes. He would have looked
+      much the same, had he been delirious, or in a burning fever&mdash;so that,
+      when I heard him say, he could have thrown himself out of the window, had
+      it been open, I thought it more prudent to remove the caps from his
+      pistols.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot understand it!&rdquo; said Agricola. &ldquo;So firm, intrepid, and cool a
+      man as the marshal, a prey to such violence!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you that something very extraordinary is passing within him. For
+      two days, he has not been to see his children, which is always a bad sign
+      with him&mdash;to say nothing of the poor little angels themselves, who
+      are miserable at the notion that they have displeased their father. They
+      displease him! If you only knew the life they lead, dear creatures! a walk
+      or ride with me and their companion, for I never let them go out alone,
+      and, the rest of their time, at their studies, reading, or needlework&mdash;always
+      together&mdash;and then to bed. Yet their duenna, who is, I think, a
+      worthy woman, tells me that sometimes at night, she has seen them shed
+      tears in their sleep. Poor children! they have hitherto known but little
+      happiness,&rdquo; added the soldier, with a sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, hearing some one walk hastily across the courtyard,
+      Dagobert raised his eyes, and saw Marshal Simon, with pale face and
+      bewildered air, holding in his two hands a letter, which he seemed to read
+      with devouring anxiety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0152" id="link2HCH0152">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVII. THE GOLDEN CITY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hile Marshal Simon was crossing the little court with so agitated an air,
+      reading the anonymous letter, which he had received by Spoil-sport&rsquo;s
+      unexpected medium, Rose and Blanche were alone together, in the sitting
+      room they usually occupied, which had been entered for a moment by Loony
+      during their absence. The poor children seemed destined to a succession of
+      sorrows. At the moment their mourning for their mother drew near its
+      close, the tragical death of their grandfather had again dressed them in
+      funereal weeds. They were seated together upon a couch, in front of their
+      work-table. Grief often produces the effect of years. Hence, in a few
+      months, Rose and Blanche had become quite young women. To the infantine
+      grace of their charming faces, formerly so plump and rosy, but now pale
+      and thin, had succeeded an expression of grave and touching sadness. Their
+      large, mild eyes of limpid azure, which always had a dreamy character,
+      were now never bathed in those joyous tears, with which a burst of frank
+      and hearty laughter used of old to adorn their silky lashes, when the
+      comic coolness of Dagobert, or some funny trick of Spoil-sport, cheered
+      them in the course of their long and weary pilgrimage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a word, those delightful faces, which the flowery pencil of Greuze
+      could alone have painted in all their velvet freshness, were now worthy of
+      inspiring the melancholy ideal of the immortal Ary Scheffer, who gave us
+      Mignon aspiring to Paradise, and Margaret dreaming of Faust. Rose, leaning
+      back on the couch, held her head somewhat bowed upon her bosom, over which
+      was crossed a handkerchief of black crape. The light streaming from a
+      window opposite, shone softly on her pure, white forehead, crowned by two
+      thick bands of chestnut hair. Her look was fixed, and the open arch of her
+      eyebrows, now somewhat contracted, announced a mind occupied with painful
+      thoughts. Her thin, white little hands had fallen upon her knees, but
+      still held the embroidery, on which she had been engaged. The profile of
+      Blanche was visible, leaning a little towards her sister, with an
+      expression of tender and anxious solicitude, whilst her needle remained in
+      the canvas, as if she had just ceased to work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister,&rdquo; said Blanche, in a low voice, after some moments of silence,
+      during which the tears seemed to mount to her eyes, &ldquo;tell me what you are
+      thinking of. You look so sad.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I think of the Golden City of our dreams,&rdquo; replied Rose, almost in a
+      whisper, after another short silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Blanche understood the bitterness of these words. Without speaking, she
+      threw herself on her sister&rsquo;s neck, and wept. Poor girls! the Golden City
+      of their dreams was Paris, with their father in it&mdash;Paris, the
+      marvellous city of joys and festivals, through all of which the orphans
+      had beheld the radiant and smiling countenance of their sire! But, alas!
+      the Beautiful City had been changed into a place of tears, and death, and
+      mourning. The same terrible pestilence which had struck down their mother
+      in the heart of Siberia, seemed to have followed them like a dark and
+      fatal cloud, which, always hovering above them, hid the mild blue of the
+      sky, and the joyous light of the sun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Golden City of their dreams! It was the place, where perhaps one day
+      their father would present to them two young lovers, good and fair as
+      themselves. &ldquo;They love you,&rdquo; he was to say; &ldquo;they are worthy of you. Let
+      each of you have a brother, and me two sons.&rdquo; Then what chaste, enchanting
+      confusion for those two orphans, whose hearts, pure as crystal, had never
+      reflected any image but that of Gabriel, the celestial messenger sent by
+      their mother to protect them!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      We can therefore understand the painful emotion of Blanche, when she heard
+      her sister repeat, with bitter melancholy, those words which described
+      their whole situation: &ldquo;I think of the Golden City of our dreams!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who knows?&rdquo; proceeded Blanche, drying her sister&rsquo;s tears; &ldquo;perhaps,
+      happiness may yet be in store for us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! if we are not happy with our father by us&mdash;shall we ever be
+      so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, when we rejoin our mother,&rdquo; said Blanche, lifting her eyes to
+      heaven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, sister, this dream may be a warning&mdash;it is so like that we had
+      in Germany.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The difference being that then the Angel Gabriel came down from heaven to
+      us, and that this time he takes us from earth, to our mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this dream will perhaps come true, like the other, my sister. We
+      dreamt that the Angel Gabriel would protect us, and he came to save us
+      from the shipwreck.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, this time, we dream that he will lead us to heaven. Why should not
+      that happen also?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But to bring that about, sister, our Gabriel, who saved us from the
+      shipwreck, must die also. No, no; that must not happen. Let us pray that
+      it may not happen.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, it will not happen&mdash;for it is only Gabriel&rsquo;s good angel, who is
+      so like him, that we saw in our dreams.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, dear, how singular is this dream!&mdash;Here, as in Germany, we
+      have both dreamt the same&mdash;three times, the very same!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true. The Angel Gabriel bent over us, and looked at us with so mild
+      and sad an air, saying: &lsquo;Come, my children! come, my sisters! Your mother
+      waits for you. Poor children, arrived from so far!&rsquo; added he in his tender
+      voice: &lsquo;You have passed over the earth, gentle and innocent as two doves,
+      to repose forever in the maternal nest.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, those were the words of the archangel,&rdquo; said the other orphan, with
+      a pensive air; &ldquo;we have done no harm to any one, and we have loved those
+      who loved us&mdash;why should we fear to die?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore, dear sister, we rather smiled than wept, when he took us by
+      the hand, and, spreading wide his beautiful white wings, carried us along
+      with him to the blue depths of the sky.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To heaven, where our dear mother waited for us with open arms, her face
+      all bathed in tears.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sweet sister! one has not dreams like ours for nothing. And then,&rdquo;
+       added she, looking at Rose, with a sad smile that went to the heart, &ldquo;our
+      death might perhaps end the sorrow, of which we have been the cause.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! it is not our fault. We love him so much. But we are so timid and
+      sorrowful before him, that he may perhaps think we love him not.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rose took her handkerchief from her workbasket, to dry her
+      fears; a paper, folded in the form of a letter, fell out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this sight, the two shuddered, and pressed close to one mother, and
+      Rose said to Blanche, in a trembling voice: &ldquo;Another of these letters!&mdash;Oh,
+      I am afraid! It will doubtless be like the last.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must pick it up quickly, that it may not be seen,&rdquo; said Blanche,
+      hastily stooping to seize the letter; &ldquo;the people who take interest in us
+      might otherwise be exposed to great danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how could this letter come to us?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How did the others come to be placed right under our hand, and always in
+      the absence of our duenna?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true. Why seek to explain the mystery? We should never be able to
+      do so. Let us read the letter. It will perhaps be more favorable to us
+      than the last.&rdquo; And the two sisters read as follows:-&ldquo;Continue to love
+      your father, dear children, for he is very miserable, and you are the
+      involuntary cause of his distress. You will never know the terrible
+      sacrifices that your presence imposes on him; but, alas! he is the victim
+      of his paternal duties. His sufferings are more cruel than ever; spare him
+      at least those marks of tenderness, which occasion him so much more pain
+      than pleasure. Each caress is a dagger-stroke, for he sees in you the
+      innocent cause of his misfortunes. Dear children, you must not therefore
+      despair. If you have enough command over yourselves, not to torture him by
+      the display of too warm a tenderness, if you can mingle some reserve with
+      your affection, you will greatly alleviate his sorrow. Keep these letters
+      a secret from every one, even from good Dagobert, who loves you so much;
+      otherwise, both he and you, your father, and the unknown friend who is
+      writing to you, will be exposed to the utmost peril, for your enemies are
+      indeed formidable. Courage and hope! May your father&rsquo;s tenderness be once
+      more free from sorrow and regret!&mdash;That happy day is perhaps not so
+      far distant. Burn this letter like all the others!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The above note was written with so much cunning that, even supposing the
+      orphans had communicated it to their father or Dagobert, it would at the
+      worst have been considered a strange, intrusive proceeding, but almost
+      excusable from the spirit in which it was conceived. Nothing could have
+      been contrived with more perfidious art, if we consider the cruel
+      perplexity in which Marshal Simon was struggling between the fear of again
+      leaving his children and the shame of neglecting what he considered a
+      sacred duty. All the tenderness, all the susceptibility of heart which
+      distinguished the orphans, had been called into play by these diabolical
+      counsels, and the sisters soon perceived that their presence was in fact
+      both sweet and painful to their father; for sometimes he felt himself
+      incapable of leaving them, and sometimes the thought of a neglected duty
+      spread a cloud of sadness over his brow. Hence the poor twins could not
+      fail to value the fatal meaning of the anonymous letters they received.
+      They were persuaded that, from some mysterious motive, which they were
+      unable to penetrate, their presence was often importunate and even painful
+      to their father. Hence the growing sadness of Rose and Blanche&mdash;hence
+      the sort of fear and reserve which restrained the expression of their
+      filial tenderness. A most painful situation for the marshal, who deceived
+      by inexplicable appearances, mistook, in his turn, their manner of
+      indifference to him&mdash;and so, with breaking heart, and bitter grief
+      upon his face, often abruptly quitted his children to conceal his tears!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the desponding orphans said to each other: &ldquo;We are the cause of our
+      father&rsquo;s grief. It is our presence which makes him so unhappy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The reader may new judge what ravages such a thought, when fixed and
+      incessant, must have made on these young, loving, timid, and simple
+      hearts. Haw could the orphans be on their guard against such anonymous
+      communications, which spoke with reverence of all they loved, and seemed
+      every day justified by the conduct of their father? Already victims of
+      numerous plots, and hearing that they were surrounded by enemies, we can
+      understand, how faithful to the advice of their unknown friend, they
+      forbore to confide to Dagobert these letters, in which he was so justly
+      appreciated. The object of the proceeding was very plain. By continually
+      harassing the marshal on all sides, and persuading him of the coldness of
+      his children, the conspirators might naturally hope to conquer the
+      hesitation which had hitherto prevented his again quitting his daughters
+      to embark in a dangerous enterprise. To render the marshal&rsquo;s life so
+      burdensome that he would desire to seek relief from his torments in airy
+      project of daring and generous chivalry, was one of the ends proposed by
+      Rodin&mdash;and, as we have seen, it wanted neither logic nor possibility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After having read the letter, the two remained for a moment silent and
+      dejected. Then Rose, who held the paper in her hand, started up suddenly,
+      approached the chimneypiece, and threw the letter into the fire, saying,
+      with a timid air: &ldquo;We must burn it quickly, or perhaps some great danger
+      will ensue.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What greater misfortune can happen to us,&rdquo; said Blanche, despondingly,
+      &ldquo;than to cause such sorrow to our father? What can be the reason of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; said Rose, whose tears were slowly trickling down her cheek,
+      &ldquo;he does not find us what he could have desired. He may love us well as
+      the children of our poor mother, but we are not the daughters he had
+      dreamed of. Do you understand me, sister?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;that is perhaps what occasioned all his sorrow. We are so
+      badly informed, so wild, so awkward, that he is no doubt ashamed of us;
+      and, as he loves us in spite of all, it makes him suffer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! it is not our fault. Our dear mother brought us up in the deserts
+      of Siberia as well as she could.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! father himself does not reproach us with it; only it gives him pain.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Particularly if he has friends whose daughters are very beautiful, and
+      possessed of all sorts of talents. Then he must bitterly regret that we
+      are not the same.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dost remember when he took us to see our cousin, Mdlle. Adrienne, who was
+      so affectionate and kind to us, that he said to us, with admiration: &lsquo;Did
+      you notice her, my children? How beautiful she is, and what talent, what a
+      noble heart, and therewith such grace and elegance!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it is very true! Mdlle. de Cardoville is so beautiful, her voice is
+      so sweet and gentle, that, when we saw and heard her, we fancied that all
+      our troubles were at an end.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And it is because of such beauty, no doubt, that our father, comparing us
+      with our cousin and so many other handsome young ladies, cannot be very
+      proud of us. And he, who is so loved and honored, would have liked to have
+      been proud of his daughters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly Rose laid her hand on her sister&rsquo;s arm, and said to her, with
+      anxiety: &ldquo;Listen! listen! they are talking very loud in father&rsquo;s bedroom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Blanche, listening in her turn; &ldquo;and I can hear him walking.
+      That is his step.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven! how he raises his voice; he seems to be in a great passion;
+      he will perhaps come this way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And at the thought of their father&rsquo;s coming&mdash;that father who really
+      adored them&mdash;the unhappy children looked in terror at each other. The
+      sound of a loud and angry voice became more and more distinct; and Rose,
+      trembling through all her frame, said to her sister: &ldquo;Do not let us remain
+      here! Come into our room.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We should hear, without designing it, the words of our father&mdash;and
+      he does not perhaps know that we are so near.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are right. Come, come!&rdquo; answered Blanche, as she rose hastily from
+      her seat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I am afraid. I have never heard him speak in so angry a tone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! kind heaven!&rdquo; said Blanche, growing pale, as she stopped
+      involuntarily. &ldquo;It is to Dagobert that he is talking so loud.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What can be the matter&mdash;to make our father speak to him in that
+      way?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! some great misfortune must have happened.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, sister! do not let us remain here! It pains me too much to hear
+      Dagobert thus spoken to.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30317m.jpg" alt="30317m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30317.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      The crash of some article, hurled with violence and broken to pieces in
+      the next room, so frightened the orphans, that, pale and trembling with
+      emotion, they rushed into their own apartment, and fastened the door. We
+      must now explain the cause of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s violent anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0153" id="link2HCH0153">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLVIII. THE STUNG LION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>his was the scene, the sound of which had so terrified Rose and Blanche.
+      At first alone in his chamber, in a state of exasperation difficult to
+      describe, Marshal Simon had begun to walk hastily up and down, his
+      handsome, manly face inflamed with rage, his eyes sparkling with
+      indignation, while on his broad forehead, crowned with short-cut hair that
+      was now turning gray, large veins, of which you might count the
+      pulsations, were swollen almost to bursting; and sometimes his thick,
+      black moustache was curled with a convulsive motion, not unlike that which
+      is seen in the visage of a raging lion. And even as the wounded lion, in
+      its fury, harassed and tortured by a thousand invisible darts, walks up
+      and down its den with savage wrath, so Marshal Simon paced the floor of
+      his room, as if bounding from side to side; sometimes he stooped, as
+      though bending beneath the weight of his anger; sometimes, on the
+      contrary, he paused abruptly, drew himself up to his full height, crossed
+      his arms upon his vigorous chest, and with raised brow, threatening and
+      terrible look, seemed to defy some invisible enemy, and murmur confused
+      exclamations. Then he stood like a man of war and battle in all his
+      intrepid fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And now he stamped angrily with his foot, approached the chimney-piece,
+      and pulled the bell so violently that the bell-rope remained in his hand.
+      A servant hastened to attend to this precipitate summons. &ldquo;Did you not
+      tell Dagobert that I wished to speak to him?&rdquo; cried the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I executed your grace&rsquo;s orders, but M. Dagobert was accompanying his son
+      to the door, and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well!&rdquo; interrupted Marshal Simon, with an abrupt and imperious
+      gesture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The servant went out, and his master continued to walk up and down with
+      impatient steps, crumpling, in his rage, a letter that he held in his left
+      hand. This letter had been innocently delivered by Spoil-sport, who,
+      seeing him come in, had run joyously to meet him. At length the door
+      opened, and Dagobert appeared. &ldquo;I have been waiting for you a long time,
+      sirrah!&rdquo; cried the marshal, in an irritated tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert, more pained than surprised at this burst of anger, which he
+      rightly attributed to the constant state of excitement in which the
+      marshal had now been for some time past, answered mildly: &ldquo;I beg your
+      pardon, general, but I was letting out my son&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Read that, sir!&rdquo; said the marshal abruptly, giving him the letter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While Dagobert was reading it, the marshal resumed, with growing anger, as
+      he kicked over a chair that stood in his way: &ldquo;Thus, even in my own house,
+      there are wretches bribed to harass me with incredible perseverance. Well!
+      have you read it, sir?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a fresh insult to add to the others,&rdquo; said Dagobert, coolly, as he
+      threw the letter into the fire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The letter is infamous&mdash;but it speaks the truth,&rdquo; replied the
+      marshal. Dagobert looked at him in amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And can you tell who brought me this infamous letter&rdquo; continued the
+      marshal. &ldquo;One would think the devil had a hand in it&mdash;for it was your
+      dog!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spoil-sport?&rdquo; said Dagobert, in the utmost surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; answered the marshal, bitterly; &ldquo;it is no doubt a joke of your
+      invention.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no heart for joking, general,&rdquo; answered Dagobert, more and more
+      saddened by the irritable state of the marshal; &ldquo;I cannot explain how it
+      happened. Spoil-sport is a good carrier, and no doubt found the letter in
+      the house&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who can have left it there? Am I surrounded by traitors? Do you keep
+      no watch? You, in whom I have every confidence?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, general&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But the marshal proceeded, without waiting to hear him. &ldquo;What! I have made
+      war for five-and-twenty years, I have battled with armies, I have
+      struggled victoriously through the evil times of exile and proscription, I
+      have withstood blows from maces of iron&mdash;and now I am to be killed
+      with pins! Pursued into my own house, harassed with impunity, worn out,
+      tortured every minute, to gratify some unknown, miserable hate!&mdash;When
+      I say unknown, I am wrong&mdash;it is d&rsquo;Aigrigny, the renegade, who is at
+      the bottom of all this, I am sure. I have in the world but one enemy, and
+      he is the man. I must finish with him, for I am weary of this&mdash;it is
+      too much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, general, remember he is a priest&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do I care for that? Have I not seen him handle the sword? I will yet
+      make a soldier&rsquo;s blood rise to the forehead of the traitor!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, general&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, that I must be avenged on some one,&rdquo; cried the marshal, with
+      an accent of the most violent exasperation; &ldquo;I tell you, that I mast find
+      a living representative of these cowardly plots, that I may at once make
+      an end of him!&mdash;They press upon me from all sides; they make my life
+      a hell&mdash;you know it&mdash;and you do nothing to save me from these
+      tortures, which are killing me as by a slow fire. Can I have no one in
+      whom to trust?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General, I can&rsquo;t let you say that,&rdquo; replied Dagobert, in a calm, but firm
+      voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why not?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;General, I can&rsquo;t let you say that you have no one to trust to. You might
+      end perhaps in believing it, and then it would be even worse for yourself,
+      than for those who well know their devotion for you, and would go through
+      fire and water to serve you. I am one of them&mdash;and you know it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These simple words, pronounced by Dagobert with a tone of deep conviction,
+      recalled the marshal to himself; for although his honorable and generous
+      character might from time to time be embittered by irritation and grief,
+      he soon recovered his natural equanimity. So, addressing Dagobert in a
+      less abrupt tone, he said to him, though still much agitated: &ldquo;You are
+      right. I could never doubt your fidelity. But anger deprives me of my
+      senses. This infamous letter is enough to drive one mad. I am unjust,
+      ungrateful&mdash;yes, ungrateful&mdash;and to you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not think of me, general. With a kind word at the end, you might blow
+      me up all the year round. But what has happened?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The general&rsquo;s countenance again darkened, as he answered rapidly: &ldquo;I am
+      looked down upon, and despised!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes I. After all,&rdquo; resumed the marshal bitterly, &ldquo;why should I conceal
+      from you this new wound? If I doubted you a moment, I owe you some
+      compensation, and you shall know all. For some time past, I perceived
+      that, when I meet any of my old companions in arms, they try to avoid me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! was it to this that the anonymous letter alluded?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; and it spoke the truth,&rdquo; replied the marshal, with a sigh of grief
+      and indignation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But it is impossible, general&mdash;you are so loved and respected&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those are mere words; I speak of positive facts. When I appear, the
+      conversation is often interrupted. Instead of treating me as an old
+      comrade, they affect towards me a rigorously cold politeness. There are a
+      thousand little shades, a thousand trifles, which wound the heart, but
+      which it is impossible to notice&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What you are now saying, general, quite confounds me,&rdquo; replied Dagobert.
+      &ldquo;You assure me of it, and I am forced to believe you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, it is intolerable! I was resolved to ease my heart of it; so, this
+      morning, I went to General d&rsquo;Havrincourt, who was colonel with me in the
+      Imperial Guard; he is honor and honesty itself. I went to him with open
+      heart. &lsquo;I perceive,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;the coldness that is shown me. Some calumny
+      must be circulating to my disadvantage. Tell me all about it. Knowing the
+      attack, I shall be able to defend myself&mdash;&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, general?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;D&rsquo;Havrincourt remained impassible ceremoniously polite. To all my
+      questions he answered coldly: &lsquo;I am not aware, my lord duke, that any
+      calumny has been circulated with regard to you.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;Do not call me &ldquo;my
+      lord duke,&rdquo; my dear D&rsquo;Havrincourt; we are old fellow-soldiers and friends,
+      my honor is somewhat touchy, I confess, and I find that you and our
+      comrades do not receive me so cordially, as in times past. You do not deny
+      it; I see, I know, I feel it.&rsquo; To all this D&rsquo;Havrincourt answered, with
+      the same coldness: &lsquo;I have never seen any one wanting in respect towards
+      you.&rsquo;&mdash;&lsquo;I am not talking of respect,&rsquo; exclaimed I, as I clasped his
+      hand affectionately, though I observed that he but feebly returned the
+      pressure; &lsquo;I speak of cordiality, confidence, which I once enjoyed, while
+      now I am treated like a stranger. Why is it? What has occasioned this
+      change?&rsquo;&mdash;Still cold and reserved, he answered: &lsquo;These distinctions
+      are so nice, marshal, that it is impossible for me to give you any opinion
+      on the subject.&rsquo;&mdash;My heart swelled with grief and anger. What was I
+      to do? To quarrel with D&rsquo;Havrincourt would have been absurd. A sense of
+      dignity forced me to break off the interview, but it has only confirmed my
+      fears. Thus,&rdquo; added the marshal, getting more and more animated, &ldquo;thus am
+      I fallen from the esteem to which I am entitled, thus am I despised,
+      without even knowing the cause! Is it not odious? If they would only utter
+      a charge against me&mdash;I should at least be able to defend myself, and
+      to find an answer. But no, no! not even a word&mdash;only the cold
+      politeness that is worse than any insult. Oh! it is too much, too much!
+      for all this comes but in addition to other cares. What a life is mine
+      since the death of my father! If I did but find rest and happiness at home&mdash;but
+      no! I come in, but to read shameful letters; and still worse,&rdquo; added the
+      marshal, in a heartrending tone, and after a moment&rsquo;s hesitation, &ldquo;to find
+      my children grow more and more indifferent towards me&mdash;&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo;
+       continued he, perceiving the amazement of Dagobert, &ldquo;and yet they know how
+      much I love them!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your daughters indifferent!&rdquo; exclaimed Dagobert, in astonishment. &ldquo;You
+      make them such a reproach?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I do not blame them. They have hardly had time to know me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not had time to know you?&rdquo; returned the soldier, in a tone of
+      remonstrance, and warming up in his turn. &ldquo;Ah! of what did their mother
+      talk to them, except you? and I too! what could I teach your children
+      except to know and love you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You take their part&mdash;that is natural&mdash;they love you better than
+      they do me,&rdquo; said the marshal, with growing bitterness. Dagobert felt
+      himself so painfully affected, that he looked at the marshal without
+      answering.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo; continued the other; &ldquo;yes! it may be base and ungrateful&mdash;but
+      no matter!&mdash;Twenty times I have felt jealous of the affectionate
+      confidence which my children display towards you, while with me they seem
+      always to be in fear. If their melancholy faces ever grow animated for a
+      moment, it is in talking to you, in seeing you; while for me they have
+      nothing but cold respect&mdash;and that kills me. Sure of the affection of
+      my children, I would have braved and surmounted every difficulty&mdash;&rdquo;
+       Then, seeing that Dagobert rushed towards the door which led to the
+      chamber of Rose and Blanche, the marshal asked: &ldquo;Where are you going?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For your daughters, general.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What for?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To bring them face to face with you&mdash;to tell them: &lsquo;My children,
+      your father thinks that you do not love him.&rsquo;&mdash;I will only say that&mdash;and
+      then you will see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert! I forbid you to do it,&rdquo; cried the marshal, hastily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care for that&mdash;you have no right to be unjust to the poor
+      children,&rdquo; said the soldier, as he again advanced towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert, I command you to remain here,&rdquo; cried the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, general. I am your soldier, your inferior, your servant, if
+      you will,&rdquo; said the old grenadier, roughly; &ldquo;but neither rank nor station
+      shall keep me silent, when I have to defend your daughters. All must be
+      explained&mdash;I know but one way&mdash;and that is to bring honest
+      people face to face.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      If the marshal had not seized him by the arm, Dagobert would have entered
+      the apartment of the young girls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Remain!&rdquo; said the marshal, so imperiously that the soldier, accustomed to
+      obedience, hung his head, and stood still.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What would you do?&rdquo; resumed the marshal. &ldquo;Tell my children, that I think
+      they do not love me? induce them to affect a tenderness they do not feel&mdash;when
+      it is not their fault, but mine?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, general!&rdquo; said Dagobert, in a tone of despair, &ldquo;I no longer feel
+      anger, in hearing you speak thus of your children. It is such grief, that
+      it breaks my heart!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Touched by the expression of the soldier&rsquo;s countenance, the marshal
+      continued, less abruptly: &ldquo;Come, I may be wrong; and yet I ask you,
+      without bitterness or jealousy, are not my children more confiding, more
+      familiar, with you than with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God bless me, general!&rdquo; cried Dagobert; &ldquo;if you come to that, they are
+      more familiar with Spoil-sport than with either of us. You are their
+      father; and, however kind a father may be, he must always command some
+      respect. Familiar with me! I should think so. A fine story! What the devil
+      should they respect in me, who, except that I am six feet high, and wear a
+      moustache, might pass for the old woman that nursed them?&mdash;and then I
+      must say, that, even before the death of your worthy father, you were sad
+      and full of thought; the children have remarked that; and what you take
+      for coldness on their part, is, I am sure, anxiety for you. Come, general;
+      you are not just. You complain, because they love you too much.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I complain, because I suffer,&rdquo; said the marshal, in an agony of
+      excitement. &ldquo;I alone know my sufferings.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They must indeed be grievous, general,&rdquo; said Dagobert, carried further
+      than he would otherwise have gone by his attachment for the orphans,
+      &ldquo;since those who love you feel them so cruelly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, sir! more reproaches?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, general, reproaches,&rdquo; cried Dagobert. &ldquo;Your children have the right
+      to complain of you, since you accuse them so unjustly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the marshal, scarcely able to contain himself, &ldquo;this is enough&mdash;this
+      is too much!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! it is enough,&rdquo; replied Dagobert, with rising emotion. &ldquo;Why
+      defend unfortunate children, who can only love and submit? Why defend them
+      against your unhappy blindness?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The marshal started with anger and impatience, but then replied, with a
+      forced calmness: &ldquo;I needs must remember all that I owe you&mdash;and I
+      will not forget it, say what you will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, general,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, &ldquo;why will you not let me fetch your
+      children?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not see that this scene is killing me?&rdquo; cried the exasperated
+      marshal. &ldquo;Do you not understand, that I will not have my children witness
+      what I suffer? A father&rsquo;s grief has its dignity, sir; and you ought to
+      feel for and respect it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Respect it? no&mdash;not when it is founded on injustice!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough, sir&mdash;enough!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And not content with tormenting yourself,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, unable any
+      longer to control his feelings, &ldquo;do you know what you will do? You will
+      make your children die of sorrow. Was it for this, that I brought them to
+      you from the depths of Siberia?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;More reproaches!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; for the worst ingratitude towards me, is to make your children
+      unhappy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leave the room, sir!&rdquo; cried the marshal, quite beside himself, and so
+      terrible with rage and grief, that Dagobert, regretting that he had gone
+      so far, resumed: &ldquo;I was wrong, general. I have perhaps been wanting in
+      respect to you&mdash;forgive me&mdash;but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I forgive you&mdash;only leave me!&rdquo; said the marshal, hardly restraining
+      himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One word, general&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I entreat you to leave me&mdash;I ask it as a service&mdash;is that
+      enough?&rdquo; said the marshal, with renewed efforts to control the violence of
+      his emotions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A deadly paleness succeeded to the high color which during this painful
+      scene had inflamed the cheeks of the marshal. Alarmed at this symptom,
+      Dagobert redoubled his entreaties. &ldquo;I implore you, general,&rdquo; said he, in
+      an agitated mice, &ldquo;to permit me for one moment&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Since you will have it so, sir, I must be the one to leave,&rdquo; said the
+      marshal, making a step towards the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These words were said in such a manner, that Dagobert could no longer
+      resist. He hung his head in despair, looked for a moment in silent
+      supplication at the marshal, and then, as the latter seemed yielding to a
+      new movement of rage, the soldier slowly quitted the room.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few minutes had scarcely elapsed since the departure of Dagobert, when
+      the marshal, who, after a long and gloomy silence, had repeatedly drawn
+      near the door of his daughters&rsquo; apartment with a mixture of hesitation and
+      anguish, suddenly made a violent effort, wiped the cold sweat from his
+      brow, and entered the chamber in which Rose and Blanche had taken refuge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0154" id="link2HCH0154">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER XLIX. THE TEST.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>agobert was right in defending his children, as he paternally called Rose
+      and Blanche, and yet the apprehensions of the marshal with regard to the
+      coldness of his daughters, were unfortunately justified by appearances. As
+      he had told his father, unable to explain the sad, and almost trembling
+      embarrassment, which his daughters felt in his presence, he sought in vain
+      for the cause of what he termed their indifference. Now reproaching
+      himself bitterly for not concealing from them his grief at the death of
+      their mother, he feared he might have given them to understand that they
+      would be unable to console him; now supposing that he had not shown
+      himself sufficiently tender, and that had chilled them with his military
+      sternness; and now repeating with bitter regret, that, having always lived
+      away from them, he must be always a stranger to them. In a word, the most
+      unlikely suppositions presented themselves by turns to his mind, and
+      whenever such seeds of doubt, suspicion, or fear, are blended with a warm
+      affection, they will sooner or later develop themselves with fatal effect.
+      Yet, notwithstanding this fancied coldness, from which he suffered so
+      much, the affection of the marshal for his daughters was so true and deep,
+      that the thought of again quitting them caused the hesitations which were
+      the torment of his life, and provoked an incessant struggle between his
+      paternal love and the duty he held most sacred.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The injurious calumnies, which had been so skillfully propagated, that men
+      of honor, like his old brothers in arms, were found to attach some credit
+      to them, had been spread with frightful pertinacity by the friends of the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier. We shall describe hereafter the meaning and
+      object of these odious reports, which, joined with so many other fatal
+      injuries, had filled up the measure of the marshal&rsquo;s indignation. Inflamed
+      with anger, excited almost to madness by this incessant &ldquo;stabbing with
+      pins&rdquo; (as he had himself called it), and offended at some of Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      words, he had spoken harshly to him. But, after the soldier&rsquo;s departure,
+      when left to reflect in silence, the marshal remembered the warm and
+      earnest expressions of the defender of his children, and doubt crossed his
+      mind, as to the reality of the coldness of which he accused them.
+      Therefore, having taken a terrible resolution in case a new trial should
+      confirm his desponding doubts, he entered, as we before said, his,
+      daughters&rsquo; chamber. The discussion with Dagobert had been so loud, that
+      the sound of the voices had confusedly reached the ears of the two
+      sisters, even after they had taken refuge in their bedroom. So that, on
+      the arrival of their father, their pale faces betrayed their fear and
+      anxiety. At sight of the marshal, whose countenance was also much
+      agitated, the girls rose respectfully, but remained close together,
+      trembling in each other&rsquo;s arms. And yet there was neither anger nor
+      severity on their father&rsquo;s face&mdash;only a deep, almost supplicating
+      grief, which seemed to say: &ldquo;My children, I suffer&mdash;I have come to
+      you&mdash;console me, love me! or I shall die!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The marshal&rsquo;s countenance was at this moment so expressive, that, the
+      first impulse of fear once surmounted, the sisters were about to throw
+      themselves into his arms; but remembering the recommendations of the
+      anonymous letter, which told them how painful any effusion of their
+      tenderness was to their father, they exchanged a rapid glance, and
+      remained motionless. By a cruel fatality, the marshal at this moment
+      burned to open his arms to his children. He looked at them with love, he
+      even made a slight movement as if to call them to him; but he would not
+      attempt more, for fear of meeting with no response. Still the poor
+      children, paralyzed by perfidious counsels, remained mute, motionless,
+      trembling!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is all over,&rdquo; thought he, as he gazed upon them. &ldquo;No chord of sympathy
+      stirs in their bosom. Whether I go&mdash;-whether I remain&mdash;matters
+      not to them. No, I am nothing to these children&mdash;since, at this awful
+      moment, when they see me perhaps for the last time, no filial instinct
+      tells them that their affection might save me still!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      During these terrible reflections, the marshal had not taken his eyes off
+      his children, and his manly countenance assumed an expression at once so
+      touching and mournful&mdash;his look revealed so painfully the tortures of
+      his despairing soul&mdash;that Rose and Blanche, confused, alarmed, but
+      yielding together to a spontaneous movement, threw themselves on their
+      father&rsquo;s neck, and covered him with tears and caresses. Marshal Simon had
+      not spoken a word; his daughters had not uttered a sound; and yet all
+      three had at length understood one another. A sympathetic shock had
+      electrified and mingled those three hearts. Vain fears, false doubts,
+      lying counsel, all had yielded to the irresistible emotion which had
+      brought the daughters to their father&rsquo;s arms. A sudden revelation gave
+      them faith, at the fatal moment when incurable suspicion was about to
+      separate them forever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a second, the marshal felt all this, but words failed him. Pale,
+      bewildered, kissing the brows, the hair, the hands of his daughters,
+      weeping, sighing, smiling all in turn, he was wild, delirious, drunk with
+      happiness. At length, he exclaimed: &ldquo;I have found them&mdash;or rather, I
+      have never lost them. They loved me, and did not dare to tell me so. I
+      overawed them. And I thought it was my fault. Heavens! what good that
+      does! what strength, what heart, what hope!&mdash;Ha! ha!&rdquo; cried he,
+      laughing and weeping at the same time, whilst he covered his children with
+      caresses; &ldquo;they may despise me now, they may harass me now&mdash;I defy
+      them all. My own blue eyes! my sweet blue eyes! look at me well, and
+      inspire me with new life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, father! you love us then as much as we love you?&rdquo; cried Rose, with
+      enchanting simplicity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we may often, very often, perhaps every day, throw ourselves on your
+      neck, embrace you, and prove how glad we are to be with you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Show you, dear father, all the store of love we were heaping up in our
+      hearts&mdash;so sad, alas! that we could not spend it upon you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell you aloud all that we think in secret?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;you may do so&mdash;you may do so,&rdquo; said Marshal Simon,
+      faltering with joy; &ldquo;what prevented you, my children? But no; do not
+      answer; enough of the past!&mdash;I know all, I understand all. You
+      misinterpreted my gloom, and it made you sad; I, in my turn,
+      misinterpreted your sadness. But never mind; I scarcely know what I am
+      saying to you. I only think of looking at you&mdash;and it dazzles me&mdash;it
+      confuses me&mdash;it is the dizziness of joy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, look at us, father! look into our eyes, into our hearts,&rdquo; cried Rose,
+      with rapture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you will read there, happiness for us, and love for you, sir!&rdquo; added
+      Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir, sir!&rdquo; said the marshal, in a tone of affectionate reproach; &ldquo;what
+      does that mean? Will you call me father, if you please?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear father, your hand!&rdquo; said Blanche, as she took it, and placed it on
+      her heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear father, your hand!&rdquo; said Rose, as she took the other hand of the
+      marshal. &ldquo;Do you believe now in our love and happiness?&rdquo; she continued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe the charming expression of filial pride in
+      the divine faces of the girls, as their father, slightly pressing their
+      virgin bosoms, seemed to count with delight the joyous pulsations of their
+      hearts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes! happiness and affection can alone make the heart beat thus!&rdquo;
+       cried the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A hoarse sob, heard in the direction of the open door, made the three turn
+      round, and there they saw the tall figure of Dagobert, with the black nose
+      of Spoil-sport reaching to his master&rsquo;s knee. The soldier, drying his eyes
+      and moustache with his little blue cotton handkerchief, remained
+      motionless as the god Terminus. When he could speak, he addressed himself
+      to the marshal, and, shaking his head, muttered, in a hoarse voice, for
+      the good man was swallowing his tears: &ldquo;Did I not tell you so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence!&rdquo; said the marshal, with a sign of intelligence. &ldquo;You were a
+      better father than myself, my old friend. Come and kiss them! I shall not
+      be jealous.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The marshal stretched out his hand to the soldier, who pressed it
+      cordially, whilst the two sisters threw themselves on his neck, and
+      Spoil-sport, according to custom wishing to have his share in the general
+      joy, raised himself on his hind legs, and rested his fore-paws against his
+      master&rsquo;s back. There was a moment of profound silence. The celestial
+      felicity enjoyed during that moment, by the marshal, his daughters, and
+      the soldier, was interrupted by the barking of Spoil-sort, who suddenly
+      quitted the attitude of a biped. The happy group separated, looked round,
+      and saw Loony&rsquo;s stupid face. He looked even duller than usual, as he stood
+      quite still in the doorway, staring with wide stretched eyes, and holding
+      a feather-broom under his arm, and in his hand the ever-present basket of
+      wood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing makes one so gay as happiness; and, though this grotesque figure
+      appeared at a very unseasonable moment, it was received with frank
+      laughter from the blooming lips of Rose and Blanche. Having made the
+      marshal&rsquo;s daughters laugh, after their long sadness, Loony at once
+      acquired a claim to the indulgence of the marshal, who said to him, good
+      humoredly: &ldquo;What do you want, my lad?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not me, my lord duke!&rdquo; answered Loony, laying his hand on his
+      breast, as if it were taking a vow, so that his feather-brush fell down
+      from under his arm. The laughter of the girls redoubled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not you?&rdquo; said the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here! Spoil-sport!&rdquo; Dagobert called, for the honest dog seemed to have a
+      secret dislike for the pretended idiot, and approached him with an angry
+      air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, my lord duke, it is not me!&rdquo; resumed Loony. &ldquo;It is the footman who
+      told me to tell M. Dagobert, when I brought up the wood to tell my lord
+      duke, as I was coming up with the basket, that M. Robert wants to see
+      him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls laughed still more at this new stupidity. But, at the name of
+      Robert, Marshal Simon started.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      M. Robert was the secret emissary of Rodin, with regard to the possible,
+      but adventurous, enterprise of attempting the liberation of Napoleon II.
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, the marshal, whose face was still radiant with
+      joy and happiness, said to Loony: &ldquo;Beg M. Robert to wait for me a moment
+      in my study.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my lord duke,&rdquo; answered Loony, bowing almost to the ground.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The simpleton withdrew, and the marshal said to his daughters, in a joyous
+      tone, &ldquo;You see, that, in a moment like this, one does not leave one&rsquo;s
+      children, even for M. Robert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! that&rsquo;s right, father!&rdquo; cried Blanche, gayly; &ldquo;for I was already very
+      angry with this M. Robert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you pen and paper at hand?&rdquo; asked the marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father; there on the table,&rdquo; said Rose, hastily, as she pointed to a
+      little desk near one of the windows, towards which the marshal now
+      advanced rapidly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From motives of delicacy, the girls remained where they were, close to the
+      fireplace, and caressed each other tenderly, as if to congratulate
+      themselves in private on the unexpected happiness of this day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The marshal seated himself at the desk, and made a sign to Dagobert to
+      draw near.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While he wrote rapidly a few words in a firm hand, he said to the soldier
+      with a smile, in so low a tone that it was impossible for his daughters to
+      hear: &ldquo;Do you know what I had almost resolved upon, before entering this
+      room?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What, general?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To blow my brains out. It is to my children that I owe my life.&rdquo; And the
+      marshal continued writing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert started at this communication, and then replied, also in a
+      whisper: &ldquo;It would not have been with your pistols. I took off the caps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The marshal turned round hastily, and looked at him with an air of
+      surprise. But the soldier only nodded his head affirmatively, and added:
+      &ldquo;Thank heaven, we have now done with all those ideas!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The marshal&rsquo;s only answer was to glance at his children, his eyes swimming
+      with tenderness, and sparkling with delight; then, sealing the note he had
+      written, he gave it to the soldier, and said to him, &ldquo;Give that to M.
+      Robert. I will see him to-morrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert took the letter, and went out. Returning towards his daughters,
+      the marshal joyfully extended his arms to them, and said, &ldquo;Now, young
+      ladies, two nice kisses for having sacrificed M. Robert to you. Have I not
+      earned them?&rdquo; And Rose and Blanche threw themselves on their father&rsquo;s
+      neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      About the time that these events were taking place at Paris, two
+      travellers, wide apart from each other, exchanged mysterious thoughts
+      through the breadth of space.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30327m.jpg" alt="30327m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30327.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0174" id="link2H_4_0174">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      BOOK XI.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     L. The Ruins of the Abbey of St. John the Baptist LI. The
+     Calvary LII. The Council LIII. Happiness LIV. Duty LV. The
+     Improvised Hospital LVI. Hydrophobia LVII. The Guardian
+     Angel LVIII. Ruin LIX. Memories LX. The Ordeal LXI. Ambition
+     LXII. To a Socius, a Socius and a Half LXIII. Faringhea&rsquo;s
+     Affection LXIV. An Evening at St. Colombe&rsquo;s LXV. The Nuptial
+     Bed LXVI. A Duel to the Death LXVII. A Message LXVIII. The
+     First of June
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_EPIL" id="link2H_EPIL">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      EPILOGUE.
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     I. Four Years After II. The Redemption
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0155" id="link2HCH0155">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER L. THE RUINS OF THE ABBEY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sun is fast sinking. In the depths of an immense piny wood, in the
+      midst of profound solitude, rise the ruins of an abbey, once sacred to St.
+      John the Baptist. Ivy, moss, and creeping plants, almost entirely conceal
+      the stones, now black with age. Some broken arches, some walls pierced
+      with ovals, still remain standing, visible on the dark background of the
+      thick wood. Looking down upon this mass of ruins from a broken pedestal,
+      half-covered with ivy, a mutilated, but colossal statue of stone still
+      keeps its place. This statue is strange and awful. It represents a
+      headless human figure. Clad in the antique toga, it holds in its hand a
+      dish and on that dish is a head. This head is its own. It is the statue of
+      St. John the Baptist and Martyr, put to death by wish of Herodias.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The silence around is solemn. From time to time, however, is heard the
+      dull rustling of the enormous branches of the pine-trees, shaken by the
+      wind. Copper-colored clouds, reddened by the setting sun, pass slowly over
+      the forest, and are reflected in the current of a brook, which, deriving
+      its source from a neighboring mass of rocks, flows through the ruins. The
+      water flows, the clouds pass on, the ancient trees tremble, the breeze
+      murmurs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, through the shadow thrown by the overhanging wood, which
+      stretches far into endless depths, a human form appears. It is a woman.
+      She advances slowly towards the ruins. She has reached them. She treads
+      the once sacred ground. This woman is pale, her look sad, her long robe
+      floats on the wind, her feet covered with dust. She walks with difficulty
+      and pain. A block of stone is placed near the stream, almost at the foot
+      of the statue of John the Baptist. Upon this stone she sinks breathless
+      and exhausted, worn out with fatigue. And yet, for many days, many years,
+      many centuries, she has walked on unwearied.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30333m.jpg" alt="30333m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30333.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      For the first time, she feels an unconquerable sense of lassitude. For the
+      first time, her feet begin to fail her. For the first time, she, who
+      traversed, with firm and equal footsteps, the moving lava of torrid
+      deserts, while whole caravans were buried in drifts of fiery sand&mdash;who
+      passed, with steady and disdainful tread, over the eternal snows of Arctic
+      regions, over icy solitudes, in which no other human being could live&mdash;who
+      had been spared by the devouring flames of conflagrations, and by the
+      impetuous waters of torrents&mdash;she, in brief, who for centuries had
+      had nothing in common with humanity&mdash;for the first time suffers
+      mortal pain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her feet bleed, her limbs ache with fatigue, she is devoured by burning
+      thirst. She feels these infirmities, yet scarcely dares to believe them
+      real. Her joy would be too immense! But now, her throat becomes dry,
+      contracted, all on fire. She sees the stream, and throws herself on her
+      knees, to quench her thirst in that crystal current, transparent as a
+      mirror. What happens then? Hardly have her fevered lips touched the fresh,
+      pure water, than, still kneeling, supported on her hands, she suddenly
+      ceases to drink, and gazes eagerly on the limpid stream. Forgetting the
+      thirst which devours her, she utters a loud cry&mdash;a cry of deep,
+      earnest, religious joy, like a note of praise and infinite gratitude to
+      heaven. In that deep mirror, she perceives that she has grown older.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In a few days, a few hours, a few minutes, perhaps in a single second, she
+      has attained the maturity of age. She, who for more than eighteen
+      centuries has been as a woman of twenty, carrying through successive
+      generations the load of her imperishable youth&mdash;she has grown old,
+      and may, perhaps, at length, hope to die. Every minute of her life may now
+      bring her nearer to the last home! Transported by that ineffable hope, she
+      rises, and lifts her eyes to heaven, clasping her hands in an attitude of
+      fervent prayer. Then her eyes rest on the tall statue of stone,
+      representing St. John. The head, which the martyr carries in his hand,
+      seems, from beneath its half-closed granite eyelid, to cast upon the
+      Wandering Jewess a glance of commiseration and pity. And it was she,
+      Herodias who, in the cruel intoxication of a pagan festival, demanded the
+      murder of the saint! And it is at the foot of the martyr&rsquo;s image, that,
+      for the first time, the immortality, which weighed on her for so many
+      centuries, seems likely to find a term!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, impenetrable mystery! oh, divine hope!&rdquo; she cries. &ldquo;The wrath of
+      heaven is at length appeased. The hand of the Lord brings me to the feet
+      of the blessed martyr, and I begin once more to feel myself a human
+      creature. And yet it was to avenge his death, that the same heaven
+      condemned me to eternal wanderings!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Lord! grant that I may not be the only one forgiven. May he&mdash;the
+      artisan, who like me, daughter of a king, wanders on for centuries&mdash;likewise
+      hope to reach the end of that immense journey!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where is he, Lord? where is he? Hast thou deprived me of the power once
+      bestowed, to see and hear him through the vastness of intervening space?
+      Oh, in this mighty moment, restore me that divine gift&mdash;for the more
+      I feel these human infirmities, which I hail and bless as the end of my
+      eternity of ills, the more my sight loses the power to traverse immensity,
+      and my ear to catch the sound of that wanderer&rsquo;s accent, from the other
+      extremity of the globe?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Night had fallen, dark and stormy. The wind rose in the midst of the great
+      pine-trees. Behind their black summits, through masses of dark cloud,
+      slowly sailed the silver disk of the moon. The invocation of the Wandering
+      Jewess had perhaps been heard. Suddenly, her eyes closed&mdash;with hands
+      clasped together, she remained kneeling in the heart of the ruins&mdash;motionless
+      as a statue upon a tomb. And then she had a wondrous dream!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0156" id="link2HCH0156">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LI. THE CALVARY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>his was the vision of Herodias: On the summit of a high, steep, rocky
+      mountain, there stands a cross. The sun is sinking, even as when the
+      Jewess herself, worn out with fatigue, entered the ruins of St. John&rsquo;s
+      Abbey. The great figure on the cross&mdash;which looks down from this
+      Calvary, on the mountain, and on the vast, dreary plain beyond&mdash;stands
+      out white and pale against the dark, blue clouds, which stretch across the
+      heavens, and assume a violent tint towards the horizon. There, where the
+      setting sun has left a long track of lurid light, almost of the hue of
+      blood&mdash;as far as the eye can reach, no vegetation appears on the
+      surface of the gloomy desert, covered with sand and stones, like the
+      ancient bed of some dried-up ocean. A silence as of death broods over this
+      desolate tract. Sometimes, gigantic black vultures, with red unfeathered
+      necks, luminous yellow eyes, stooping from their lofty flight in the midst
+      of these solitudes, come to make their bloody feast on the prey they have
+      carried off from less uncultivated regions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      How, then, did this Calvary, this place of prayer, come to be erected so
+      far from the abodes of men? This Calvary was prepared at a great cost by a
+      repentant sinner. He had done much harm to his fellow-creatures, and, in
+      the hope of obtaining pardon for his crimes, he had climbed this mountain
+      on his knees, and become a hermit, and lived there till his death, at the
+      foot of this cross, only sheltered by a roof of thatch, now long since
+      swept away by the wind. The sun is still sinking. The sky becomes darker.
+      The luminous lines on the horizon grow fainter and fainter, like heated
+      bars of iron that gradually grow cool. Suddenly, on the eastern side of
+      the Calvary, is heard the noise of some falling stones, which, loosened
+      from the side of the mountain, roll down rebounding to its base. These
+      stones have been loosened by the foot of a traveller, who, after
+      traversing the plain below, has, during the last hour, been climbing the
+      steep ascent. He is not yet visible&mdash;but one hears the echo of his
+      tread&mdash;slow, steady, and firm. At length, he reaches the top of the
+      mountain, and his tall figure stands out against the stormy sky.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The traveller is pale as the great figure on the cross. On his broad
+      forehead a black line extends from one temple to the other. It is the
+      cobbler of Jerusalem. The poor artisan, who hardened by misery, injustice
+      and oppression, without pity for the suffering of the Divine Being who
+      bore the cross, repulsed him from his dwelling, and bade him: &ldquo;Go ON! GO
+      ON! GO ON!&rdquo; And, from that day, the avenging Deity has in his turn said to
+      the artisan of Jerusalem: &ldquo;GO ON! GO ON! GO ON!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And he has gone on, without end or rest. Nor did the divine vengeance stop
+      there. From time to time death has followed the steps of the wanderer, and
+      innumerable graves have been even as mile-stones on his fatal path. And if
+      ever he found periods of repose in the midst of his infinite grief, it was
+      when the hand of the Lord led him into deep solitudes, like that where he
+      now dragged his steps along. In passing over that dreary plain, or
+      climbing to that rude Calvary, he at least heard no more the funeral
+      knell, which always, always sounded behind him in every inhabited region.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All day long, even at this hour, plunged in the black abyss of his
+      thoughts, following the fatal track&mdash;going whither he was guided by
+      the invisible hand, with head bowed on his breast, and eyes fixed upon the
+      ground, the wanderer had passed over the plain, and ascended the mountain,
+      without once looking at the sky&mdash;without even perceiving the Calvary&mdash;without
+      seeing the image upon the cross. He thought of the last descendants of his
+      race. He felt, by the sinking of his heart, that great perils continued to
+      threaten him. And in the bitterness of a despair, wild and deep as the
+      ocean, the cobbler of Jerusalem seated himself at the foot of the cross.
+      At this moment a farewell ray of the setting sun, piercing the dark mass
+      of clouds, threw a refection upon the Calvary, vivid as a conflagration&rsquo;s
+      glare. The Jew rested his forehead upon his hand. His long hair, shaken by
+      the evening breeze, fell over his pale face&mdash;when sweeping it back
+      from his brow, he started with surprise&mdash;he, who had long ceased to
+      wonder at anything. With eager glance he contemplated the long lock of
+      hair that he held between his fingers. That hair, until now black as
+      night, had become gray. He also, like unto Herodias, was growing older.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His progress towards old age, stopped for eighteen hundred years, had
+      resumed its course. Like the Wandering Jewess, he might henceforth hope
+      for the rest of the grave. Throwing himself on his knees, he stretched his
+      hands towards heaven, to ask for the explanation of the mystery which
+      filled him with hope. Then, for the first time, his eyes rested on the
+      Crucified One, looking down upon the Calvary, even as the Wandering Jewess
+      had fixed her gaze on the granite eyelids of the Blessed Martyr.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Saviour, his head bowed under the weight of his crown of thorns,
+      seemed from the cross to view with pity, and pardon the artisan, who for
+      so many centuries had felt his curse&mdash;and who, kneeling, with his
+      body thrown backward in an attitude of fear and supplication, now lifted
+      towards the crucifix his imploring hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, Messiah!&rdquo; cried the Jew, &ldquo;the avenging arm of heaven brings me back
+      to the foot of this heavy cross, which thou didst bear, when, stopping at
+      the door of my poor dwelling, thou wert repulsed with merciless harshness,
+      and I said unto thee: &lsquo;Go on! go on!&rsquo;&mdash;After my long life of
+      wanderings, I am again before this cross, and my hair begins to whiten. Oh
+      Lord! in thy divine mercy, hast thou at length pardoned me? Have I reached
+      the term of my endless march? Will thy celestial clemency grant me at
+      length the repose of the sepulchre, which, until now, alas! has ever fled
+      before me?&mdash;Oh! if thy mercy should descend upon me, let it fall
+      likewise upon that woman, whose woes are equal to mine own! Protect also
+      the last descendants of my race! What will be their fate? Already, Lord,
+      one of them&mdash;the only one that misfortune had perverted&mdash;has
+      perished from the face of the earth. Is it for this that my hair grows
+      gray? Will my crime only be expiated when there no longer remains in this
+      world one member of our accursed race? Or does this proof of thy powerful
+      goodness, Lord, which restores me to the condition of humanity, serve also
+      as a sign of the pardon and happiness of my family? Will they at length
+      triumph over the perils which beset them? Will they, accomplishing the
+      good which their ancestor designed for his fellow creatures, merit
+      forgiveness both for themselves and me? Or will they, inexorably condemned
+      as the accursed scions of an accursed stock, expiate the original stain of
+      my detested crime?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, tell me&mdash;tell me, gracious Lord! shall I be forgiven with them,
+      or will they be punished with me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The twilight gave place to a dark and stormy night, yet the Jew continued
+      to pray, kneeling at the foot of the cross.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0157" id="link2HCH0157">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LII. THE COUNCIL.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he following scene took place at Saint-Dizier House, two days after the
+      reconciliation of Marshal Simon with his daughters. The princess is
+      listening with the most profound attention to the words of Rodin. The
+      reverend father, according to his habit, stands leaning against the
+      mantelpiece, with his hands thrust into the pockets of his old brown
+      great-coat. His thick, dirty shoes have left their mark on the ermine
+      hearth-rug. A deep sense of satisfaction is impressed on the Jesuit&rsquo;s
+      cadaverous countenance. Princess de Saint-Dizier, dressed with that sort
+      of modest elegance which becomes a mother of the church, keeps her eyes
+      fixed on Rodin&mdash;for the latter has completely supplanted Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny in the good graces of this pious lady. The coolness, audacity
+      lofty intelligence, and rough and imperious character of the ex-socius
+      have overawed this proud woman, and inspired her with a sincere
+      admiration. Even his filthy habits and often brutal repartees have their
+      charm for her, and she now prefers them to the exquisite politeness and
+      perfumed elegance of the accomplished Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, madame,&rdquo; said Rodin, in a sanctified tone, for these people do not
+      take off their masks even with their accomplices, &ldquo;yes, madame, we have
+      excellent news from our house at St. Herem. M. Hardy, the infidel, the
+      freethinker, has at length entered the pale of the holy Roman Catholic and
+      Apostolic Church.&rdquo; Rodin pronounced these last word with a nasal twang,
+      and the devout lady bowed her head respectfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Grace has at length touched the heart of this impious man,&rdquo; continued
+      Rodin, &ldquo;and so effectually that, in his ascetic enthusiasm, he has already
+      wished to take the vows which will bind him forever to our divine Order.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So soon, father?&rdquo; said the princess, in astonishment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our statutes are opposed to this precipitation, unless in the case of a
+      penitent in articulo mortis&mdash;on the very gasp of death&mdash;should
+      such a person consider it necessary for his salvation to die in the habit
+      of our Order, and leave us all his wealth for the greater glory of the
+      Lord.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is M. Hardy in so dangerous a condition, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has a violent fever. After so many successive calamities, which have
+      miraculously brought him into the path of salvation,&rdquo; said Rodin, piously,
+      &ldquo;his frail and delicate constitution is almost broken up, morally and
+      physically. Austerities, macerations, and the divine joys of ecstasy, will
+      probably hasten his passage to eternal life, and in a few clays,&rdquo; said the
+      priest, shaking his head with a solemn air, &ldquo;perhaps&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So soon as that, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is almost certain. I have therefore made use of my dispensations, to
+      receive the dear penitent, as in articulo mortis, a member of our divine
+      Company, to which, in the usual course, he has made over all his
+      possessions, present and to come&mdash;so that now he can devote himself
+      entirely to the care of his soul, which will be one victim more rescued
+      from the claws of Satan.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, father!&rdquo; cried the lady, in admiration; &ldquo;it is a miraculous
+      conversion. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny told me how you had to contend against the
+      influence of Abbe Gabriel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Abbe Gabriel,&rdquo; replied Rodin, &ldquo;has been punished for meddling with
+      what did not concern him. I have procured his suspension, and he has been
+      deprived of his curacy. I hear that he now goes about the cholera
+      hospitals to administer Christian consolation; we cannot oppose that&mdash;but
+      this universal comforter is of the true heretical stamp.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is a dangerous character, no doubt,&rdquo; answered the princess, &ldquo;for he
+      has considerable influence over other men. It must have needed all your
+      admirable and irresistible eloquence to combat the detestable counsels of
+      this Abbe Gabriel, who had taken it into his head to persuade M. Hardy to
+      return to the life of the world. Really, father, you are a second St.
+      Chrysostom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tut, tut, madame!&rdquo; said Rodin, abruptly, for he was very little sensible
+      to flattery; &ldquo;keep that for others.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you that you&rsquo;re a second St. Chrysostom father,&rdquo; repeated the
+      princess with enthusiasm; &ldquo;like him, you deserve the name of Golden
+      Mouth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stuff, madame!&rdquo; said Rodin, brutally, shrugging his shoulders; &ldquo;my lips
+      are too pale, my teeth too black, for a mouth of gold. You must be only
+      joking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, father&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, madame, you will not catch old birds with chaff,&rdquo; replied Rodin,
+      harshly. &ldquo;I hate compliments, and I never pay them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30341m.jpg" alt="30341m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30341.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your modesty must pardon me, father,&rdquo; said the princess, humbly; &ldquo;I could
+      not resist the desire to express to you my admiration, for, as you almost
+      predicted, or at least foresaw, two members of the Rennepont family, have,
+      within the last few months, resigned all claim to the inheritance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked at Madame de Saint-Dizier with a softened and approving air,
+      as he heard her thus describe the position of the two defunct claimants.
+      For, in Rodin&rsquo;s view of the case, M. Hardy, in consequence of his donation
+      and his suicidal asceticism, belonged no longer to this world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lady continued: &ldquo;One of these men, a wretched artisan, has been led to
+      his ruin by the exaggeration of his vices. You have brought the other into
+      the path of salvation, by carrying out his loving and tender qualities.
+      Honor, then to your foresight, father! for you said that you would make
+      use of the passions to attain your end.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not boast too soon,&rdquo; said Rodin, impatiently. &ldquo;Have you forgotten your
+      niece, and the Hindoo, and the daughters of Marshal Simon? Have they also
+      made a Christian end, or resigned their claim to share in this
+      inheritance?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, doubtless.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hence, you see, madame, we should not lose time in congratulating
+      ourselves on the past, but make ready for the future. The great day
+      approaches. The first of June is not far off. Heaven grant we may not see
+      the four surviving members of the family continue to live impenitent up to
+      that period, and so take possession of this enormous property&mdash;the
+      source of perdition in their hands&mdash;but productive of the glory of
+      the Church in the hands of our Company!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True, father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By the way, you were to see your lawyers on the subject of your niece?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have seen them, father. However uncertain may be the chance of which I
+      spoke, it is worth trying. I shall know to-day, I hope, if it is legally
+      possible.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps then,&mdash;in the new condition of life to which she would be
+      reduced, we might find means to effect her conversion,&rdquo; said Rodin, with a
+      strange and hideous smile; &ldquo;until now, since she has been so fatally
+      brought in contact with the Oriental, the happiness of these two pagans
+      appears bright and changeless as the diamond. Nothing bites into it, not
+      even Faringhea&rsquo;s tooth. Let us hope that the Lord will wreak justice on
+      their vain and guilty felicity!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This conversation was here interrupted by Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who entered
+      the room with an air of triumph, and exclaimed, &ldquo;Victory!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say&rdquo;&rsquo; asked the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is gone&mdash;last night,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who?&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Marshal Simon,&rdquo; replied the abbe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last!&rdquo; said Rodin, unable to hide his joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was no doubt his interview with General d&rsquo;Havrincourt which filled up
+      the measure,&rdquo; cried the princess, &ldquo;for I know he had a long conversation
+      with the general, who like so many others, believed the reports in
+      circulation. All means are good against the impious!&rdquo; added the princess,
+      by way of moral.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Have you any details?&rdquo; asked Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have just left Robert,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;His age and
+      description agree with the marshal&rsquo;s, and the latter travels with his
+      papers. Only one thing has greatly surprised your emissary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is that?&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Until now, he had always to contend with the hesitations of the marshal,
+      and had moreover noticed his gloomy and desponding air. Yesterday, on the
+      contrary, he found him so bright with happiness, that he could not help
+      asking him the cause of the alteration.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well?&rdquo; said Rodin and the princess together, both extremely surprised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The marshal answered: &lsquo;I am indeed the happiest man in the world; for I
+      am going joyfully to accomplish a sacred duty!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The three actors in this scene looked at each other in silence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what can have produced this sudden change in the mind of the
+      marshal?&rdquo; said the princess, with a pensive air. &ldquo;We rather reckon on
+      sorrow and every kind of irritation to urge him to engage in this
+      adventurous enterprise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot make it out,&rdquo; said Rodin, reflecting; &ldquo;but no matter&mdash;he is
+      gone. We must not lose a moment, to commence operations on his daughters.
+      Has he taken that infernal soldier with him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny; &ldquo;unfortunately, he has not done so. Warned
+      by the past, he will redouble his precautions; and a man, whom we might
+      have used against him at a pinch, has just been taken with the contagion.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is that?&rdquo; asked the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Morok. I could count upon him anywhere and for anything. He is lost to
+      us; for, should he recover from the cholera, I fear he will fall a victim
+      to a horrible and incurable disease.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A few days ago, he was bitten by one of the mastiffs of his menagerie,
+      and, the next day, the dog showed symptoms of hydrophobia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah! it is dreadful,&rdquo; cried the princess; &ldquo;and where is this unfortunate
+      man?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has been taken to one of the temporary hospitals established in Paris,
+      for at present he has only been attacked with cholera. It is doubly
+      unfortunate, I repeat, for he was a devoted, determined fellow, ready for
+      anything. Now this soldier, who has the care of the orphans, will be very
+      difficult to get at, and yet only through him can we hope to reach Marshal
+      Simon&rsquo;s daughters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is clear,&rdquo; said Rodin, thoughtfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Particularly since the anonymous letters have again awakened his
+      suspicions,&rdquo; added Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny &ldquo;and&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Talking of the anonymous letters,&rdquo; said Rodin suddenly, interrupting
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;there is a fact that you ought to know; I will tell
+      you why.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Besides the letters that you know of, Marshal Simon has received a number
+      of others unknown to you, in which, by every possible means, it is tried
+      to exasperate his irritation against yourself&mdash;for they remind him of
+      all the reasons he has to hate you, and mock at him, because your sacred
+      character shelters you from his vengeance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny looked at Rodin with amazement, colored in spite of
+      himself, and said to him: &ldquo;But for what purpose has your reverence acted
+      in this manner?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all, to clear myself of suspicion with regard to the letters;
+      then, to excite the rage of the marshal to madness, by incessantly
+      reminding him of the just grounds he has to hate you, and of the
+      impossibility of being avenged upon you. This, joined to the other
+      emotions of sorrow and anger, which ferment in the savage bosom of this
+      man of bloodshed, tended to urge him on to the rash enterprise, which is
+      the consequence and the punishment of his idolatry for a miserable
+      usurper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That may be,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with an air of constraint: &ldquo;but I
+      will observe to your reverence, that it was, perhaps, rather dangerous
+      thus to excite Marshal Simon against me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; asked Rodin, as he fixed a piercing look upon Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because the marshal, excited beyond all bounds, and remembering only our
+      mutual hate, might seek me out&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! and what then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! he might forget that I am a priest&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, you are afraid are you?&rdquo; said Rodin, disdainfully, interrupting
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the words: &ldquo;You are afraid,&rdquo; the reverend father almost started from
+      his chair; but recovering his coolness, he answered: &ldquo;Your reverence is
+      right; yes, I should be afraid under such circumstances; I should be
+      afraid of forgetting that I am a priest, and of remembering too well that
+      I have been a soldier.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really?&rdquo; said Rodin, with sovereign contempt. &ldquo;You are still no further
+      than that stupid and savage point of honor? Your cassock has not yet
+      extinguished the warlike fire? So that if this brawling swordsman, whose
+      poor, weak head, empty and sonorous as a drum, is so easily turned with
+      the stupid jargon of &lsquo;Military honor, oaths, Napoleon II.&rsquo;&mdash;if this
+      brawling bravo, I say, were to commit some violence against you, it would
+      require a great effort, I suppose, for you to remain calm?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is useless, I think,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, quite unable to control
+      his agitation, &ldquo;for your reverence to enter upon such questions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As your superior,&rdquo; answered Rodin, severely, &ldquo;I have the right to ask. If
+      Marshal Simon had lifted his hand against you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; cried the reverend father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are no sirs here&mdash;we are only priests,&rdquo; said Rodin, harshly.
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny held down his head, scarcely able to repress his rage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask you,&rdquo; continued Rodin, obstinately, &ldquo;if Marshal Simon had struck
+      you? Is that clear?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough! in mercy,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;enough!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or, if you like it better, had Marshal Simon left the marks of his
+      fingers on your cheek?&rdquo; resumed Rodin, with the utmost pertinacity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, pale as death, ground his teeth in a kind of fury at
+      the very idea of such an insult, while Rodin, who had no doubt his object
+      in asking the question, raised his flabby eyelids, and seemed to watch
+      attentively the significant symptoms revealed in the agitated countenance
+      of the ex-colonel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At length, recovering partly his presence of mind, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      replied, in a forcedly calm tone: &ldquo;If I were to be exposed to such an
+      insult, I would pray heaven to give me resignation and humility.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And no doubt heaven would hear your prayers,&rdquo; said Rodin, coldly,
+      satisfied with the trial to which he had just put him. &ldquo;Besides, you are
+      now warned, and it is not very probable,&rdquo; added he, with a grim smile,
+      &ldquo;that Marshal Simon will ever return to test your humility. But if he were
+      to return,&rdquo; said Rodin, fixing on the reverend father a long and piercing
+      look, &ldquo;you would know how to show this brutal swordsman, in spite of all
+      his violence, what resignation and humility there is in a Christian soul!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Two humble knocks at the door here interrupted the conversation for a
+      moment. A footman entered, bearing a large sealed packet on a salver,
+      which he presented to the princess. After this, he withdrew. Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier, having by a look asked Rodin&rsquo;s permission to open the
+      letter, began to read it&mdash;and a cruel satisfaction was soon visible
+      on her face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There is hope,&rdquo; cried she addressing herself to Rodin: &ldquo;the demand is
+      rigorously legal, and the consequence may be such as we desire. In a word,
+      my niece may, any day, be exposed to complete destitution. She, who is so
+      extravagant! what a change in her life!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall then no doubt have some hold on that untamable character,&rdquo; said
+      Rodin with a meditative air; &ldquo;for, till now, all has failed in that
+      direction, and one would suppose some kinds of happiness are
+      invulnerable,&rdquo; added the Jesuit, gnawing his flat and dirty nails.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, to obtain the result we desire, we must exasperate my niece&rsquo;s pride.
+      It is, therefore, absolutely necessary, that I should see and talk to
+      her,&rdquo; said the Princess de Saint-Dizier, reflecting.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mdlle. de Cardoville will refuse this interview,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; replied the princess. &ldquo;But she is so happy that her audacity
+      must be at its height. Yes, yes&mdash;I know her&mdash;and I will write in
+      such a manner, that she will come.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You think so?&rdquo; asked Rodin, with a doubtful air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not fear it, father,&rdquo; answered the lady, &ldquo;she will come. And her pride
+      once brought into play, we may hope a good deal from it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must then act, lady,&rdquo; resumed Rodin; &ldquo;yes, act promptly. The moment
+      approaches. Hate and suspicion are awake. There is not a moment to lose.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As for hate,&rdquo; replied the princess, &ldquo;Mdlle. de Cardoville must have seen
+      to what her lawsuit would lead, about what she called her illegal
+      detention in a lunatic asylum, and that of the two young ladies in St.
+      Mary&rsquo;s Convent. Thank heaven, we have friends everywhere! I know from good
+      authority, that the case will break down from want of evidence, in spite
+      of the animosity of certain parliamentary magistrates, who shall be well
+      remembered.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Under these circumstances,&rdquo; replied Rodin, &ldquo;the departure of the marshal
+      gives us every latitude. We must act immediately on his daughters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But how?&rdquo; said the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must see them,&rdquo; resumed Rodin, &ldquo;talk with them, study them. Then we
+      shall act in consequence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the soldier will not leave them a second,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then,&rdquo; replied Rodin, &ldquo;we must talk to them in presence of the soldier,
+      and get him on our side.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That hope is idle,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. &ldquo;You do not know the
+      military honor of his character. You do not know this man.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t I know him?&rdquo; said Rodin, shrugging his shoulders. &ldquo;Did not Mdlle.
+      de Cardoville present me to him as her liberator, when I denounced you as
+      the soul of the conspiracy? Did I not restore to him his ridiculous
+      imperial relic&mdash;his cross of honor&mdash;when we met at Dr.
+      Baleinier&rsquo;s? Did I not bring him back the girls from the convent, and
+      place them in the arms of their father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied the princess; &ldquo;but, since that time, my abominable niece
+      has either guessed or discovered all. She told you so herself, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She told me, that she considered me her most mortal enemy,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+      &ldquo;Be it so. But did she tell the same to the marshal? Has she ever
+      mentioned me to him? and if she have done so, has the marshal communicated
+      this circumstance to his soldier? It may be so; but it is by no means
+      sure; in any case. I must ascertain the fact; if the soldier treats me as
+      an enemy, we shall see what is next to be done&mdash;but I will first try
+      to be received as a friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When?&rdquo; asked the princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-morrow morning,&rdquo; replied Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven, my clear father!&rdquo; cried the Princess de Saint-Dizier, in
+      alarm; &ldquo;if this soldier were to treat you as an enemy&mdash;beware&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I always beware, madame. I have had to face worse enemies than he is,&rdquo;
+       said the Jesuit showing his black teeth; &ldquo;the cholera to begin with.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he may refuse to see you, and in what way will you then get at
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters?&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not yet know.&rdquo; answered Rodin. &ldquo;But as I intend to do it, I shall
+      find the means.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; said the princess, suddenly, on reflection, &ldquo;these girls have
+      never seen me, and I might obtain admittance to them, without sending in
+      my name.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That would be perfectly useless at present, madame, for I must first know
+      what course to take with respect to them. I must see and converse with
+      them, at any cost, and then, after I have fixed my plan, your assistance
+      may be very useful. In any case, please to be ready to morrow, madame, to
+      accompany me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To what place, father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To Marshal Simon&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the marshal&rsquo;s?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not exactly. You will get into your carriage, and I will take a
+      hackney-coach. I will then try to obtain an interview with the girls, and,
+      during that time, you will wait for me at a few yards from the house. If I
+      succeed, and require your aid, I will come and fetch you; I can give you
+      my instructions without any appearance of concert between us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am content, reverend father; but, in truth, I tremble at the thought of
+      your interview with that rough trooper.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Lord will watch over his servant, madame!&rdquo; replied Rodin. &ldquo;As for
+      you, father,&rdquo; added he, addressing the Abbe d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;despatch
+      instantly to Vienna the note which is all prepared to announce the
+      departure and speedy arrival of the marshal. Every precaution has been
+      taken. I shall write more fully this evening.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The next morning, about eight o&rsquo;clock, the Princess de Saint-Dizier, in
+      her carriage, and Rodin, in his hackney-coach, took the direction of
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s house.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30349m.jpg" alt="30349m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30349.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0158" id="link2HCH0158">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LIII. HAPPINESS.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">M</span>arshal Simon has been absent two days. It is eight o&rsquo;clock in the
+      morning. Dagobert, walking on tip-toe with the greatest caution, so as not
+      to make the floor creak beneath his tread, crosses the room which leads to
+      the bedchamber of Rose and Blanche and applies his ear to the door of the
+      apartment. With equal caution, Spoil-sport follows exactly the movements
+      of his master. The countenance of the soldier is uneasy and full of
+      thought. As he approaches the door, he says to himself: &ldquo;I hope the dear
+      children heard nothing of what happened in the night! It would alarm them,
+      and it is much better that they should not know it at present. It might
+      afflict them sadly, poor dears! and they are so gay, so happy, since they
+      feel sure of their father&rsquo;s love for them. They bore his departure so
+      bravely! I would not for the world that they should know of this
+      unfortunate event.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then as he listened, the soldier resumed: &ldquo;I hear nothing&mdash;and yet
+      they are always awake so early. Can it be sorrow?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s reflections were here interrupted by two frank, hearty bursts
+      of laughter, from the interior of the bedroom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come! they are not so sad as I thought,&rdquo; said the soldier, breathing more
+      freely. &ldquo;Probably they know nothing about it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon, the laughter was again heard with redoubled force, and the soldier,
+      delighted at this gayety, so rare on the part of &ldquo;his children,&rdquo; was much
+      affected by it: the tears started to his eyes at the thought that the
+      orphans had at length recovered the serenity natural to their age; then,
+      passing from one emotion to the other, still listening at the door, with
+      his body leaning forward, and his hands resting on his knees, Dagobert&rsquo;s
+      lip quivered with an expression of mute joy, and, shaking his head a
+      little, he accompanied with his silent laughter, the increasing hilarity
+      of the young girls. At last, as nothing is so contagious as gayety, and as
+      the worthy soldier was in an ecstasy of joy, he finished by laughing aloud
+      with all his might, without knowing why, and only because Rose and Blanche
+      were laughing. Spoil-sport had never seen his master in such a transport
+      of delight; he looked at him for a while in deep and silent astonishment,
+      and then began to bark in a questioning way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this well-known sound, the laughter within suddenly ceased, and a sweet
+      voice, still trembling with joyous emotion, exclaimed: &ldquo;Is it you,
+      Spoil-sport, that have come to wake us?&rdquo; The dog understood what was said,
+      wagged his tail, held down his ears, and, approaching close to the door,
+      answered the appeal of his young mistress by a kind of friendly growl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Spoil-sport,&rdquo; said Rose, hardly able to restrain her laughter, &ldquo;you are
+      very early this morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Tell us what o&rsquo;clock it is, if you please, old fellow?&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Young ladies, it is past eight,&rdquo; said suddenly the gruff voice of
+      Dagobert, accompanying this piece of humor with a loud laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A cry of gay surprise was heard, and then Rose resumed: &ldquo;Good-morning,
+      Dagobert.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-morning, my children. You are very lazy to-day, I must tell you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not our fault. Our dear Augustine has not yet been to call us. We
+      are waiting for her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! there it is,&rdquo; said Dagobert to himself, his features once more
+      assuming an expression of anxiety. Then he returned aloud, in a tone of
+      some embarrassment, for the worthy man was no hand at a falsehood: &ldquo;My
+      children, our companion went out this morning&mdash;very early. She is
+      gone to the country&mdash;on business&mdash;she will not return for some
+      days&mdash;so you had better get up by yourselves for today.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our good Madame Augustine!&rdquo; exclaimed Blanche, with interest. &ldquo;I hope it
+      is nothing bad that has made her leave suddenly&mdash;eh, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no&mdash;not at all&mdash;only business,&rdquo; answered the soldier. &ldquo;To
+      see one of her relations.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, so much the better!&rdquo; said Rose. &ldquo;Well, Dagobert, when we call you can
+      come in.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will come back in a quarter of an hour,&rdquo; said the soldier as he
+      withdrew; and he thought to himself: &ldquo;I must lecture that fool Loony&mdash;for
+      he is so stupid, and so fond of talking, that he will let it all out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The name of the pretended simpleton will serve as a natural transition, to
+      inform the reader of the cause of the hilarity of the sisters. They were
+      laughing at the numberless absurdities of the idiot. The girls rose and
+      dressed themselves, each serving as lady&rsquo;s-maid to the other. Rose had
+      combed and arranged Blanche&rsquo;s hair; it was now Blanche&rsquo;s turn to do the
+      same for her sister. Thus occupied, they formed a charming picture. Rose
+      was seated before the dressing-table; her sister, standing behind her, was
+      smoothing her beautiful brown hair. Happy age! so little removed from
+      childhood, that present joy instantly obliterates the traces of past
+      sorrow! But the sisters felt more than joy; it was happiness, deep and
+      unalterable, for their father loved them, and their happiness was a
+      delight, and not a pain to him. Assured of the affection of his children,
+      he, also, thanks to them, no longer feared any grief. To those three
+      beings, thus certain of their mutual love, what was a momentary
+      separation? Having explained this, we shall understand the innocent gayety
+      of the sisters, notwithstanding their father&rsquo;s departure, and the happy,
+      joyous expression, which now filled with animation their charming faces,
+      on which the late fading rose had begun once more to bloom. Their faith in
+      the future gave to their countenances something resolute and decisive,
+      which added a degree of piquancy to the beauty of their enchanting
+      features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Blanche, in smoothing her sister&rsquo;s hair, let fall the comb, and, as she
+      was stooping to pick it up, Rose anticipated her, saying: &ldquo;If it had been
+      broken, we would have put it into the handle-basket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then the two laughed merrily at this expression, which reminded them of an
+      admirable piece of folly on the part of Loony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The supposed simpleton had broken the handle of a cup, and when the
+      governess of the young ladies had reprimanded him for his carelessness, he
+      had answered: &ldquo;Never mind, madame; I have put it into the handle basket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The handle-basket, what is that?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, Madame; it is where I keep all the handles I break off the things!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me!&rdquo; said Rose, drying her eyes; &ldquo;how silly it is to laugh at such
+      foolishness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is droll,&rdquo; replied Blanche; &ldquo;how can we help it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All I regret is, that father cannot hear us laugh.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He was so happy to see us gay!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must write to him to-day, the story of the handle-basket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And that of the feather-brush, to show that, according to promise, we
+      kept up our spirits during his absence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Write to him, sister? no, he is to write to us, and we are not to answer
+      his letters.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True! well then, I have an idea. Let us address letters to him here,
+      Dagobert can put them into the post, and, on his return, our father will
+      read our correspondence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That will be charming! What nonsense we will write to him, since he takes
+      pleasure in it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we, too, like to amuse ourselves.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, certainly! father&rsquo;s last words have given us so much courage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As I listened to them, I felt quite reconciled to his going.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When he said to us: &lsquo;My children, I will confide in you all I can. I go
+      to fulfill a sacred duty, and I must be absent for some time; for though,
+      when I was blind enough to doubt your affection, I could not make up my
+      mind to leave you, my conscience was by no means tranquil. Grief takes
+      such an effect on us, that I had not the strength to come to a decision,
+      and my days were passed in painful hesitation. But now that I am certain
+      of your tenderness, all this irresolution has ceased, and I understand how
+      one duty is not to be sacrificed to another, and that I have to perform
+      two duties at once, both equally sacred; and this I now do with joy, and
+      delight, and courage!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on, sister!&rdquo; cried Blanche, rising to draw nearer to Rose. &ldquo;I think I
+      hear our father when I remember those words, which must console and
+      support us during his absence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then our father continued: &lsquo;Instead of grieving at my departure, you
+      would rejoice in it, you should be proud and happy. I go to perform a good
+      and generous act. Fancy to yourselves, that there is somewhere a poor
+      orphan, oppressed and abandoned by all&mdash;and that the father of that
+      orphan was once my benefactor, and that I had promised him to protect his
+      son&mdash;and that the life of that son is now in peril&mdash;tell me, my
+      children; would you regret that I should leave you to fly to the aid of
+      such an orphan?&rsquo;&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;No, no, brave father!&rsquo; we answered: &lsquo;we should not then be your
+      daughters!&rsquo;&rdquo; continued Rose, with enthusiasm. &ldquo;Count upon us! We should be
+      indeed unhappy if we thought that our sorrow could deprive thee of thy
+      courage. Go! and every day we will say to ourselves proudly, &lsquo;It was to
+      perform a great and noble duty that our father left us&mdash;we can wait
+      calmly for his return.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How that idea of duty sustains one, sister!&rdquo; resumed Rose, with growing
+      enthusiasm. &ldquo;It gave our father the courage to leave us without regret,
+      and to us the courage to bear his absence gayly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then, how calm we are now! Those mournful dreams, which seemed to
+      portend such sad events, no longer afflict us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you, sister, this time we are really happy once for all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then, do you feel like me? I fancy, that I am stronger and more
+      courageous and that I could brave every danger.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should think so! We are strong enough now. Our father in the midst, you
+      on one side, I on the other&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert in the vanguard, and Spoil-sport in the rear! Then the army will
+      be complete, and let &lsquo;em come on by thousands!&rdquo; added a gruff, but jovial
+      voice, interrupting the girl, as Dagobert appeared at the half open door
+      of the room. It was worth looking at his face, radiant with joy; for the
+      old fellow had somewhat indiscreetly been listening to the conversation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you were listening, Paul Pry!&rdquo; said Rose gayly, as she entered the
+      adjoining room with her sister, and both affectionately embraced the
+      soldier.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure, I was listening; and I only regretted not to have ears as
+      large as Spoil-sport&rsquo;s! Brave, good girls! that&rsquo;s how I like to see you&mdash;bold
+      as brass, and saying to care and sorrow: &lsquo;Right about face! march! go to
+      the devil!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will want to make us swear, now,&rdquo; said Rose to her sister, laughing
+      with all her might.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! now and then, it does no harm,&rdquo; said the soldier; &ldquo;it relieves and
+      calms one, when if one could not swear by five hundred thousand de&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s enough!&rdquo; said Rose, covering with her pretty hand the gray
+      moustache, so as to stop Dagobert in his speech. &ldquo;If Madame Augustine
+      heard you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our poor governess! so mild and timid,&rdquo; resumed Blanche. &ldquo;How you would
+      frighten her!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Dagobert, as he tried to conceal his rising embarrassment;
+      &ldquo;but she does not hear us. She is gone into the country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good, worthy woman!&rdquo; replied Blanche, with interest. &ldquo;She said something
+      of you, which shows her excellent heart.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; resumed Rose; &ldquo;for she said to us, in speaking of you, &lsquo;Ah,
+      young ladies! my affection must appear very little, compared with M.
+      Dagobert&rsquo;s. But I feel that I also have the right to devote myself to
+      you.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, no doubt! she has a heart of gold,&rdquo; answered Dagobert. Then he
+      added to himself, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s as if they did it on purpose, to bring the
+      conversation back to this poor woman.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Father made a good choice,&rdquo; continued Rose. &ldquo;She is the widow of an old
+      officer, who was with him in the wars.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When we were out of spirits,&rdquo; said Blanche, &ldquo;you should have seen her
+      uneasiness and grief, and how earnestly she set about consoling us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have seen the tears in her eyes when she looked at us,&rdquo; resumed Rose.
+      &ldquo;Oh! she loves us tenderly, and we return her affection. With regard to
+      that, Dagobert, we have a plan as soon as our father comes back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be quiet, sister!&rdquo; said Blanche, laughing. &ldquo;Dagobert will not keep our
+      secret.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you keep it for us, Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you what,&rdquo; said the soldier, more and more embarrassed; &ldquo;you had
+      better not tell it to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! can you keep nothing from Madame Augustine?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, Dagobert! Dagobert!&rdquo; said Blanche, gayly holding up her finger at the
+      soldier; &ldquo;I suspect you very much of paying court to our governess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I pay court?&rdquo; said the soldier&mdash;and the expression of his face was
+      so rueful, as he pronounced these words, that the two sisters burst out
+      laughing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Their hilarity was at its height when the door opened and Loony advanced
+      into room announcing, with a loud voice, &ldquo;M. Rodin!&rdquo; In fact, the Jesuit
+      glided almost imperceptibly into the apartment, as if to take possession
+      of the ground. Once there, he thought the game his own, and his reptile
+      eyes sparkled with joy. It would be difficult to paint the surprise of the
+      two sisters, and the anger of the soldier, at this unexpected visit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rushing upon Loony, Dagobert seized him by the collar, and exclaimed: &ldquo;Who
+      gave you leave to introduce any one here without my permission?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pardon, M. Dagobert!&rdquo; said Loony, throwing himself on his knees, and
+      clasping his hands with an air of idiotic entreaty.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Leave the room!&mdash;and you too!&rdquo; added the soldier, with a menacing
+      gesture, as he turned towards Rodin, who had already approached the girls,
+      with a paternal smile on his countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am at your orders, my dear sir,&rdquo; said the priest, humbly; and he made a
+      low bow, but without stirring from the spot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you go?&rdquo; cried the soldier to Loony, who was still kneeling, and
+      who, thanks to the advantages of this position, was able to utter a
+      certain number of words before Dagobert could remove him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;M. Dagobert,&rdquo; said Loony in a doleful voice, &ldquo;I beg pardon for bringing
+      up the gentleman without leave; but, alas, my head is turned, because of
+      the misfortune that happened to Madame Augustine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What misfortune?&rdquo; cried Rose and Blanche together, as they advanced
+      anxiously towards Loony.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30357m.jpg" alt="30357m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30357.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you go?&rdquo; thundered Dagobert, shaking the servant by the collar, to
+      force him to rise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak&mdash;speak!&rdquo; said Blanche, interposing between the soldier and his
+      prey. &ldquo;What has happened to Madame Augustine?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; shouted Loony, in spite of the cuffs of the soldier. &ldquo;Madame
+      Augustine was attacked in the night with cholera, and taken&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He was unable to finish. Dagobert struck him a tremendous blow with his
+      fist, right on the jaw, and, putting forth his still formidable strength,
+      the old horse-grenadier lifted him to his legs, and with one violent kick
+      bestowed on the lower part of his back, sent him rolling into the ante
+      chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then turning to Rodin, with flushed cheek and sparkling eye, Dagobert
+      pointed to the door with an expressive gesture, and said in an angry
+      voice: &ldquo;Now, be off with you and that quickly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must pay my respects another time, my dear sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, as he
+      retired towards the door, bowing to the young girls.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30365m.jpg" alt="30365m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30365.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0159" id="link2HCH0159">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LIV. DUTY.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">R</span>odin, retreating slowly before the fire of Dagobert&rsquo;s angry looks, walked
+      backwards to the door, casting oblique but piercing glances at the
+      orphans, who were visibly affected by the servant&rsquo;s intentional
+      indiscretion. (Dagobert had ordered him not to speak before the girls of
+      the illness of their governess, and that was quite enough to induce the
+      simpleton to take the first opportunity of doing so.)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose hastily approached the soldier, and said to him: &ldquo;Is it true&mdash;is
+      it really true that poor Madame Augustine has been attacked with the
+      cholera?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;I do not know&mdash;I cannot tell,&rdquo; replied the soldier,
+      hesitating; &ldquo;besides, what is it to you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert, you would conceal from us a calamity,&rdquo; said Blanche. &ldquo;I
+      remember now your embarrassment, when we spoke to you of our governess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If she is ill, we ought not to abandon her. She had pity on our sorrows;
+      we ought to pity her sufferings.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sister; come to her room,&rdquo; said Blanche, advancing towards the
+      door, where Rodin had stopped short, and stood listening with growing
+      attention to this unexpected scene, which seemed to give him ample food
+      for thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will not leave this room,&rdquo; said the soldier, sternly, addressing the
+      two sisters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert,&rdquo; replied Rose, firmly, &ldquo;it is a sacred duty, and it would be
+      cowardice not to fulfil it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I tell you that you shall not leave the room,&rdquo; said the soldier, stamping
+      his foot with impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert,&rdquo; replied Blanche, with as resolute an air as her sister&rsquo;s, and
+      with a kind of enthusiasm which brought the blood to her fair cheek, &ldquo;our
+      father, when he left us, give us an admirable example of devotion and
+      duty. He would not forgive us were we to forget the lesson.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What,&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in a rage, and advancing towards the sisters to
+      prevent their quitting the apartment; &ldquo;you think that if your governess
+      had the cholera, I would let you go to her under the pretext of duty?&mdash;Your
+      duty is to live, to live happy, for your father&rsquo;s sake&mdash;and for mine
+      into the bargain&mdash;so not a word more of such folly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We can run no danger by going to our governess in her room,&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And if there were danger,&rdquo; added Blanche, &ldquo;we ought not to hesitate. So,
+      Dagobert, be good! and let us pass.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, who had listened to what precedes, with sustained attention,
+      suddenly started, as if a thought had struck him; his eye shone brightly,
+      and an expression of fatal joy illumined his countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dagobert, do not refuse!&rdquo; said Blanche. &ldquo;You would do for us what you
+      reproach us with wishing to do for another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Dagobert had as it were, till now stood in the path of the Jesuit and the
+      twins by keeping close to the door; but, after a moments reflection, he
+      shrugged his shoulders, stepped to one side, and said calmly: &ldquo;I was an
+      old fool. Come, young ladies; if you find Madame Augustine in the house, I
+      will allow you to remain with her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Surprised at these words, the girls stood motionless and irresolute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If our governess is not here, where is she, then?&rdquo; said Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You think, perhaps, that I am going to tell you in the excitement in
+      which you are!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is dead!&rdquo; cried Rose growing pale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no&mdash;be calm,&rdquo; said the soldier, hastily; &ldquo;I swear to you, by
+      your father&rsquo;s honor, that she is not dead. At the first appearance of the
+      disorder, she begged to be removed from the house, fearing the contagion
+      for those in it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good and courageous woman!&rdquo; said Rose tenderly, &ldquo;And you will not allow
+      us&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will not allow you to go out, even if I have to lock you up in your
+      room,&rdquo; cried the soldier, again stamping with rage; then, remembering that
+      the blunderhead&rsquo;s indiscretion was the sole cause of this unfortunate
+      incident, he added, with concentrated fury: &ldquo;Oh! I will break my stick
+      upon that rascal&rsquo;s back.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, he turned towards the door, where Rodin still stood, silent and
+      attentive, dissembling with habitual impassibility the fatal hopes he had
+      just conceived in his brain. The girls, no longer doubting the removal of
+      their governess, and convinced that Dagobert would not tell them whither
+      they had conveyed her, remained pensive and sad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At sight of the priest, whom he had forgotten for the moment, the
+      soldier&rsquo;s rage increased, and he said to him abruptly: &ldquo;Are you still
+      there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I would merely observe to you, my dear sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, with that air of
+      perfect good nature which he knew so well how to assume, &ldquo;that you were
+      standing before the door, which naturally prevented me from going out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, now nothing prevents you&mdash;so file off!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly, I will file off, if you wish it, my dear sir though I think I
+      have some reason to be surprised at such a reception.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is no reception at all&mdash;so begone!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had come, my dear sir to speak to you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no time for talking.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Upon business of great importance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no other business of importance than to remain with these
+      children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good, my dear sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, pausing on the threshold. &ldquo;I will
+      not disturb you any longer; excuse my indiscretion. The bearer of
+      excellent news from Marshal Simon, I came&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;News from our father!&rdquo; cried Rose, drawing nearer to Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, speak, speak, sir!&rdquo; added Blanche.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have news of the marshal!&rdquo; said Dagobert, glancing suspiciously at
+      Rodin. &ldquo;Pray, what is this news?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But Rodin, without immediately answering the question, returned from the
+      threshold into the room, and, contemplating Rose and Blanche by turns with
+      admiration, he resumed: &ldquo;What happiness for me, to be able to bring some
+      pleasure to these dear young ladies. They are even as I left them
+      graceful, and fair, and charming&mdash;only less sad than on the day when
+      I fetched them from the gloomy convent in which they were kept prisoners,
+      to restore them to the arms of their glorious father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That was their place, and this is not yours,&rdquo; said Dagobert, harshly,
+      still holding the door open behind Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Confess, at least that I was not so much out of place at Dr.
+      Baleinier&rsquo;s,&rdquo; said the Jesuit, with a cunning air. &ldquo;You know, for it was
+      there that I restored to you the noble imperial cross you so much
+      regretted&mdash;the day when that good Mdlle. de Cardoville only prevented
+      you from strangling me by telling you that I was her liberator. Aye! it
+      was just as I have the honor of stating, young ladies,&rdquo; added Rodin, with
+      a smile; &ldquo;this brave soldier was very near strangling me, for, be it said
+      without offense, he has, in spite of his age, a grasp of iron. Ha, ha! the
+      Prussians and Cossacks must know that better than I!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These few words reminded Dagobert and the twins of the services which
+      Rodin had really rendered them; and though the marshal had heard Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville speak of Rodin as of a very dangerous man, he had forgotten, in
+      the midst of so many anxieties, to communicate this circumstance to
+      Dagobert. But this latter, warned by experience, felt, in spite of
+      favorable appearances, a secret aversion for the Jesuit; so he replied
+      abruptly: &ldquo;The strength of my grasp has nothing to do with the matter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I allude to that little innocent playfulness on your part, my dear
+      sir,&rdquo; said Rodin, in his softest tone, approaching the two sisters with a
+      wriggle which was peculiar to him; &ldquo;if I allude to it, you see, it was
+      suggested by the involuntary recollection of the little services I was
+      happy enough to render you.&rdquo; Dagobert looked fixedly at Rodin, who
+      instantly veiled his glance beneath his flabby eyelids.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;First of all,&rdquo; said the soldier, after a moment&rsquo;s silence, &ldquo;a true man
+      never speaks of the services he has rendered, and you come back three
+      times to the subject.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But Dagobert,&rdquo; whispered Rose, &ldquo;if he brings news of our father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The soldier made a sign, as if to beg the girl to let him speak, and
+      resumed, looking full at Rodin: &ldquo;You are cunning, but I&rsquo;m no raw recruit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cunning?&rdquo; said Rodin, with a sanctified air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, very. You think to puzzle me with your fine phrases; but I&rsquo;m not to
+      be caught in that way. Just listen to me. Some of your band of black-gowns
+      stole my cross; you returned it to me. Some of the same band carried off
+      these children; you brought them back. It is also true that you denounced
+      the renegade D&rsquo;Aigrigny. But all this only proves two things: first, that
+      you were vile enough to be the accomplice of these scoundrels; and
+      secondly, that, having been their accomplice, you were base enough to
+      betray them. Now, those two facts are equally bad, and I suspect you most
+      furiously. So march off at once; your presence is not good for these
+      children.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, my dear sir&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will have no buts,&rdquo; answered Dagobert, in an angry voice. &ldquo;When a man
+      of your look does good, it is only to hide some evil; and one must be on
+      guard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I understand your suspicions,&rdquo; said Rodin coolly, hiding his growing
+      disappointment, for he had hoped it would have been easy to coax the
+      soldier; &ldquo;but, if you reflect, what interest have I in deceiving you? And
+      in what should the deception consist?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have some interest or other in persisting to remain here, when I tell
+      you to go away.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have already had the honor of informing you of the object of my visit,
+      my dear sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To bring news of Marshal Simon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is exactly the case. I am happy enough to have news of the marshal.
+      Yes, my dear young ladies,&rdquo; added Rodin, as he again approached the two
+      sisters, to recover, as it were, the ground he had lost, &ldquo;I have news of
+      your glorious father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then come to my room directly, and you can tell it to me,&rdquo; replied
+      Dagobert.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! you would be cruel enough to deprive these dear ladies of the
+      pleasure&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;By heaven, sir!&rdquo; cried Dagobert, in a voice of thunder, &ldquo;you will make me
+      forget myself. I should be sorry to fling a man of your age down the
+      stairs. Will you be gone?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, well,&rdquo; said Rodin mildly, &ldquo;do not be angry with a poor old man. I
+      am really not worth the trouble. I will go with you to your room, and tell
+      you what I have to communicate. You will repent not having let me speak
+      before these dear young ladies; but that will be your punishment, naughty
+      man!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rodin again bowed very low, and, concealing his rage and
+      vexation, left the room before Dagobert, who made a sign to the two
+      sisters, and then followed, closing the door after him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What news of our father, Dagobert?&rdquo; said Rose anxiously, when the soldier
+      returned, after a quarter of an hours absence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, that old conjurer knows that the marshal set out in good spirits,
+      and he seems acquainted with M. Robert. How could he be informed of all
+      this? I cannot tell,&rdquo; added the soldier, with a thoughtful air; &ldquo;but it is
+      only another reason to be on one&rsquo;s guard against him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what news of our father?&rdquo; asked Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of that old rascal&rsquo;s friends (I think him a rascal still) knows your
+      father, he tells me, and met him five-and-twenty leagues from here.
+      Knowing that this man was coming to Paris, the marshal charged him to let
+      you know that he was in perfect health, and hoped soon to see you again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, what happiness!&rdquo; cried Rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You see, you were wrong to suspect the poor old man, Dagobert,&rdquo; added
+      Blanche. &ldquo;You treated him so harshly!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Possibly so; but I am not sorry for it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And why?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have my reasons; and one of the best is that, when I saw him came in,
+      and go sidling and creeping round about us, I felt chilled to the marrow
+      of my bones, without knowing why. Had I seen a serpent crawling towards
+      you, I should not have been more frightened. I knew, of course, that he
+      could not hurt you in my presence; but I tell you, my children, in spite
+      of the services he has no doubt rendered us, it was all I could do to
+      refrain from throwing him out of the window. Now, this manner of proving
+      my gratitude is not natural, and one must be on one&rsquo;s guard against people
+      who inspire us with such ideas.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good Dagobert, it is your affection for us that makes you so suspicious,&rdquo;
+       said Rose, in a coaxing tone; &ldquo;it proves how much you love us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30373m.jpg" alt="30373m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30373.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0160" id="link2HCH0160">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LV. THE IMPROVISED HOSPITAL
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>mong a great number of temporary hospitals opened at the time of the
+      cholera in every quarter of Paris, one had been established on the
+      ground-floor of a large house in the Rue du Mont-Blanc. The vacant
+      apartments had been generously placed by their proprietor at the disposal
+      of the authorities; and to this place were carried a number of persons,
+      who, being suddenly attacked with the contagion, were considered in too
+      dangerous a state to be removed to the principal hospitals.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Two days had elapsed since Rodin&rsquo;s visit to Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters.
+      Shortly after he had been expelled, the Princess de Saint-Dizier had
+      entered to see them, under the cloak of being a house-to-house visitor to
+      collect funds for the cholera sufferers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Choosing the moment when Dagobert, deceived by her lady-like demeanor, had
+      withdrawn, she counselled the twins that it was their duty to go and see
+      their governess, whom she stated to be in the hospital we now describe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was about ten o&rsquo;clock in the morning. The persons who had watched
+      during the night by the sick people, in the hospital established in the
+      Rue du Mont-Blanc, were about to be relieved by other voluntary
+      assistants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, gentlemen,&rdquo; said one of those newly arrived, &ldquo;how are we getting
+      on? Has there been any decrease last night in the number of the sick?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Unfortunately, no; but the doctors think the contagion has reached its
+      height.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then there is some hope of seeing it decrease.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And have any of the gentlemen, whose places we come to take, been
+      attacked by the disease?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We came eleven strong last night; we are only nine now.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is bad. Were these two persons taken off rapidly?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One of the victims, a young man of twenty-five years of age, a cavalry
+      officer on furlough, was struck as it were by lightning. In less than a
+      quarter of an hour he was dead. Though such facts are frequent, we were
+      speechless with horror.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Poor young man!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He had a word of cordial encouragement and hope for every one. He had so
+      far succeeded in raising the spirits of the patients, that some of them
+      who were less affected by the cholera than by the fear of it, were able to
+      quit the hospital nearly well.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a pity! So good a young man! Well, he died gloriously; it requires
+      as much courage as on the field of battle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He had only one rival in zeal and courage, and that is a Young priest,
+      with an angelic countenance, whom they call the Abbe Gabriel. He is
+      indefatigable; he hardly takes an hour&rsquo;s rest, but runs from one to the
+      other, and offers himself to everybody. He forgets nothing. The
+      consolation; which he offers come from the depths of his soul, and are not
+      mere formalities in the way of his profession. No, no, I saw him weep over
+      a poor woman, whose eyes he had closed after a dreadful agony. Oh, if all
+      priests were like him!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt, a good priest is most worthy of respect. But! who is the other
+      victim of last night?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! his death was frightful. Do not speak of it. I have still the
+      horrible scene before my eyes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A sudden attack of cholera?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If it had only been the contagion, I should not so shudder at the
+      remembrance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What then did he die of?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a string of horrors. Three days ago, they brought here a man, who
+      was supposed to be only attacked with cholera. You have no doubt heard
+      speak of this personage. He is the lion-tamer, that drew all Paris to the
+      Porte-Saint-Martin.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know the man you mean. Called Morok. He performed a kind of play with a
+      tame panther.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Exactly so; I was myself present at a similar scene, which a stranger, an
+      Indian, in consequence of a wager, was said at the time, jumped upon the
+      stage and killed the panther.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, this Morok, brought here as a cholera-patient, and indeed with all
+      the symptoms of the contagion, soon showed signs of a still more frightful
+      malady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And this was&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hydrophobia.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Did he become mad?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; he confessed, that he had been bitten a few days before by one of
+      the mastiffs in his menagerie; unfortunately, we only learnt this
+      circumstance after the terrible attack, which cost the life of the poor
+      fellow we deplore.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How did it happen, then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Morok was in a room with three other patients. Suddenly seized with a
+      sort of furious delirium, he rose, uttering ferocious cries, and rushed
+      raving mad into the passage. Our poor friend made an attempt to stop him.
+      This kind of resistance increased the frenzy of Morok, who threw himself
+      on the man that crossed his path, and, tearing him with his teeth, fell
+      down in horrible convulsions.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! you are right. &lsquo;Twas indeed frightful. And, not withstanding every
+      assistance this victim of Morok&rsquo;s&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Died during the night, in dreadful agony; for the shock had been so
+      violent, that brain-fever almost instantly declared itself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And is Morok dead?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know. He was to be taken to another hospital, after being fast
+      bound in the state of weakness which generally succeeds the fit. But, till
+      he can be removed he has been confined in a room upstairs.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But he cannot recover.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should think he must be dead by this time. The doctors did not give him
+      twenty-four hours to live.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The persons engaged in this conversation were standing in an ante-chamber
+      on the ground-floor, in which usually assembled those who came to offer
+      their voluntary aid to the sick. One door of this room communicated with
+      the rest of the hospital, and the other with the passage that opened upon
+      the courtyard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me!&rdquo; said one of the two speakers, looking through the window. &ldquo;See
+      what two charming girls have just got out of that elegant carriage. How
+      much alike they are! Such a resemblance is indeed extraordinary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No doubt they are twins. Poor young girls! dressed in Mourning. They have
+      perhaps lost father or mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;One would imagine they are coming this way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, they are coming up the steps.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And indeed Rose and Blanche soon entered the antechamber, with a timid,
+      anxious air, though a sort of feverish excitement was visible in their
+      looks. One of the two men that were talking together, moved by the
+      embarrassment of the girls, advanced toward them, and said, in a tone of
+      attentive politeness: &ldquo;Is there anything I can do for you, ladies?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is not this, sir,&rdquo; replied Rose, &ldquo;the infirmary of the Rue du Mont
+      Blanc?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, miss.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A lady, called Madame Augustine du Tremblay, was brought here, we are
+      told, about two days ago. Could we see her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I would observe to you, miss, that there is some danger in entering the
+      sick-wards.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is a dear friend that we wish to see,&rdquo; answered Rose, in a mild and
+      firm tone, which sufficiently expressed that she was determined to brave
+      the danger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I cannot be sure, miss,&rdquo; resumed the other, &ldquo;that the person you seek is
+      here; but, if you will take the trouble to walk into this room on the
+      left, you will find there the good Sister Martha; she has the care of the
+      women&rsquo;s wards, and will give you all the information you can desire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Thank you, sir,&rdquo; said Blanche, with a graceful bow; and she and her
+      sister entered together the apartment which had been pointed out to them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They are really charming,&rdquo; said the man, looking after the two sisters,
+      who soon disappeared from his view. &ldquo;It would be a great pity if&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He was unable to finish. A frightful tumult, mingled with cries of alarm
+      and horror, rose suddenly from the adjoining rooms. Almost instantly, two
+      doors were thrown open, and a number of the sick, half-naked, pale,
+      fleshless, and their features convulsed with terror, rushed into the
+      antechamber, exclaiming: &ldquo;Help! help! the madman!&rdquo; It is impossible to
+      paint the scene of despairing and furious confusion which followed this
+      panic of so many affrighted wretches, flying to the only other door, to
+      escape from the perils they dreaded, and there, struggling and trampling
+      on each other to pass through the narrow entrance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the moment when the last of these unhappy creatures succeeded in
+      reaching the door, dragging himself along upon his bleeding hands, for he
+      had been thrown down and almost crushed in the confusion&mdash;Morok, the
+      object of so much terror&mdash;Morok himself appeared. He was a horrible
+      sight. With the exception of a rag bound about his middle, his wan form
+      was entirely naked, and from his bare legs still hung the remnants of the
+      cords he had just broken. His thick, yellow hair stood almost on end, his
+      beard bristled, his savage eyes rolled full of blood in their orbits, and
+      shone with a glassy brightness; his lips were covered with foam; from time
+      to time, he uttered hoarse, guttural cries. The veins, visible on his iron
+      limbs were swollen almost to bursting. He bounded like a wild beast, and
+      stretched out before him his bony and quivering hands. At the moment Morok
+      reached the doorway, by which those he pursued made their escape, some
+      persons, attracted by the noise, managed to close this door from without,
+      whilst others secured that which communicated with the sick-ward.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30381m.jpg" alt="30381m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30381.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Morok thus found himself a prisoner. He ran to the window to force it
+      open, and threw himself into the courtyard. But, stopping suddenly, he
+      drew back from the glittering panes, seized with that invincible horror
+      which all the victims of hydrophobia feel at the sight of any shining
+      object, particularly glass. The unfortunate creatures whom he had pursued,
+      saw him from the courtyard exhausting himself in furious efforts to open
+      the doors that just had been closed upon him. Then, perceiving the
+      inutility of his attempts, he uttered savage cries, and rushed furiously
+      round the room, like a wild beast that seeks in vain to escape from its
+      cage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But, suddenly, those spectators of this scene, who had approached nearest
+      to the window, uttered a loud exclamation of fear and anguish. Morok had
+      perceived the little door which led to the closet occupied by Sister
+      Martha, where Rose and Blanche had entered a few minutes before. Hoping to
+      get out by this way, Morok drew the door violently towards him, and
+      succeeded in half opening it, notwithstanding the resistance he
+      experienced from the inside. For an instant the affrighted crowd saw the
+      stiffened arms Of Sister Martha and the orphans, clinging to the door, and
+      holding it back with all their might.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0161" id="link2HCH0161">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LVI. HYDROPHOBIA.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hen the sick people, assembled in the courtyard, saw the desperate
+      efforts of Morok to force the door of the room which contained Sister
+      Martha and the orphans, their fright redoubled. &ldquo;It is all over, Sister
+      Martha!&rdquo; cried they.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The door will give way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the closet has no other entrance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There are two young girls in mourning with her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come! we must not leave these poor women to encounter the madman. Follow
+      me, friends!&rdquo; cried generously one of the spectators, who was still
+      blessed with health, and he rushed towards the steps to return to the
+      ante-chamber.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s too late! it&rsquo;s only exposing yourself in vain,&rdquo; cried many persons,
+      holding him back by force.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, voices were heard, exclaiming: &ldquo;Here is the Abbe Gabriel.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is coming downstairs. He has heard the noise.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is asking what is the matter.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What will he do?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel, occupied with a dying person in a neighboring room, had, indeed,
+      just learned that Morok, having broken his bonds, had succeeded in
+      escaping from the chamber in which he had been temporarily confined.
+      Foreseeing the terrible dangers which might result from the escape of the
+      lion-tamer, the missionary consulted only his courage, and hastened down,
+      in the hope of preventing greater misfortunes. In obedience to his orders,
+      an attendant followed him, bearing a brazier full of hot cinders, on which
+      lay several irons, at a white heat, used by the doctors for cauterizing,
+      in desperate cases of cholera.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The angelic countenance of Gabriel was very pale; but calm intrepidity
+      shone upon his noble brow. Hastily crossing the passage, and making his
+      way through the crowd, he went straight to the ante-chamber door. As he
+      approached it, one of the sick people said to him, in a lamentable voice;
+      &ldquo;Ah, sir! it is all over. Those who can see through the window say that
+      Sister Martha is lost.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Gabriel made no answer, but grasped the key of the door. Before entering
+      the room, however, he turned to the attendant, and said to him in a firm
+      voice: &ldquo;Are the irons of a white heat?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then wait here, and be ready. As for you, my friends,&rdquo; he added, turning
+      to some of the sick, who shuddered with terror, &ldquo;as soon as I enter shut
+      the door after me. I will answer for the rest. And you; friend, only bring
+      your irons when I call.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And the young missionary turned the key in the lock. At this juncture, a
+      cry of alarm, pity, and admiration rose from every lip, and the spectators
+      drew back from the door, with an involuntary feeling of fear. Raising his
+      eyes to heaven, as if to invoke its assistance at this terrible moment,
+      Gabriel pushed open the door, and immediately closed it behind him. He was
+      alone with Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lion-tamer, by a last furious effort, had almost succeeded in opening
+      the door, to which Sister Martha and the orphans were clinging, in a fit
+      of terror, uttering piercing cries. At the sound of Gabriel&rsquo;s footsteps,
+      Morok turned round suddenly. Then, instead of continuing his attack on the
+      closet, he sprang, with a roar and a bound, upon the new-comer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During this time, Sister Martha and the orphans, not knowing the cause of
+      the sudden retreat of their assailant, took advantage of the opportunity
+      to close and bolt the door, and thus placed themselves in security from a
+      new attack. Morok, with haggard eye, and teeth convulsively clinched, had
+      rushed upon Gabriel, his hands extended to seize him by the throat. The
+      missionary stood the shock valiantly. Guessing, at a glance, the intention
+      of his adversary, he seized him by the wrists as he advanced, and, holding
+      him back, bent him down violently with a vigorous hand. For a second,
+      Morok and Gabriel remained mute, breathless, motionless, gazing on each
+      other; then the missionary strove to conquer the efforts of the madman,
+      who, with violent jerks, attempted to throw himself upon him, and to seize
+      and tear him with his teeth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly the lion-tamer&rsquo;s strength seemed to fail, his knees quivered, his
+      livid head sank upon his shoulder, his eyes closed. The missionary,
+      supposing that a momentary weakness had succeeded to the fit of rage, and
+      that the wretch was about to fall, relaxed his hold in order to lend him
+      assistance. But no sooner did he feel himself at liberty, thanks to his
+      crafty device, than Morok flung himself furiously upon Gabriel. Surprised
+      by this sudden attack, the latter stumbled, and at once felt himself
+      clasped into the iron arms of the madman. Yet, with redoubled strength and
+      energy, struggling breast to breast, foot to foot, the missionary in his
+      turn succeeded in tripping up his adversary, and, throwing him with a
+      vigorous effort, again seized his hands, and now held him down beneath his
+      knee. Having thus completely mastered him, Gabriel turned his head to call
+      for assistance, when Morok, by a desperate strain, succeeded in raising
+      himself a little, and seized with his teeth the left arm of the
+      missionary. At this sharp, deep, horrible bite, which penetrated to the
+      very bone, Gabriel could not restrain a scream of anguish and horror. He
+      strove in vain to disengage himself, for his arm was held fast, as in a
+      vice, between the firm-set jaws of Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This frightful scene had lasted less time than it has taken in the
+      description, when suddenly the door leading to the passage was violently
+      opened, and several courageous men, who had learned from the patients to
+      what danger the young priest was exposed, came rushing to his assistance,
+      in spite of his recommendation not to enter till he should call. The
+      attendant was amongst the number, with the brazier and the hot irons.
+      Gabriel, as soon as he perceived him, said to him in an agitated voice:
+      &ldquo;Quick, friend! your iron. Thank God I had thought of that.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      One of the men who had entered the room was luckily provided with a
+      blanket; and the moment the missionary succeeded in wresting his arm from
+      the clinched teeth of Morok, whom he still held down with his knee, this
+      blanket was thrown over the madman&rsquo;s head, so that he could now be held
+      and bound without danger, notwithstanding his desperate resistance. Then
+      Gabriel rose, tore open the sleeve of his cassock, and laying bare his
+      left arm, on which a deep bite was visible, bleeding, of a bluish color,
+      he beckoned the attendant to draw near, seized one of the hot irons, and,
+      with a firm and sure hand, twice applied the burning metal to the wound,
+      with a calm heroism which struck all the spectators, with admiration. But
+      soon so many various emotions, intrepidly sustained, were followed by a
+      natural reaction. Large drops of sweat stood upon Gabriel&rsquo;s brow; his long
+      light hair clung to his temples; he grew deadly pale, reeled, lost his
+      senses, and was carried into the next room to receive immediate attention.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An accidental circumstance, likely enough to occur, had converted one of
+      the Princess de Saint-Dizier&rsquo;s falsehoods into a truth. To induce the
+      orphans to go to the hospital, she had told them Gabriel was there, which
+      at the time she was far from believing. On the contrary, she would have
+      wished to prevent a meeting, which, from the attachment of the missionary
+      to the girls, might interfere with her projects. A little while after the
+      terrible scene we have just related, Rose and Blanche, accompanied by
+      Sister Martha, entered a vast room, of a strange and fatal aspect,
+      containing a number of women who had suddenly been seized with cholera.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These immense apartments, generously supplied for the purpose of a
+      temporary hospital, had been furnished with excessive luxury. The room now
+      occupied by the sick women, of whom we speak, had been used for a
+      ball-room. The white panels glittered with sumptuous gilding, and
+      magnificent pier-glasses occupied the spaces between the windows, through
+      which could be seen the fresh verdure of a pleasant garden, smiling
+      beneath the influence of budding May. In the midst of all this gilded
+      luxury, on a rich, inlaid floor of costly woods, were seen arranged in
+      regular order four rows of beds, of every shape and kind, from the humble
+      truckle-bed to the handsome couch in carved mahogany.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This long room was divided into two compartments by a temporary partition,
+      four or five feet in height. They had thus been able to manage the four
+      rows of beds. This partition finished at some little distance from either
+      end of the room, so as to leave an open space without beds, for the
+      volunteer attendants, when the sick did not require their aid. At one of
+      these extremities of the room was a lofty and magnificent marble chimney
+      piece, ornamented with gilt bronze. On the fire beneath, various drinks
+      were brewing for the patients. To complete the singular picture, women of
+      every class took their turns in attending upon the sick, to whose sighs
+      and groans they always responded with consoling words of hope and pity.
+      Such was the place, strange and mournful, that Rose and Blanche entered
+      together, hand in hand, a short time after Gabriel had displayed such
+      heroic courage in the struggle against Morok. Sister Martha accompanied
+      Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters. After speaking a few words to them in a
+      whisper, she pointed out to them the two divisions in which the beds were
+      arranged, and herself went to the other end of the room to give some
+      orders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The orphans, still under the impression of the terrible danger from which
+      Gabriel had rescued them without their knowing it, were both excessively
+      pale; yet their eyes were expressive of firm resolution. They had
+      determined not only to perform what they considered an imperative duty,
+      but to prove themselves worthy of their valiant father; they were acting
+      too for their mother&rsquo;s sake, since they had been told that, dying in
+      Siberia without receiving the sacrament, her eternal felicity might depend
+      on the proofs they gave of Christian devotion. Need we add that the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier, following the advice of Rodin, had, in a second
+      interview, skillfully brought about without the knowledge of Dagobert,
+      taken advantage of the excitable qualities of these poor, confiding,
+      simple, and generous souls, by a fatal exaggeration of the most noble and
+      courageous sentiments. The orphans having asked Sister Martha if Madame
+      Augustine du Tremblay had been brought to this asylum within the last
+      three days, that person had answered, that she really did not know, but,
+      if they would go through the women&rsquo;s wards, it would be easy for them to
+      ascertain. For the abominable hypocrite, who, in conjunction with Rodin,
+      had sent these two children to encounter a mortal peril, had told an
+      impudent falsehood when she affirmed that their governess had been removed
+      to this hospital. During their exile, and their toilsome journey with
+      Dagobert, the sisters had been exposed to many hard trials. But never had
+      they witnessed so sad a spectacle as that which now offered itself to
+      their view.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The long row of beds, on which so many poor creatures writhed in agony,
+      some uttering deep groans, some only a dull rattle in the throat, some
+      raving in the delirium of fever, or calling on those from whom they were
+      about to part forever&mdash;these frightful sights and sounds, which are
+      too much even for brave men, would inevitably, (such was the execrable
+      design of Rodin and his accomplices) make a fatal impression on these
+      young girls, urged by the most generous motives to undertake this perilous
+      visit. And then&mdash;sad memory! which awoke, in all its deep and
+      poignant bitterness, by the side of the first beds they came to&mdash;it
+      was of this very malady, the Cholera, that their mother had died a painful
+      death. Fancy the twins entering this vast room, of so fearful an aspect,
+      and, already much shaken by the terror which Morok had inspired, pursuing
+      their search in the midst of these unfortunate creatures, whose dying
+      pangs reminded them every instant of the dying agony of their mother! For
+      a moment, at sight of the funeral hall, Rose and Blanche had felt their
+      resolution fail them. A black presentiment made them regret their heroic
+      imprudence; and, moreover, since several minutes they had begun to feel an
+      icy shudder, and painful shootings across the temples; but, attributing
+      these symptoms to the fright occasioned by Morok, their good and valiant
+      natures soon stifled all these fears. They exchanged glances of affection,
+      their courage revived, and both of them&mdash;Rose on one side of the
+      partition, and Blanche on the other&mdash;proceeded with their painful
+      task. Gabriel, carried to the doctors&rsquo; private room, had soon recovered
+      his senses. Thanks to his courage and presence of mind, his wound,
+      cauterized in time, could have no dangerous consequences. As soon as it
+      was dressed he insisted on returning to the women&rsquo;s ward, where he had be
+      offering pious consolations to a dying person at the moment they had come
+      to inform him of the frightful danger caused by the escape of Morok.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few minutes before the missionary entered the room, Rose and Blanche
+      arrived almost together at the term of their mournful search, one from the
+      left, the other from the right-hand row of beds, separated by the
+      partition which divided the hall into compartments. The sisters had not
+      yet seen each other. Their steps tottered as they advanced, and they were
+      forced, from time to time, to lean against the beds as they passed along.
+      Their strength was&mdash;rapidly failing them. Giddy with fear and pain,
+      they appeared to act almost mechanically. Alas! the orphans had been
+      seized almost at the same moment with the terrible symptoms of cholera. In
+      consequence of that species of physiological phenomenon, of which we have
+      already spoken&mdash;a phenomenon by no means rare in twins, which had
+      already been displayed on one or two occasions of their sickness&mdash;their
+      organizations seemed liable to the same sensations, the same simultaneous
+      accidents, like two flowers on one stem, which bloom and fade together.
+      The sight of so much suffering, and so many deaths, had accelerated the
+      development of this dreadful disease. Already, on their agitated and
+      altered countenances, they bore the mortal tokens of the contagion, as
+      they came forth, each on her own side, from the two subdivisions of the
+      room in which they had vainly sought their governess. Until now separated
+      by the partition, Rose and Blanche had not yet seen each other; but, when
+      at length their eyes met, there ensued a heart rending scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0162" id="link2HCH0162">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LVII. THE GUARDIAN ANGEL.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>o the charming freshness of the sisters&rsquo; faces had succeeded a livid
+      pallor. Their large blue eyes, now hollow and sunk in, appeared of
+      enormous dimensions. Their lips, once so rosy, were now suffused with a
+      violet hue, and a similar color was gradually displacing the transparent
+      carmine of their cheeks and fingers. It was as if all the roses in their
+      charming countenances were fading and turning blue before the icy blast of
+      death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the orphans met, tottering and hardly able to sustain themselves, a
+      cry of mutual horror burst from their lips. Each of them exclaimed, at
+      sight of the fearful change in her sister&rsquo;s features. &ldquo;Are you also ill,
+      sister?&rdquo; And then, bursting into tears, they threw themselves into each
+      other&rsquo;s arms, and looked anxiously at one another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good heaven, Rose! how pale you are!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like you, sister.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And do you feel a cold shudder?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, and my sight fails me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My bosom is all on fire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, we are perhaps going to die.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let it only be together!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And our poor father?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And Dagobert?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister, our dream has come true!&rdquo; cried Rose, almost deliriously, as she
+      threw her arms round Blanche&rsquo;s neck. &ldquo;Look! look! the Angel Gabriel is
+      here to fetch us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, at this moment, Gabriel entered the open space at the end of the
+      room. &ldquo;Heaven! what do I see?&rdquo; cried the young priest. &ldquo;The daughters of
+      Marshal Simon!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, rushing forward, he received the sisters in his arms, for they were
+      no longer able to stand. Already their drooping heads, their half-closed
+      eyes, their painful and difficult breathing, announced the approach of
+      death. Sister Martha was close at hand. She hastened to respond to the
+      call of Gabriel. Aided by this pious woman, he was able to lift the
+      orphans upon a bed reserved for the doctor in attendance. For fear that
+      the sight of this mournful agony should make too deep an impression on the
+      other patients, Sister Martha drew a large curtain, and the sisters were
+      thus in some sort walled off from the rest of the room. Their hands had
+      been so tightly clasped together, during a nervous paroxysm, that it was
+      impossible to separate them. It was in this position that the first
+      remedies were applied&mdash;remedies incapable of conquering the violence
+      of the disease, but which at least mitigated for a few moments the
+      excessive pains they suffered, and restored some faint glimmer of
+      perception to their obscured and troubled senses. At this moment, Gabriel
+      was leaning over the bed with a look of inexpressible grief. With breaking
+      heart, and face bathed in tears, he thought of the strange destiny, which
+      thus made him a witness of the death of these girls, his relations, whom
+      but a few months before he had rescued from the horrors of the tempest. In
+      spite of his firmness of soul, the missionary could not help shuddering as
+      he reflected on the fate of the orphans, the death of Jacques Rennepont,
+      and the fearful devices by which M. Hardy, retired to the cloistered
+      solitude of St. Herein, had become a member of the Society of Jesus almost
+      in dying. The missionary said to himself, that already four members of the
+      Rennepont family&mdash;his family&mdash;had been successively struck down
+      by some dreadful fate; and he asked himself with alarm, how it was that
+      the detestable interests of the Society of Loyola should be served by a
+      providential fatality? The astonishment of the young missionary would have
+      given place to the deepest horror, could he have known the part that Rodin
+      and his accomplices had taken, both in the death of Jacques Rennepont, by
+      exciting, through Morok, the evil propensities of the artisan, and in the
+      approaching end of Rose and Blanche, by converting, through the Princess
+      de Saint-Dizier, the generous inspirations of the orphans into suicidal
+      heroism.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Roused for a moment from the painful stupor in which they had been
+      plunged, Rose and Blanche half-opened their large eyes, already dull and
+      faded. Then, more and more bewildered they both gazed fixedly at the
+      angelic countenance of Gabriel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister,&rdquo; said Rose, in a faint voice, &ldquo;do you see the archangel&mdash;as
+      in our dreams, in Germany?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;three days ago&mdash;he appeared to us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He is come to fetch us.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! will our death save our poor mother from purgatory?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Angel! blessed angel! pray God for our mother&mdash;and for us!&rdquo; Until
+      now, stupefied with amazement and sorrow, almost suffocated with sobs,
+      Gabriel had not been able to utter a word. But at these words of the
+      orphans, he exclaimed: &ldquo;Dear children, why doubt of your mother&rsquo;s
+      salvation? Oh! never did a purer soul ascend to its Creator. Your mother?
+      I know from my adopted father, that her virtues and courage were the
+      admiration of all who knew her. Oh! believe me; God has blessed her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you hear, sister?&rdquo; cried Rose, as a ray of celestial joy illumined for
+      an instant the livid faces of the orphans. &ldquo;God has blessed our mother.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes,&rdquo; resumed Gabriel; &ldquo;banish these gloomy ideas. Take courage,
+      poor children! You must not die. Think of your father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Our father?&rdquo; said Blanche, shuddering; and she continued, with a mixture
+      of reason and wild excitement, which would have touched the soul of the
+      most indifferent: &ldquo;Alas! he will not find us on his return. Forgive us,
+      father! we did not think to do any harm. We wished, like you, to do
+      something generous&mdash;to help our governess.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we did not think to die so quickly, and so soon. Yesterday, we were
+      gay and happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, good angel! you will appear to our father, even as you have appeared
+      to us. You will tell him that, in dying&mdash;the last thought of his
+      children&mdash;was of him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We came here without Dagobert&rsquo;s knowing it&mdash;do not let our father
+      scold him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blessed angel!&rdquo; resumed the other sister in a still more feeble voice;
+      &ldquo;appear to Dagobert, also. Tell him, that we ask his forgiveness, for the
+      grief our death will occasion him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And let our old friend caress our poor Spoil-sport for us&mdash;our
+      faithful guardian,&rdquo; added Blanche, trying to smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then,&rdquo; resumed Rose, in a voice that was growing still fainter,
+      &ldquo;promise to appear to two other persons, that have been so kind to us&mdash;good
+      Mother Bunch&mdash;and the beautiful Lady Adrienne.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We forget none whom we have loved,&rdquo; said Blanche, with a last effort.
+      &ldquo;Now, God grant we may go to our mother, never to leave her more!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You promised it good angel&mdash;you know you did&mdash;in the dream. You
+      said to us: &lsquo;Poor children&mdash;come from so far&mdash;you will have
+      traversed the earth&mdash;to rest on the maternal bosom!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! it is dreadful&mdash;dreadful! So young&mdash;and no hope!&rdquo; murmured
+      Gabriel, as he buried his face in his hands. &ldquo;Almighty Father! Thy views
+      are impenetrable. Alas! yet why should these children die this cruel
+      death?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rose heaved a deep sigh and said in an expiring tone: &ldquo;Let us be buried
+      together!&mdash;united in life, in death not divided&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And the two turned their dying looks upon Gabriel, and stretched out
+      towards him their supplicating hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, blessed martyrs to a generous devotion!&rdquo; cried the missionary,
+      raising to heaven his eyes streaming with tears. &ldquo;Angelic souls! treasures
+      of innocence and truth! ascend, ascend to heaven&mdash;since God calls you
+      to him, and the earth is not worthy to possess you!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister! father!&rdquo; were the last words that the orphans pronounced with
+      their dying voices.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And then the twins, by a last instinctive impulse, endeavored to clasp
+      each other, and their eyes half-opened to exchange yet another glance.
+      They shuddered twice or thrice, their limbs stiffened, a deep sigh
+      struggled from their violet-colored lips. Rose and Blanche were both dead!
+      Gabriel and Sister Martha, after closing the eyes of the orphans, knelt
+      down to pray by the side of that funeral couch. Suddenly a great tumult
+      was heard in the room. Rapid footsteps, mingled with imprecations, sounded
+      close at hand, the curtain was drawn aside from this mournful scene, and
+      Dagobert entered precipitately, pale, haggard, his dress in disorder. At
+      sight of Gabriel and the Sister of Charity kneeling beside the corpses of
+      his children, the soldier uttered a terrible roar, and tried to advance&mdash;but
+      in vain&mdash;for, before Gabriel could reach him, Dagobert fell flat on
+      the ground, and his gray head struck violently on the floor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is night&mdash;a dark and stormy night. One o&rsquo;clock in the morning has
+      just sounded from the church of Montmartre. It is to the cemetery of
+      Montmartre that is carried the coffin which, according to the last wishes
+      of Rose and Blanche contains them both. Through the thick shadow, which
+      rests upon that field of death, may be seen moving a pale light. It is the
+      gravedigger. He advances with caution; a dark lantern is in his hand. A
+      man wrapped in a cloak accompanies him. He holds down his head and weeps.
+      It is Samuel. The old Jew&mdash;the keeper of the house in the Rue
+      Saint-Francois. On the night of the funeral of Jacques Rennepont, the
+      first who died of the seven heirs, and who was buried in another cemetery,
+      Samuel had a similar mysterious interview with the gravedigger, to obtain
+      a favor at the price of gold. A strange and awful favor! After passing
+      down several paths, bordered with cypress trees, by the side of many
+      tombs, the Jew and the gravedigger arrived, at a little glade, situated
+      near the western wall of the cemetery. The night was so dark, that
+      scarcely anything could be seen. After moving his lantern up and down, and
+      all about, the gravedigger showed Samuel, at the foot of a tall yew-tree,
+      with long black branches, a little mound of newly-raised earth, and said:
+      &ldquo;It is here.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are sure of it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes&mdash;two bodies in one coffin! it is not such a common thing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! two in the same coffin!&rdquo; said the Jew, with a deep sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now that you know the place, what do you want more?&rdquo; asked the
+      gravedigger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel did not answer. He fell on his knees, and piously kissed the little
+      mound. Then rising, with his cheeks bathed in tears, he approached the
+      gravedigger, and spoke to him for some moments in a whisper&mdash;though
+      they were alone, and in the centre of that deserted place. Then began
+      between those two men a mysterious dialogue, which the night enveloped in
+      shade and silence. The gravedigger, alarmed at what Samuel asked him, at
+      first refused his request.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the Jew, employing persuasions, entreaties, tears, and at last the
+      seduction of the jingling gold, succeeded in conquering the scruples of
+      the gravedigger. Though the latter trembled at the thought of what he
+      promised, he said to Samuel in an agitated tone: &ldquo;To-morrow night, then,
+      at two o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall be behind the wall,&rdquo; answered Samuel, pointing out the place with
+      the aid of a lantern. &ldquo;I will throw three stones into the cemetery, for a
+      signal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, three stones&mdash;as a signal,&rdquo; replied the gravedigger shuddering,
+      and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With considerable remains of vigor, notwithstanding his great age, Samuel
+      availed himself of the broken surface of the low wall, and climbing over
+      it, soon disappeared. The gravedigger returned home with hasty strides.
+      From time to time, he looked fearfully behind him, as though he had been
+      pursued by some fatal vision.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the evening after the funeral of Rose and Blanche, Rodin wrote two
+      letters. The first, addressed to his mysterious correspondent at Rome,
+      alluded to the deaths of Jacques Rennepont, and Rose and Blanche Simon, as
+      well as to the cession of M. Hardy&rsquo;s property, and the donation of Gabriel&mdash;events
+      which reduced the claimants of the inheritance to two&mdash;Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville and Djalma. This first note written by Rodin for Rome,
+      contained only the following words: &ldquo;Five from seven leaves two. Announce
+      this result to the Cardinal-Prince. Let him go on. I advance
+      advance-advance!&rdquo; The second note, in a feigned hand, was addressed to
+      Marshal Simon, to be delivered by a sure messenger, contained these few
+      lines: &ldquo;If there is yet time, make haste to return. Your daughters are
+      both dead. You shall learn who killed them.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30389m.jpg" alt="30389m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30389.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0163" id="link2HCH0163">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LVIII. RUIN.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t is the day after the death of Marshal Simon&rsquo;s daughters. Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville is yet ignorant of the sad end of her young relatives. Her
+      countenance is radiant with happiness, and never has she looked more
+      beautiful; her eye has never been more brilliant, her complexion more
+      dazzling white, her lip of a richer coral. According to her somewhat
+      eccentric custom of dressing herself in her own house in a picturesque
+      style, Adrienne wears to-day, though it is about three o&rsquo;clock in the
+      afternoon, a pale green watered-silk dress, with a very full skirt, the
+      sleeves and bodice slashed with rose-colored ribbon, and adorned with
+      white bugle-beads, of exquisite workmanship; while a slender network, also
+      of white bugle-beads, concealing the thick plait of Adrienne&rsquo;s back hair,
+      forms an oriental head-dress of charming originality, and contrasts
+      agreeably with the long curls which fall in front almost to the swell of
+      the bosom. To the expression of indescribable happiness which marks the
+      features of Mdlle. de Cardoville, is added a certain resolute, cutting,
+      satirical air, which is not habitual to her. Her charming head, and
+      graceful, swan-like neck, are raised in an attitude of defiance; her
+      small, rose-colored nostrils seem to dilate with ill-repressed ardor, and
+      she waits with haughty impatience for the moment of an aggressive and
+      ironical interview. Not far from Adrienne is Mother Bunch. She has resumed
+      in the house the place which she at first occupied. The young sempstress
+      is in mourning for her sister, but her countenance is expressive of a
+      mild, calm sorrow. She looks at Mdlle. de Cardoville with surprise; for
+      never, till now, has she seen the features of the fair patrician impressed
+      with such a character of ironical audacity. Mdlle. de Cardoville was
+      exempt from the slightest coquetry, in the narrow and ordinary sense of
+      the word. Yet she now cast an inquiring look at the glass before which she
+      was standing, and, having restored the elastic smoothness to one of her
+      long, golden curls, by rolling it for a moment round her ivory finger, she
+      carefully effaced with her hands some almost imperceptible folds, which
+      had formed themselves in the thick material of her elegant corsage. This
+      movement, and that of turning her back to the glass, to see if her dress
+      sat perfectly on all points, revealed, in serpentine undulations, all the
+      charms and graces of her light and elegant figure; for, in spite of the
+      rich fulness of her shoulders, white and firm as sculptured alabaster,
+      Adrienne belonged to that class of privileged persons, who are able at
+      need to make a girdle out of a garter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having performed, with indescribable grace, these charming evolutions of
+      feminine coquetry, Adrienne turned towards Mother Bunch, whose surprise
+      was still on the increase, and said to her, smiling: &ldquo;My dear Magdalen, do
+      not laugh at my question&mdash;but what would you say to a picture, that
+      should represent me as I am now?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, lady&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;There you are again, with your lady-ing,&rdquo; said Adrienne, in a tone of
+      gentle reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, Adrienne,&rdquo; resumed Mother Bunch, &ldquo;I think it would be a
+      charming picture, for you are dressed, as usual with perfect taste.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But am I not better dressed than on other days, my dear poetess? I began
+      by telling you that I do not ask the question for my own sake,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, gayly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, I suppose so,&rdquo; replied Mother Bunch, with a faint smile. &ldquo;It is
+      certainly impossible to imagine anything that would suit you better. The
+      light green and the pale rose-color, with the soft lustre of the white
+      ornaments, harmonize so well with your golden hair, that I cannot
+      conceive, I tell you, a more graceful picture.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The speaker felt what she said, and she was happy to be able to express
+      it, for we know the intense admiration of that poetic soul for all that
+      was beautiful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well!&rdquo; went on Adrienne, gayly, &ldquo;I am glad, my dear, that you find me
+      better dressed than usual.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only,&rdquo; said the hunchback, hesitating.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Only?&rdquo; repeated Adrienne, looking at her with an air of interrogation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why, only,&rdquo; continued the other, &ldquo;if I have never seen you look more
+      pretty, I have also never observed in your features the resolute and
+      ironical expression which they had just now. It was like an air of
+      impatient defiance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And so it was, my dear little Magdalen,&rdquo; said Adrienne, throwing her arms
+      round the girl&rsquo;s neck with joyous tenderness. &ldquo;I must kiss you, for having
+      guessed it. You see, I expect a visit from my dear aunt.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The Princess de Saint-Dizier?&rdquo; cried Mother Bunch, in alarm. &ldquo;That wicked
+      lady, who did you so much evil?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The very same. She has asked for an interview, and I shall be delighted
+      to receive her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Delighted?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;a somewhat ironical and malicious delight, it is true,&rdquo;
+       answered Adrienne, still more gayly. &ldquo;You shall judge for yourself. She
+      regrets her gallantries, her beauty, her youth&mdash;even her size
+      afflicts the holy woman!&mdash;and she will see me young, fair, beloved&mdash;and
+      above all thin&mdash;yes, thin,&rdquo; added Mdlle. de Cardoville, laughing
+      merrily. &ldquo;And you may imagine, my dear, how much envy and despair, the
+      sight of a young, thin woman excites in a stout one of a certain age!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My friend,&rdquo; said Mother Bunch, gravely, &ldquo;you speak in jest. And yet, I
+      know not why, the coming of this princess alarms me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear, gentle soul, be satisfied!&rdquo; answered Adrienne, affectionately. &ldquo;I
+      do not fear this woman&mdash;I no longer have any fear of her&mdash;and to
+      prove it to her confusion, I will treat her&mdash;a monster of hypocrisy
+      and wickedness, who comes here, no doubt, on some abominable design&mdash;I
+      will treat her as an inoffensive, ridiculous fat woman!&rdquo; And Adrienne
+      again laughed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A servant here entered the room, and interrupted the mirth of Adrienne, by
+      saying: &ldquo;The Princess de Saint-Dizier wishes to know if you can receive
+      her?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said Mdlle. de Cardoville; and the servant retired. Mother
+      Bunch was about to rise and quit the room; but Adrienne held her back, and
+      said to her, taking her hand with an air of serious tenderness: &ldquo;Stay, my
+      dear friend, I entreat you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you wish it?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes; I wish&mdash;still in revenge, you know,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a
+      smile, &ldquo;to prove to her highness of Saint-Dizier, that I have an
+      affectionate friend&mdash;that I have, in fact, every happiness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, Adrienne,&rdquo; replied the other, timidly, &ldquo;consider&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence! here is the princess. Remain! I ask it as a favor. The instinct
+      of your heart will discover any snare she may have laid. Did not your
+      affection warn me of the plots of Rodin?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Mother Bunch could not refuse such a request. She remained, but was about
+      to draw back from the fireplace. Adrienne, however, took her by the hand,
+      and made her resume her seat in the arm-chair, saying: &ldquo;My dear Magdalen,
+      keep your place. You owe nothing to the lady. With me it is different; she
+      comes to my house.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had Adrienne uttered these words, than the princess entered with
+      head erect, and haughty air (we have said, she could carry herself most
+      loftily), and advanced with a firm step. The strongest minds have their
+      side of puerile weakness; a savage envy, excited by the elegance, wit, and
+      beauty of Adrienne, bore a large part in the hatred of the princess for
+      her niece; and though it was idle to think of eclipsing Adrienne, and the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier did not seriously mean to attempt it, she could
+      not forbear, in preparing for the interview she had demanded, taking more
+      pains even than usual in the arrangement of her dress. Beneath her robe of
+      shot silk, she was laced in and tightened to excess&mdash;a pressure which
+      considerably increased the color in her cheeks. The throng of jealous and
+      hateful sentiments, which inspired her with regard to Adrienne, had so
+      troubled the clearness of her ordinarily calm judgment, that, instead of
+      the plain and quiet style, in which, as a woman of tact and taste, she was
+      generally attired, she now committed the folly of wearing a dress of
+      changing hues, and a crimson hat, adorned with a magnificent bird of
+      paradise. Hate, envy, the pride of triumph&mdash;for she thought of the
+      skillful perfidy with which she had sent to almost certain death the
+      daughters of Marshal Simon&mdash;and the execrable hope of succeeding in
+      new plots, were all expressed in the countenance of the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier, as she entered her niece&rsquo;s apartment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without advancing to meet her aunt, Adrienne rose politely from the sofa
+      on which she was seated, made a half-curtsey, full of grace and dignity,
+      and immediately resumed her former posture. Then, pointing to an arm chair
+      near the fireplace, at one corner of which sat Mother Bunch, and she
+      herself at the other, she said: &ldquo;Pray sit down, your highness.&rdquo; The
+      princess turned very red, remained standing, and cast a disdainful glance
+      of insolent surprise at the sempstress, who, in compliance with Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      wish, only bowed slightly at the entrance of the Princess de Saint-Dizier,
+      without offering to give up her place. In acting thus, the young
+      sempstress followed the dictates of her conscience, which told her that
+      the real superiority did not belong to this base, hypocritical, and wicked
+      princess, but rather to such a person as herself, the admirable and
+      devoted friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let me beg your highness to sit down,&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, in a mild tone,
+      as she pointed to the vacant chair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The interview I have demanded, niece,&rdquo; said the princess &ldquo;must be a
+      private one.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have no secrets, madame, from my best friend; you may speak in the
+      presence of this young lady.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have long known,&rdquo; replied Madame de Saint-Dizier, with bitter irony,
+      &ldquo;that in all things you care little for secrecy, and that you are easy in
+      the choice of what you call your friends. But you will permit me to act
+      differently from you. If you have no secrets, madame, I have&mdash;and I
+      do not choose to confide them to the first comer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, the pious lady glanced contemptuously at the sempstress. The
+      latter, hurt at the insolent tone of the princess, answered mildly and
+      simply:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not see what can be the great difference between the first and the
+      last comer to Mdlle. de Cardoville&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What! can it speak!&rdquo; cried the princess, insolently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It can at least answer, madame,&rdquo; replied Mother Bunch, in her calm voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to see you alone, niece&mdash;is that clear?&rdquo; said the princess,
+      impatiently, to her niece.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I beg your pardon, but I do not quite understand your highness,&rdquo; said
+      Adrienne, with an air of surprise. &ldquo;This young lady, who honors me with
+      her friendship, is willing to be present at this interview, which you have
+      asked for&mdash;I say she has consented to be present, for it needs, I
+      confess, the kindest condescension in her to resign herself, from
+      affection for me, to hear all the graceful, obliging, and charming things
+      which you have no doubt come hither to communicate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madame&mdash;&rdquo; began the princess, angrily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Permit me to interrupt your highness,&rdquo; returned Adrienne, in a tone of
+      perfect amenity, as if she were addressing the most flattering compliments
+      to her visitor. &ldquo;To put you quite at your ease with the lady here, I will
+      begin by informing you that she is quite aware of all the holy perfidies,
+      pious wrongs, and devout infamies, of which you nearly made me the victim.
+      She knows that you are a mother of the Church, such as one sees but few of
+      in these days. May I hope, therefore, that your highness will dispense
+      with this delicate and interesting reserve?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really,&rdquo; said the princess, with a sort of incensed amazement, &ldquo;I
+      scarcely know if I wake or sleep.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dear me!&rdquo; said Adrienne, in apparent alarm; &ldquo;this doubt as to the state
+      of your faculties is very shocking, madame. I see that the blood flies to
+      your head, for your face sufficiently shows it; you seem oppressed,
+      confined, uncomfortable&mdash;perhaps (we women may say so between
+      ourselves), perhaps you are laced a little too tightly, madame?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words, pronounced by Adrienne with an air of warm interest and
+      perfect simplicity, almost choked the princess with rage. She became
+      crimson, seated herself abruptly, and exclaimed: &ldquo;Be it so, madame! I
+      prefer this reception to any other. It puts me at my ease, as you say.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Does it indeed, madame?&rdquo; said Adrienne, with a smile. &ldquo;You may now at
+      least speak frankly all that you feel, which must for you have the charm
+      of novelty! Confess that you are obliged to me for enabling you, even for
+      a moment, to lay aside that mask of piety, amiability, and goodness, which
+      must be so troublesome to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As she listened to the sarcasms of Adrienne (an innocent and excusable
+      revenge, if we consider all the wrongs she had suffered), Mother Bunch
+      felt her heart sink within her; for she dreaded the malignity of the
+      princess, who replied, with the utmost calmness: &ldquo;A thousand thanks,
+      madame, for your excellent intentions and sentiments. I appreciate them as
+      I ought, and I hope in a short time to prove it to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, madame,&rdquo; said Adrienne, playfully, &ldquo;let us have it all at once. I
+      am full of impatient curiosity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And yet,&rdquo; said the princess, feigning in her turn a bitter and ironical
+      delight, &ldquo;you are far from having the least notion of what I am about to
+      announce to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed! I fear that your highness&rsquo;s candor and modesty deceive you,&rdquo;
+       replied Adrienne, with the same mocking affability; &ldquo;for there are very
+      few things on your part that can surprise me, madame. You must be aware
+      that from your highness, I am prepared for anything.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps, madame,&rdquo; said the princess, laying great stress on her words,
+      &ldquo;if, for instance, I were to tell you that within twenty-four hours&mdash;suppose
+      between this and to-morrow-thou will be reduced to poverty&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      This was so unexpected, that Mdlle. de Cardoville started in spite of
+      herself, and Mother Bunch shuddered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, madame!&rdquo; said the princess, with triumphant joy and cruel mildness,
+      as she watched the growing surprise of her niece, &ldquo;confess that I have
+      astonished you a little. You were right in giving to our interview the
+      turn it has taken. I should have needed all sorts of circumlocution to say
+      to you, &lsquo;Niece, to-morrow you will be as poor as you are rich to day.&rsquo; But
+      now I can tell you the fact quite plainly and simply.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Recovering from her first amazement, Adrienne replied, with a calm smile,
+      which checked the joy of the princess: &ldquo;Well, I confess frankly, madame,
+      that you have surprised me; I expected from you one of those black pieces
+      of malignity, one of those well-laid plots, in which you are known to
+      excel, and I did not think you would make all this fuss about such a
+      trifle.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be ruined&mdash;completely ruined,&rdquo; cried the princess, &ldquo;and that by
+      to morrow&mdash;you that have been so prodigal, will see your house,
+      furniture, horses, jewels, even the ridiculous dresses of which you are so
+      vain, all taken from you&mdash;do you call that a trifle? You, that spend
+      with indifference thousands of louis, will be reduced to a pension
+      inferior to the wages you gave your foot-boy&mdash;do you call that a
+      trifle?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To her aunt&rsquo;s cruel disappointment, Adrienne, who appeared quite to have
+      recovered her serenity was about to answer accordingly, when the door
+      suddenly opened, and, without being announced, Prince Djalma entered the
+      room. A proud and tender expression of delight beamed from the radiant
+      brow of Adrienne at sight of the prince, and it is impossible to describe
+      the look of triumphant happiness and high disdain that she cast upon the
+      Princess de Saint-Dizier. Djalma himself had never looked more handsome,
+      and never had more intense happiness been impressed on a human
+      countenance. The Hindoo wore a long robe of white Cashmere, adorned with
+      innumerable stripes of gold and purple; his turban was of the same color
+      and material; a magnificent figured shawl was twisted about his waist. On
+      seeing the Indian, whom she had not hoped to meet at Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville&rsquo;s, the Princess de Saint-Dizier could not at first conceal her
+      extreme surprise. It was between these four, then, that the following
+      scene took place.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30399m.jpg" alt="30399m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30399.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0164" id="link2HCH0164">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LIX. MEMORIES.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>jalma, having never before met the Princess de Saint-Dizier at
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s, at first appeared rather astonished at her presence. The
+      princess, keeping silence for a moment, contemplated with implacable
+      hatred and envy those two beings, both so fair and young, so loving and
+      happy. Suddenly she started, as if she had just remembered something of
+      great importance, and for some seconds she remained absorbed in thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne and Djalma availed themselves of this interval to gaze fondly on
+      each other, with a sort of ardent idolatry, which filled their eyes with
+      sweet tears. Then, at a movement of the Princess de Saint-Dizier, who
+      seemed to rouse herself from her momentary trance, Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      said to the young prince, with a smile: &ldquo;My dear cousin, I have to repair
+      an omission (voluntary, I confess, and for good reasons), in never having
+      before mentioned to you one of my relations, whom I have now the honor to
+      present to you. The Princess de Saint-Dizier!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30407m.jpg" alt="30407m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30407.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Djalma bowed; but Mdlle. de Cardoville resumed, just as her aunt was about
+      to make some reply: &ldquo;Her Highness of Saint-Dizier came very kindly to
+      inform me of an event which is a most fortunate one for me, and of which I
+      will speak to you hereafter, cousin&mdash;unless this amiable lady should
+      wish to deprive me of the pleasure of making such a communication.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The unexpected arrival of the prince, and the recollections which had
+      suddenly occurred to the princess, had no doubt greatly modified her first
+      plans: for, instead of continuing the conversation with regard to
+      Adrienne&rsquo;s threatened loss of fortune, the princess answered, with a bland
+      smile, that covered an odious meaning: &ldquo;I should be sorry, prince, to
+      deprive my dear and amiable niece of the pleasure of announcing to you the
+      happy news to which she alludes, and which, as a near relative, I lost no
+      time in communicating to her. I have here some notes on this subject,&rdquo;
+       added the princess, delivering a paper to Adrienne, &ldquo;which I hope will
+      prove, to her entire satisfaction, the reality of what I have announced to
+      her.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A thousand thanks, my dear aunt,&rdquo; said Adrienne, receiving the paper with
+      perfect indifference; &ldquo;these precautions and proofs are quite superfluous.
+      You know that I always believe you on your word, when it concerns your
+      good feeling towards myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his ignorance of the refined perfidy and cruel politeness
+      of civilized life, Djalma, endowed with a tact and fineness of perception
+      common to most natures of extreme susceptibility, felt some degree of
+      mental discomfort as he listened to this exchange of false compliments. He
+      could not guess their full meaning, but they sounded hollow to his ear;
+      and moreover, whether from instinct or presentiment, he had conceived a
+      vague dislike for the Princess de Saint-Dizier. That pious lady, full of
+      the great affair in hand, was a prey to the most violent agitation, which
+      betrayed itself in the growing color of her cheeks, her bitter smile, and
+      the malicious brightness of her glance. As he gazed on this woman, Djalma
+      was unable to conquer his rising antipathy, and he remained silent and
+      attentive, whilst his handsome countenance lost something of its former
+      serenity. Mother Bunch also felt the influence of a painful impression.
+      She glanced in terror at the princess, and then imploringly at Adrienne,
+      as though she entreated the latter to but an end to an interview of which
+      the young sempstress foresaw the fatal consequences. But, unfortunately,
+      the Princess de Saint-Dizier was too much interested in prolonging this
+      conversation; and Mdlle. de Cardoville, gathering new courage and
+      confidence from the presence of the man she adored, took delight in vexing
+      the princess with the exhibition of their happy love.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a short silence, the Princess de Saint-Dizier observed, in a soft
+      and insinuating tone: &ldquo;Really, prince, you cannot think how pleased I was
+      to learn by public report (for people talk of nothing else, and with good
+      reason) of your chivalrous attachment to my dear niece; for, without
+      knowing it, you will extricate me from a difficult position.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma made no answer, but he looked at Mdlle. de Cardoville with a
+      surprised and almost sorrowful air, as if to ask what her aunt meant to
+      insinuate.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter, not perceiving this mute interrogation, resumed as follows: &ldquo;I
+      will express myself more clearly, prince. You can understand that, being
+      the nearest relative of this dear, obstinate girl, I am more or less
+      responsible for her conduct in the eyes of the world; and you, prince,
+      seem just to have arrived on purpose, from the end of the earth, to take
+      charge of a destiny which had caused me considerable apprehension. It is
+      charming, it is excellent; and I know not which most to admire, your
+      courage or your good fortune.&rdquo; The princess threw a glance of diabolical
+      malice at Adrienne, and awaited her answer with an air of defiance.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30415m.jpg" alt="30415m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30415.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to our good aunt, my dear cousin,&rdquo; said the young lady, smiling
+      calmly. &ldquo;Since our affectionate kinswoman sees you and me united and
+      happy, her heart is swelling with such a flood of joy, that it must run
+      over, and the effects will be delightful. Only have a little patience, and
+      you will behold them in their full beauty. I do not know,&rdquo; added Adrienne,
+      in the most natural tone, &ldquo;why, in thinking of these outpourings of our
+      dear aunt&rsquo;s affection, I should remember what you told me, cousin, of a
+      certain viper in your country which sometimes, in a powerless bite, breaks
+      its fangs, and, absorbing its own venom, becomes the victim of the poison
+      it distills. Come, my dear aunt, you that had so good and noble a heart, I
+      am sure you must feel interested in the fate of those poor vipers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The princess darted an implacable look at her niece, and replied, in an
+      agitated voice, &ldquo;I do not see the object of this selection of natural
+      history. Do you, prince?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma made no answer; leaning with his arm on the mantelpiece, he threw
+      dark and piercing glances upon the princess. His involuntary hatred of
+      this woman filled his heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, my dear aunt!&rdquo; resumed Adrienne, in a tone of self-reproach; &ldquo;have I
+      presumed too much on the goodness of your heart? Have you not even
+      sympathy for vipers? For whom, then, have you any? After all, I can very
+      well understand it,&rdquo; added Adrienne, as if to herself; &ldquo;vipers are so
+      thin. But, to lay aside these follies,&rdquo; she continued, gayly, as she saw
+      the ill-repressed rage of the pious woman, &ldquo;tell us at once, my dear aunt,
+      all the tender things which the sight of our happiness inspires.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I hope to do so, my amiable niece. First, I must congratulate this dear
+      prince, on having come so far to take charge, in all confidence, and with
+      his eyes shut, of you, my poor child, whom we were obliged to confine as
+      mad, in order to give a decent color to your excesses. You remember the
+      handsome lad, that we found in your apartment. You cannot be so faithless,
+      as already to have forgotten his name? He was a fine, youth, and a poet&mdash;one
+      Agricola Baudoin&mdash;and was discovered in a secret place, attached to
+      your bed-chamber. All Paris was amused with the scandal&mdash;for you are
+      not about to marry an unknown person, dear prince; her name has been in
+      every mouth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these unexpected and dreadful words, Adrienne, Djalma, and Mother
+      Bunch, though under the influence of different kinds of resentment,
+      remained for a moment mute with surprise; and the princess, judging it no
+      longer necessary to repress her infernal joy and triumphant hatred,
+      exclaimed, as she rose from her seat, with flushed cheek, and flashing
+      eyes, &ldquo;Yes, I defy you to contradict me. Were we not forced to confine
+      you, on the plea of madness? And did we not find a workman (your lover)
+      concealed in your bedroom?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On this horrible accusation, Djalma&rsquo;s golden complexion, transparent as
+      amber, became suddenly the color of lead; his eyes, fixed and staring
+      showed the white round the pupil&mdash;his upper lip, red as blood, was
+      curled in a kind of wild convulsion, which exposed to view the firmly-set
+      teeth&mdash;and his whole countenance became so frightfully threatening
+      and ferocious, that Mother Bunch shuddered with terror. Carried away by
+      the ardor of his blood, the young Oriental felt a sort of dizzy,
+      unreflecting, involuntary rage&mdash;a fiery commotion, like that which
+      makes the blood leap to the brave man&rsquo;s eyes and brain, when he feels a
+      blow upon his face. If, during that moment, rapid as the passage of the
+      lightning through the cloud, action could have taken the place of thought,
+      the princess and Adrienne, Mother Bunch and himself, would all have been
+      annihilated by an explosion as sudden and fatal as that of the bursting of
+      a mine. He would have killed the princess, because she accused Adrienne of
+      infamous deception he would have killed Adrienne, because she could even
+      be suspected of such infamy&mdash;and Mother Bunch, for being a witness of
+      the accusation&mdash;and himself, in order not to survive such horrid
+      treachery. But, oh wonder! his furious and bloodshot gaze met the calm
+      look of Adrienne&mdash;a look so full of dignity and serene confidence&mdash;and
+      the expression of ferocious rage passed away like a flash of lightning.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Much more: to the great surprise of the princess and the young workgirl,
+      as the glances which Djalma cast upon Adrienne went (as it were) deeper
+      into that pure soul, not only did the Indian grow calm, but, by a kind of
+      transfiguration, his countenance seemed to borrow her serene expression,
+      and reflect, as in a mirror, the noble serenity impressed on the young
+      lady&rsquo;s features. Let us explain physically this moral revolution, as
+      consoling to the terrified workgirl, as provoking to the princess. Hardly
+      had the princess distilled the atrocious calumny from her venomous lips,
+      than Djalma, then standing before the fireplace, had, in the first
+      paroxysm of his fury, advanced a step towards her; but, wishing as it were
+      to moderate his rage, he held by the marble chimney-piece, which he
+      grasped with iron strength. A convulsive trembling shook his whole body,
+      and his features, altered and contracted, became almost frightful.
+      Adrienne, on her part, when she heard the accusation, yielding to a first
+      impulse of just indignation, even as Djalma had yielded to one of blind
+      fury, rose abruptly, with offended pride flashing from her eyes; but,
+      almost immediately appeased by the consciousness of her own purity, her
+      charming face resumed its expression of adorable serenity. It was then
+      that her eyes met Djalma&rsquo;s. For a second, the young lady was even more
+      afflicted than terrified at the threatening and formidable expression of
+      the young Indian&rsquo;s countenance. &ldquo;Can stupid indignity exasperate him to
+      this degree?&rdquo; said Adrienne to herself. &ldquo;Does he suspect me; then?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30423m.jpg" alt="30423m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30423.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      But to this reflection, as rapid as it was painful, succeeded the most
+      lively joy, when the eyes of Adrienne rested for a short time on those of
+      the Indian, and she saw his agitated countenance grow calm as if by magic,
+      and become radiant and beautiful as before. Thus was the abominable plot
+      of the princess de Saint-Dizier utterly confounded by the sincere and
+      confiding expression of Adrienne&rsquo;s face. That was not all. At the moment,
+      when, as a spectator of this mute and expressive scene (which proved so
+      well the wondrous sympathy of those two beings, who, without speaking a
+      word, had understood and satisfied each other), the princess was choking
+      with rage and vexation&mdash;Adrienne, with a charming smile and gesture,
+      extended her fair hand to Djalma, who, kneeling, imprinted on it a kiss of
+      fire, which sent a light blush to the forehead of the young lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then the Hindoo, placing himself on the ermine carpet at the feet of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville, in an attitude full of grace: and respect, rested
+      his chin on the palm of one of his hands, and gazed on her silently, in a
+      sort of mute adoration&mdash;while Adrienne, bending over him with a happy
+      smile &ldquo;looked at the babies in his eyes,&rdquo; as the song says, with as much
+      amorous complacency, as if the hateful princess had not been present. But
+      soon, as if something were wanting to complete her happiness, Adrienne
+      beckoned to Mother Bunch, and made her sit down by her side. Then, with
+      her hand clasped in that of this excellent friend, Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      smiled on Djalma, stretched adoringly at her feet, and cast on the
+      dismayed princess a look of such calm and firm serenity, so nobly
+      expressive of the invincible quiet of her happiness, and her lofty disdain
+      of all calumnious attacks, that the Princess de Saint-Dizier, confused and
+      stupefied, murmured some hardly intelligible words, in a voice trembling
+      with passion, and, completely losing her presence of mind, rushed towards
+      the door. But, at this moment, the hunchback, who feared some ambush, some
+      perfidious plot in the background, resolved, after exchanging a glance
+      with Adrienne, to accompany the princess to her carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The angry disappointment of the Princess de Saint-Dizier, when she saw
+      herself thus followed and watched, appeared so comical to Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville that she could not help laughing aloud; and it was to the sound
+      of contemptuous hilarity that the hypocritical princess, with rage and
+      despair in her heart, quitted the house to which she had hoped to bring
+      trouble end misery. Adrienne and Djalma were left alone. Before relating
+      the scene which took place between them, a few retrospective words are
+      indispensable. It will easily be imagined, that since Mdlle. de Cardoville
+      and the Oriental had been brought into such close contact, after so many
+      disappointments, their days had passed away like a dream of happiness.
+      Adrienne had especially taken pains to bring to light, one by one, all the
+      generous qualities of Djalma, of which she had read so much in her books
+      of travels. The young lady had imposed on herself this tender and patient
+      study of Djalma&rsquo;s character, not only to justify to her own mind the
+      intensity of her love, but because this period of trial, to which she had
+      assigned a term, enabled her to temper and divert the violence of Djalma&rsquo;s
+      passion&mdash;a task the more meritorious, as she herself was of the same
+      ardent temperament. For, in those two lovers, the finest qualities of
+      sense and soul seemed exactly to balance each other, and heaven had
+      bestowed on them the rarest beauty of form, and the most adorable
+      excellence of heart, as if to legitimatize the irresistible attraction
+      which drew and bound them together. What, then, was to be the term of this
+      painful trial, which Adrienne had imposed on Djalma and on herself? This
+      is what Mdlle. de Cardoville intended to tell the prince, in the interview
+      she had with him, after the abrupt departure of the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30429m.jpg" alt="30429m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30429.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0165" id="link2HCH0165">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LX. THE ORDEAL.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>drienne de Cardoville and Djalma had remained alone. Such was the noble
+      confidence which had succeeded in the Hindoo&rsquo;s mind to his first movement
+      of unreflecting fury, caused by the infamous calumny, that, once alone
+      with Adrienne, he did not even allude to that shameful accusation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On her side (touching and admirable sympathy of those two hearts!), the
+      young lady was too proud, conscious of the purity of her love, to descend
+      to any justification of herself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She would have considered it an insult both to herself and him. Therefore,
+      the lovers began their interview, as if the princess had never made any
+      such remark. The same contempt was extended to the papers, which the
+      princess had brought with her to prove the imminent ruin to which Adrienne
+      was exposed. The young lady had laid them down, without reading them, on a
+      stand within her reach. She made a graceful sign to Djalma to seat himself
+      by her side, and accordingly he quitted, not without regret, the place he
+      had occupied at her feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My love,&rdquo; said Adrienne, in a grave and tender voice, &ldquo;you have often
+      impatiently asked me, when would come the term of the trial we have laid
+      upon ourselves. That moment is at hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma started, and could not restrain a cry of surprise and joy; but this
+      almost trembling exclamation was so soft and sweet, that it seemed rather
+      the expression of ineffable gratitude, than of exulting passion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne continued: &ldquo;Separated&mdash;surrounded by treachery and fraud&mdash;mutually
+      deceived as to each other&rsquo;s sentiments&mdash;we yet loved on, and in that
+      followed an irresistible attraction, stronger than every opposing
+      influence. But since then, in these days of happy retirement from the
+      world, we have learned to value and esteem each other more. Left to
+      ourselves in perfect freedom, we have had the courage to resist every
+      temptation, that hereafter we might be happy without remorse. During these
+      days, in which our hearts had been laid open to each other, we have read
+      them thoroughly. Yes, Djalma! I believe in you, and you in me&mdash;I find
+      in you all that you find in me&mdash;every possible human security for our
+      future happiness. But this love must yet be consecrated; and in the eyes
+      of the world, in which we are called upon to live, marriage is the only
+      consecration, and marriage enchains one&rsquo;s whole life.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma looked at the young lady with surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, one&rsquo;s whole life! and yet who can answer for the sentiments of a
+      whole life?&rdquo; resumed Adrienne. &ldquo;A God, that could see into the future,
+      could alone bind irrevocably certain hearts for their own happiness; but,
+      alas! to human eyes the future is impenetrable. Therefore, to accept
+      indissoluble ties, for any longer than one can answer for a present
+      sentiment, is to commit an act of selfish and impious folly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma made no reply, but, with an almost respectful gesture, he urged the
+      speaker to continue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And then,&rdquo; proceeded she, with a mixture of tenderness and pride, &ldquo;from
+      respect for your dignity and mine, I would never promise to keep a law
+      made by man against woman, with contemptuous and brutal egotism&mdash;a
+      law, which denies to woman soul, mind, and heart&mdash;a law, which none
+      can accept, without being either a slave or perjured&mdash;a law, which
+      takes from the girl her name, reduces the wife to a state of degrading
+      inferiority, denies to the mother all rights over her own children, and
+      enslaves one human creature to the will of another, who is in all respects
+      her equal in the sight of God!&mdash;You know, my love,&rdquo; added the young
+      lady, with passionate enthusiasm, &ldquo;how much I honor you, whose father was
+      called the Father of the Generous. I do not then fear, noble and valiant
+      heart, to see you use against me these tyrannical powers; but, throughout
+      my life, I never uttered a falsehood, and our love is too sacred and
+      celestial to be purchased by a double perjury. No, never will I swear to
+      observe a law, that my dignity, and my reason refuse to sanction. If,
+      to-morrow, the freedom of divorce were established, and the rights of
+      women recognized, I should be willing to observe usages, which would then
+      be in accordance with my conscience, and with what is just, possible, and
+      humane.&rdquo; Then, after a pause, Adrienne continued, with such deep and sweet
+      emotion, that a tear of tenderness veiled her beauteous eyes: &ldquo;Oh! if you
+      knew, my love, what your love is to me: if you knew how dear and sacred I
+      hold your happiness&mdash;you would excuse, you would understand, these
+      generous superstitions of a loving and honest heart, which could only see
+      a fatal omen in forms degraded by falsehood and perjury. What I wish, is,
+      to attach you by love, to bind you in chains of happiness&mdash;and to
+      leave you free, that I may owe your constancy only to your affection.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma had listened to the young girl with passionate attention. Proud and
+      generous himself, he admired this proud and generous character. After a
+      moment&rsquo;s meditative silence, he answered, in his sweet, sonorous voice, in
+      an almost solemn tone: &ldquo;Like you, I hold in detestation, falsehood and
+      perjury. Like you, I think that man degrades himself, by accepting the
+      right of being a cowardly tyrant, even though resolved never to use the
+      power. Like you, I could not bear the thought, that I owed all I most
+      valued, not to your love alone, but to the eternal constraint of an
+      indissoluble bond. Like you, I believe there is no dignity but in freedom.
+      But you have said, that, for this great and holy love, you demand a
+      religious consecration; and if you reject vows, that you cannot make
+      without folly and perjury, are there then others, which your reason and
+      your heart approve?&mdash;Who will pronounce the required blessing? To
+      whom must these vows be spoken?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In a few days, my love, I believe I shall be able to tell you all. Every
+      evening, after your departure, I have no other thought. I wish to find the
+      means of uniting yourself and me&mdash;in the eyes of God, not of the law&mdash;without
+      offending the habits and prejudices of a world, in which it may suit us
+      hereafter to live. Yes, my friend! when you know whose are the noble
+      hands, that are to join ours together, who is to bless and glorify God in
+      our union&mdash;a sacred union, that will leave us worthy and free&mdash;you
+      will say, I am sure, that never purer hands could have been laid upon us.
+      Forgive me, friend! all this is in earnest&mdash;yes, earnest as our love,
+      earnest as our happiness. If my words seem to you strange, my thoughts
+      unreasonable, tell it me, love! We will seek and find some better means,
+      to reconcile that we owe to heaven, with what we owe to the world and to
+      ourselves. It is said, that lovers are beside themselves,&rdquo; added the young
+      lady, with a smile, &ldquo;but I think that no creatures are more reasonable.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When I hear you speak thus of our happiness,&rdquo; said Djalma, deeply moved,
+      &ldquo;with so much calm and earnest tenderness, I think I see a mother occupied
+      with the future prospects of her darling child&mdash;trying to surround
+      him with all that can make him strong, valiant, and generous&mdash;trying
+      to remove far from him all that is ignoble and unworthy. You ask me to
+      tell you if your thoughts seem strange to me, Adrienne. You forget, that
+      what makes my faith in our love, is my feeling exactly as you do. What
+      offends you, offends me also; what disgusts you, disgusts me. Just now,
+      when you cited to me the laws of this country, which respect in a woman
+      not even a mother&rsquo;s right&mdash;I thought with pride of our barbarous
+      countries, where woman, though a slave, is made free when she becomes a
+      mother. No, no; such laws are not made either for you or me. Is it not to
+      prove your sacred respect for our love, to wish to raise it above the
+      shameful servitude that would degrade it? You see, Adrienne, I have often
+      heard said by the priests of my country, that there were beings inferior
+      to the gods, but superior to every other creature. I did not believe those
+      priests; but now I do.&rdquo; These last words were uttered, not in the tone of
+      flattery, but with an accent of sincere conviction, and with that sort of
+      passionate veneration and almost timid fervor, which mark the believer
+      talking of his faith; but what is impossible to describe, is the ineffable
+      harmony of these almost religious words, with the mild, deep tone of the
+      young Oriental&rsquo;s voice&mdash;as well as the ardent expression of amorous
+      melancholy, which gave an irresistible charm to his enchanting features.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adrienne had listened to Djalma with an indescribable mixture of joy,
+      gratitude, and pride. Laying her hand on her bosom, as if to keep down its
+      violent pulsations, she resumed, as she looked at the prince with delight:
+      &ldquo;Behold him, ever the same!&mdash;just, good, great!&mdash;Oh, my heart!
+      my heart! how proudly it beats. Blessed be God, who created me for this
+      adored lover! He must mean to astonish the world, by the prodigies of
+      tenderness and charity, that such a love may produce. They do not yet know
+      the sovereign might of free, happy, ardent love. Yes, Djalma! on the day
+      when our hands are joined together, what hymns of gratitude will ascend to
+      heaven!&mdash;Ah! they do not know the immense, the insatiable longing for
+      joy aria delight, which possesses two hearts like ours; they do not know
+      what rays of happiness stream from the celestial halo of such a flame!&mdash;Oh,
+      yes! I feel it. Many tears will be dried, many cold hearts warmed, at the
+      divine fire of our love. And it will be by the benedictions of those we
+      serve, that they will learn the intoxication of our rapture!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      To the dazzled eyes of Djalma, Adrienne appeared more and more an ideal
+      being&mdash;partaking of the Divinity by her goodness, of the animal
+      nature by passion&mdash;for, yielding to the intensity of excitement,
+      Adrienne fixed upon Djalma looks that sparkled with love.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &lsquo;Then, almost beside himself, the Asiatic fell prostrate at the feet of
+      the maiden, and exclaimed, in a supplicating voice: &ldquo;Mercy! my courage
+      fails me. Have pity on me! do not talk thus. Oh, that day! what years of
+      my life would I not give to hasten it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Silence! no blasphemy. Do not your years belong to me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adrienne! you love me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The young lady did not answer; but her half-veiled, burning glance, dealt
+      the last blow to reason. Seizing her hands in his own, he exclaimed, with
+      a tremulous voice: &ldquo;That day, in which we shall mount to heaven, in which
+      we shall be gods in happiness&mdash;why postpone it any longer?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because our love must be consecrated by the benediction of heaven.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are we not free?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, my love; we are free. Let us be worthy of our liberty!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adrienne! mercy!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I ask you also to have mercy&mdash;to have mercy on the sacredness of our
+      love. Do not profane it in its very flower. Believe my heart! believe my
+      presentiments! to profane it would be to kill. Courage, my adored lover! a
+      few days longer&mdash;and then happiness&mdash;without regret, and without
+      remorse!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, until then, hell! tortures without a name! You do not, cannot know
+      what I suffer when I leave your presence. Your image follows me, your
+      breath burns me up; I cannot sleep, but call on you every night with sighs
+      and tears&mdash;just as I called on, you, when I thought you did not love
+      me&mdash;and yet I know you love me, I know you are mine. But to see you
+      every day more beautiful, more adored&mdash;and every day to quit you more
+      impassioned&mdash;oh! you cannot tell&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma was unable to proceed. What he said of his devouring tortures,
+      Adrienne had felt, perhaps even more intensely. Electrified by the
+      passionate words of Djalma, so beautiful in his excitement, her courage
+      failed, and she perceived that an irresistible languor was creeping over
+      her. By a last chaste effort of the will, she rose abruptly, and hastening
+      to the door, which communicated with Mother Bunch&rsquo;s chamber, she
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;My sister! help me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In another moment, Mdlle. de Cardoville, her face bathed in tears, clasped
+      the young sempstress in her arms; while Djalma knelt respectfully on the
+      threshold he did not dare to pass.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0166" id="link2HCH0166">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXI. AMBITION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span> few days after the interview of Djalma and Adrienne, just described,
+      Rodin was alone in his bed-chamber, in the house in the Rue de Vaugirard,
+      walking up and down the room where he had so valiantly undergone the moxas
+      of Dr. Baleinier. With his hands thrust into the hind-pockets of his
+      greatcoat, and his head bowed upon his breast, the Jesuit seemed to be
+      reflecting profoundly, and his varying walk, now slow, now quick, betrayed
+      the agitation of his mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the side of Rome,&rdquo; said Rodin to himself, &ldquo;I am tranquil. All is going
+      well. The abdication is as good as settled, and if I can pay them the
+      price agreed, the Prince Cardinal can secure me a majority of nine voices
+      in the conclave. Our General is with me; the doubts of Cardinal Malipieri
+      are at an end, or have found no echo. Yet I am not quite easy, with regard
+      to the reported correspondence between Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Malipieri. I
+      have not been able to intercept any of it. No matter; that soldier&rsquo;s
+      business is settled. A little patience and he will be wiped out.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Here the pale lips were contracted by one of those frightful smiles, which
+      gave to Rodin&rsquo;s countenance so diabolical an expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a pause, he resumed: &ldquo;The funeral of the freethinker, the
+      philanthropist, the workman&rsquo;s friend, took place yesterday at St. Herem.
+      Francis Hardy went off in a fit of ecstatic delirium. I had his donation,
+      it is true; but this is more certain. Everything may be disputed in this
+      world; the dead dispute nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin remained in thought for some moments; then he added, in a grave
+      tone: &ldquo;There remain this red-haired wench and her mulatto. This is the
+      twenty-seventh of May; the first of June approaches, and these turtle
+      doves still seem invulnerable. The princess thought she had hit upon a
+      good plan, and I should have thought so too. It was a good idea to mention
+      the discovery of Agricola Baudoin in the madcap&rsquo;s room, for it made the
+      Indian tiger roar with savage jealousy. Yes: but then the dove began to
+      coo, and hold out her pretty beak, and the foolish tiger sheathed his
+      claws, and rolled on the ground before her. It&rsquo;s a pity, for there was
+      some sense in the scheme.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The walk of Rodin became more and more agitated. &ldquo;Nothing is more
+      extraordinary,&rdquo; continued he, &ldquo;than the generative succession of ideas. In
+      comparing this red-haired jade to a dove (colombe), I could not help
+      thinking of that infamous old woman, Sainte-Colombe, whom that big rascal
+      Jacques Dumoulin pays his court to, and whom the Abbe Corbinet will
+      finish, I hope, by turning to good account. I have often remarked, that,
+      as a poet may find an excellent rhyme by mere chance, so the germ of the
+      best ideas is sometimes found in a word, or in some absurd resemblance
+      like the present. That abominable hag, Sainte-Colombo, and the pretty
+      Adrienne de Cardoville, go as well together, as a ring would suit a cat,
+      or a necklace a fish. Well, there is nothing in it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had Rodin pronounced these words, than he started suddenly, and his
+      face shone with a fatal joy. Then it assumed an expression of meditative
+      astonishment, as happens when chance reveals some unexpected discovery to
+      the surprised and charmed inquirer after knowledge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon, with raised head and sparkling eye, his hollow cheeks swelling with
+      joy and pride, Rodin folded his arms in triumph on his breast, and
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;Oh! how admirable and marvellous are these mysterious
+      evolutions of the mind; how incomprehensible is the chain of human
+      thought, which, starting from an absurd jingle of words, arrives at a
+      splendid or luminous idea! Is it weakness? or is it strength? Strange&mdash;very
+      strange! I compare the red-haired girl to a dove&mdash;a colombe. That
+      makes me think of the hag, who traded in the bodies and souls of so many
+      creatures. Vulgar proverbs occur to me, about a ring and a cat, a fish and
+      a necklace&mdash;and suddenly, at the word NECKLACE, a new light dawns
+      upon me. Yes: that one word NECKLACE shall be to me a golden key, to open
+      the portals of my brain, so long foolishly closed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, after again walking hastily up and down, Rodin continued: &ldquo;Yes, it is
+      worth attempting. The more I reflect upon it, the more feasible it
+      appears. Only how to get at that wretch, Saint-Colombe? Well, there is
+      Jacques Dumoulin, and the other&mdash;where to find her? That is the
+      stumbling-block. I must not shout before I am out of the wood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin began again to walk, biting his nails with an air of deep thought.
+      For some moments, such was the tension of his mind, large drops of sweat
+      stood on his yellow brow. He walked up and down, stopped, stamped with his
+      foot, now raised his eyes as if in search of an inspiration, and now
+      scratched his head violently with his left hand, whilst he continued to
+      gnaw the nails of the right. Finally, from time to time, he uttered
+      exclamations of rage, despondency, or hope, as by turns they took
+      possession of his mind. If the cause of this monster&rsquo;s agitation had not
+      been horrible, it would have been a curious and interesting spectacle to
+      watch the labors of that powerful brain&mdash;to follow, as it were, on
+      that shifting countenance, the progress and development of the project, on
+      which he was now concentrating all the resources of his strong intellect.
+      At length, the work appeared to be near completion, for Rodin resumed:
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes! it is bold, hazardous&mdash;but then it is prompt, and the
+      consequences may be incalculable. Who can foresee the effects of the
+      explosion of a mine?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, yielding to a movement of enthusiasm, which was hardly natural to
+      him, the Jesuit exclaimed, with rapture: &ldquo;Oh, the passions! the passions!
+      what a magical instrument do they form, if you do but touch the keys with
+      a light, skillful, and vigorous hand! How beautiful too is the power of
+      thought! Talk of the acorn that becomes an oak, the seed that grows up to
+      the corn&mdash;the seed takes months, the acorn centuries, to unfold its
+      splendors&mdash;but here is a little word in eight letters, necklace and
+      this word, falling into my brain but a few minutes ago, has grown and
+      grown till it has become larger than any oak. Yes, that word is the germ
+      of an idea, that, like the oak, lifts itself up towards heaven, for the
+      greater glory of the Lord&mdash;such as they call Him, and such as I would
+      assert Him to be, should I attain&mdash;and I shall attain&mdash;for these
+      miserable Renneponts will pass away like a shadow. And what matters it,
+      after all, to the moral order I am reserved to guide, whether these people
+      live or die? What do such lives weigh in the balance of the great
+      destinies of the world? while this inheritance which I shall boldly fling
+      into the scale, will lift me to a sphere, from which one commands many
+      kings, many nations&mdash;let them say and make what noise they will. The
+      idiots&mdash;the stupid idiots! or rather, the kind, blessed, adorable
+      idiots! They think they have crushed us, when they say to us men of the
+      church: &lsquo;You take the spiritual, but we will keep the temporal!&rsquo;&mdash;Oh,
+      their conscience or their modesty inspires them well, when it bids them
+      not meddle with spiritual things! They abandon the spiritual! they despise
+      it, they will have nothing to do with it&mdash;oh, the venerable asses!
+      they do not see, that, even as they go straight to the mill, it is by the
+      spiritual that we go straight to the temporal. As if the mind did not
+      govern the body! They leave us the spiritual&mdash;that is, command of the
+      conscience, soul, heart, and judgment&mdash;the spiritual&mdash;that is,
+      the distribution of heaven&rsquo;s rewards, and punishments, and pardons&mdash;without
+      check, without control, in the secrecy of the confessional&mdash;and that
+      dolt, the temporal, has nothing but brute matter for his portion, and yet
+      rubs his paunch for joy. Only, from time to time, he perceives, too late,
+      that, if he has the body, we have the soul, and that the soul governs the
+      body, and so the body ends by coming with us also&mdash;to the great
+      surprise of Master Temporal, who stands staring with his hands on his
+      paunch, and says: &lsquo;Dear me! is it possible?&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, with a laugh of savage contempt, Rodin began to walk with great
+      strides, and thus continued: &ldquo;Oh! let me reach it&mdash;let me but reach
+      the place of SIXTUS V.&mdash;and the world shall see (one day, when it
+      awakes) what it is to have the spiritual power in hands like mine&mdash;in
+      the hands of a priest, who, for fifty years, has lived hardly, frugally,
+      chastely, and who, were he pope, would continue to live hardly, frugally,
+      chastely!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin became terrible, as he spoke thus. All the sanguinary, sacrilegious,
+      execrable ambition of the worst popes seemed written in fiery characters
+      on the brow of this son of Ignatius. A morbid desire of rule seemed to
+      stir up the Jesuit&rsquo;s impure blood; he was bathed in a burning sweat, and a
+      kind of nauseous vapor spread itself round about him. Suddenly, the noise
+      of a travelling-carriage, which entered the courtyard of the house,
+      attracted his attention. Regretting his momentary excitement, he drew from
+      his pocket his dirty white and red cotton handkerchief, and dipping it in
+      a glass of water, he applied it to his cheeks and temples, while he
+      approached the window, to look through the half-open blinds at the
+      traveller who had just arrived. The projection of a portico, over the door
+      at which the carriage had stopped, intercepted Rodin&rsquo;s view.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter,&rdquo; said he, recovering his coolness: &ldquo;I shall know presently who
+      is there. I must write at once to Jacques Dumoulin, to come hither
+      immediately. He served me well, with regard to that little slut in the Rue
+      Clovis, who made my hair stand on end with her infernal Beranger. This
+      time, Dumoulin may serve me again. I have him in my clutches, and he will
+      obey me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin sat down to his desk and wrote. A few seconds later, some one
+      knocked at the door, which was double-locked, quite contrary to the rules
+      of the order. But, sure of his own influence and importance, Rodin, who
+      had obtained from the general permission to be rid for a time of the
+      inconvenient company of a socius, often took upon himself to break through
+      a number of the rules. A servant entered and delivered a letter to Rodin.
+      Before opening it the latter said to the man: &ldquo;What carriage is that which
+      just arrived?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It comes from Rome, father,&rdquo; answered the servant, bowing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From Rome!&rdquo; said Rodin, hastily; and in spite of himself, a vague
+      uneasiness was expressed in his countenance. But, still holding the letter
+      in his hands, he added: &ldquo;Who comes in the carriage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A reverend father of our blessed Company.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his ardent curiosity, for he knew that a reverend father,
+      travelling post, is always charged with some important mission, Rodin
+      asked no more questions on the subject, but said, as he pointed to the
+      paper in his hand: &ldquo;Whence comes this letter?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;From our house at St. Herem, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin looked more attentively at the writing, and recognized the hand of
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, who had been commissioned to attend M. Hardy in his
+      last moments. The letter ran as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I send a despatch to inform your reverence of a fact which is, perhaps,
+      more singular than important. After the funeral of M. Francis Hardy, the
+      coffin, which contained his remains, had been provisionally deposited in a
+      vault beneath our chapel, until it could be removed to the cemetery of the
+      neighboring town. This morning, when our people went down into the vault,
+      to make the necessary preparations for the removal of the body&mdash;the
+      coffin had disappeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is strange indeed,&rdquo; said Rodin with a start. Then, he continued to
+      read:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All search has hitherto been vain, to discover the authors of the
+      sacrilegious deed. The chapel being, as you know, at a distance from the
+      house, they were able to effect an entry without disturbing us. We have
+      found traces of a four-wheeled carriage on the damp ground in the
+      neighborhood; but, at some little distance from the chapel, these marks
+      are lost in the sand, and it has been impossible to follow them any
+      farther.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who can have carried away this body?&rdquo; said Rodin, with a thoughtful air.
+      &ldquo;Who could have any interest in doing so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He continued to read:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Luckily, the certificate of death is quite correct. I sent for a doctor
+      from Etampes, to prove the disease, and no question can be raised on that
+      point. The donation is therefore good and valid in every respect, but I
+      think it best to inform your reverence of what has happened, that you may
+      take measures accordingly, etc., etc.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s reflection, Rodin said to himself: &ldquo;D&rsquo;Aigrigny is right
+      in his remark; it is more singular than important. Still, it makes one
+      think. We must have an eye to this affair.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Turning towards the servant, who had brought him the letter, Rodin gave
+      him the note he had just written to Ninny Moulin, and said to him: &ldquo;Let
+      this letter be taken instantly to its address, and let the bearer wait for
+      an answer.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At the moment the servant left the room, a reverend father entered, and
+      said to Rodin, &ldquo;Father Caboccini of Rome has just arrived, with a mission
+      from our general to your reverence.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words, Rodin&rsquo;s blood ran cold, but he maintained his immovable
+      calmness, and said simply: &ldquo;Where is Father Caboccini?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the next room, father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Beg him to walk in, and leave us,&rdquo; said the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A second after, Father Caboccini of Rome entered the room and was left
+      alone with Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0167" id="link2HCH0167">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXII. TO A SOCIUS, A SOCIUS AND A HALF.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he Reverend Father Caboccini, the Roman Jesuit who now came to visit
+      Rodin, was a short man of about thirty years of age, plump, in good
+      condition, and with an abdomen that swelled out his black cassock. The
+      good little father was blind with one eye, but his remaining organ of
+      vision sparkled with vivacity. His rosy countenance was gay, smiling,
+      joyous, splendidly crowned with thick chestnut hair, which curled like a
+      wax doll&rsquo;s. His address was cordial to familiarity, and his expansive and
+      petulant manners harmonized well with his general appearance. In a second,
+      Rodin had taken his measure of the Italian emissary; and as he knew the
+      practice of his Company, and the ways of Rome, he felt by no means
+      comfortable at sight of this jolly little father, with such affable
+      manners. He would have less feared some tall, bony priest, with austere
+      and sepulchral countenance, for he knew that the Company loves to deceive
+      by the outward appearance of its agents; and if Rodin guessed rightly, the
+      cordial address of this personage would rather tend to show that he was
+      charged with some fatal mission.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suspicious, attentive, with eye and mind on the watch, like an old wolf,
+      expecting an attack, Rodin advanced as usual, slowly and tortuously
+      towards the little man, so as to have time to examine him thoroughly, and
+      penetrate beneath his jovial outside. But the Roman left him no space for
+      that purpose. In his impetuous affection he threw himself right on the
+      neck of Rodin, pressed him in his arms with an effusion of tenderness, and
+      kissed him over and over again upon both cheeks, so loudly and plentifully
+      that the echo resounded through the apartment. In his life Rodin had never
+      been so treated. More and more uneasy at the treachery which must needs
+      lurk under such warm embraces, and irritated by his own evil
+      presentiments, the French Jesuit did, all he could to extricate himself
+      from the Roman&rsquo;s exaggerated tokens of tenderness. But the latter kept his
+      hold; his arms, though short, were vigorous, and Rodin was kissed over and
+      over again, till the little one-eyed man was quite out of breath. It is
+      hardly necessary to state that these embraces were accompanied by the most
+      friendly, affectionate, and fraternal exclamations&mdash;all in tolerably
+      good French, but with a strong Italian accent, which we muss beg the
+      reader to supply for himself, after we have given a single specimen. It
+      will perhaps be remembered that, fully aware of the danger he might
+      possibly incur by his ambitious machinations, and knowing from history
+      that the use of poison had often been considered at Rome as a state
+      necessity, Rodin, on being suddenly attacked with the cholera, had
+      exclaimed, with a furious glance at Cardinal Malipieri, &ldquo;I am poisoned!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The same apprehensions occurred involuntarily to the Jesuit&rsquo;s mind as he
+      tried, by useless efforts, to escape from the embraces of the Italian
+      emissary; and he could not help muttering to himself, &ldquo;This one-eyed
+      fellow is a great deal too fond. I hope there is no poison under his
+      Judas-kisses.&rdquo; At last, little Father Caboccini, being quite out of
+      breath, was obliged to relinquish his hold on Rodin&rsquo;s neck, who,
+      readjusting his dirty collar, and his old cravat and waistcoat, somewhat
+      in disorder in consequence of this hurricane of caresses, said in a gruff
+      tone, &ldquo;Your humble servant, father, but you need not kiss quite so hard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without making any answer to this reproach, the little father riveted his
+      one eye upon Rodin with an expression of enthusiasm, and exclaimed, whilst
+      he accompanied his words with petulant gestures, &ldquo;At lazt I zee te zuperb
+      light of our zacred Company, and can zalute him from my heart&mdash;vonse
+      more, vonse more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      As the little father had already recovered his breath, and was about to
+      rush once again into Rodin&rsquo;s arms, the latter stepped back hastily, and
+      held out his arm to keep him off, saying, in allusion to the illogical
+      metaphor employed by Father Caboccini, &ldquo;First of all, father, one does not
+      embrace a light&mdash;and then I am not a light&mdash;I am a humble and
+      obscure laborer in the Lord&rsquo;s vineyard.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The Roman replied with enthusiasm (we shall henceforth translate his
+      gibberish), &ldquo;You are right, father, we cannot embrace a light, but we can
+      prostrate ourselves before it, and admire its dazzling brightness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Caboccini was about to suit the action to the word, and to
+      prostrate himself before Rodin, had not the latter prevented this mode of
+      adulation by seizing the Roman by the arm and exclaiming, &ldquo;This is mere
+      idolatry, father. Pass over my qualities, and tell me what is the object
+      of your journey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The object, my dear father, fills me with joy and happiness. I have
+      endeavored to show you my affection by my caresses, for my heart is
+      overflowing. I have hardly been able to restrain myself during my journey
+      hither, for my heart rushed to meet you. The object transports, delights,
+      enchants me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what enchants you?&rdquo; cried Rodin, exasperated by these Italian
+      exaggerations. &ldquo;What is the object?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This rescript of our very reverend and excellent General will inform you,
+      my clear father.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Caboccini drew from his pocket-book a folded paper, with three seals,
+      which he kissed respectfully, and delivered to Rodin, who himself kissed
+      it in his turn, and opened it with visible anxiety. While he read it the
+      countenance of the Jesuit remained impassible, but the pulsation of the
+      arteries on his temples announced his internal agitation. Yet he put the
+      letter coolly into his pocket, and looking at the Roman, said to him, &ldquo;Be
+      it as our excellent General has commanded!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then, father,&rdquo; cried Caboccini, with a new effusion of tenderness and
+      admiration, &ldquo;I shall be the shadow of your light, and, in fact, your
+      second self. I shall have the happiness of being always with you, day and
+      night, and of acting as your socius, since, after having allowed you to be
+      without one for some time, according to your wish, and for the interest of
+      our blessed Company, our excellent General now thinks fit to send me from
+      Rome, to fill that post about your person&mdash;an unexpected, an immense
+      favor, which fills me with gratitude to our General, and with love to you,
+      my dear, my excellent father!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is well played,&rdquo; thought Rodin; &ldquo;but I am not so soft, and &lsquo;tis only
+      among the blind that your Cyclops are kings!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The evening of the day in which this scene took place between the Jesuit
+      and his new socius, Ninny Moulin, after receiving in presence of Caboccini
+      the instructions of Rodin, went straight to Madame de la Sainte-Colombe&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This woman had made her fortune, at the time of the allies taking Paris,
+      by keeping one of those &ldquo;pretty milliner&rsquo;s shops,&rdquo; whose &ldquo;pink bonnets&rdquo;
+       have run into a proverb not extinct in these days when bonnets are not
+      known. Ninny Moulin had no better well to draw inspiration from when, as
+      now, he had to find out, as per Rodin&rsquo;s order, a girl of an age and
+      appearance which, singularly enough, were closely resembling those of
+      Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No doubt of Ninny Moulin&rsquo;s success in this mission, for the next morning
+      Rodin, whose countenance wore a triumphant expression, put with his own
+      hand a letter into the post.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This letter was addressed:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To M. Agricola Baudoin, &ldquo;No. 2, Rue Brise-Miche, &ldquo;Paris.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0168" id="link2HCH0168">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXIII. FARINGHEA&rsquo;S AFFECTION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>t will, perhaps, be remembered that Djalma, when he heard for the first
+      time that he was beloved by Adrienne, had, in the fulness of his joy,
+      spoken thus to Faringhea, whose treachery he had just discovered, &ldquo;You
+      leagued with my enemies, and I had done you no harm. You are wicked,
+      because you are no doubt unhappy. I will strive to make you happy, so that
+      you may be good. Would you have gold?&mdash;you shall have it. Would you
+      have a friend?&mdash;though you are a slave, a king&rsquo;s son offers you his
+      friendship.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea had refused the gold, and appeared to accept the friendship of
+      the son of Kadja-sing. Endowed with remarkable intelligence, and
+      extraordinary power of dissimulation the half-breed had easily persuaded
+      the prince of the sincerity of his repentance, and obtained credit for his
+      gratitude and attachment from so confiding and generous a character.
+      Besides, what motives could Djalma have to suspect the slave, now become
+      his friend? Certain of the love of Mdlle. de Cardoville, with whom he
+      passed a portion of every day, her salutary influence would have guarded
+      him against any dangerous counsels or calumnies of the half-caste, a
+      faithful and secret instrument of Rodin, and attached by him to the
+      Company. But Faringhea, whose tact was amazing, did not act so lightly; he
+      never spoke to the prince of Mdlle. de Cardoville, and waited
+      unobtrusively for the confidential communications into which Djalma was
+      sometimes hurried by his excessive joy. A few days after the interview
+      last described between Adrienne and Djalma, and on the morrow of the day
+      when Rodin, certain of the success of Ninny Moulin&rsquo;s mission to Sainte
+      Colombe, had himself put a letter in the post to the address of Agricola
+      Baudoin, the half-caste, who for some time had appeared oppressed with a
+      violent grief, seemed to get so much worse, that the prince, struck with
+      the desponding air of the man, asked him kindly and repeatedly the cause
+      of his sorrow. But Faringhea, while he gratefully thanked the prince for
+      the interest he took in him, maintained the most absolute silence and
+      reserve on the subject of his grief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These preliminaries will enable the reader to understand the following
+      scene, which took place about noon in the house in the Rue de Clichy
+      occupied by the Hindoo. Contrary to his habit, Djalma had not passed that
+      morning with Adrienne. He had been informed the evening before, by the
+      young lady, that she must ask of him the sacrifice of this whole day, to
+      take the necessary measures to make their marriage sacred and acceptable
+      in the eyes of the world, and yet free from the restrictions which she and
+      Djalma disapproved. As for the means to be employed by Mdlle. de
+      Cardoville to attain this end, and the name of the pure and honorable
+      person who was to consecrate their union, these were secrets which, not
+      belonging exclusively to the young lady, could not yet be communicated to
+      Djalma. To the Indian, so long accustomed to devote every instant to
+      Adrienne, this day seemed interminable. By turns a prey to the most
+      burning agitation, and to a kind of stupor, in which he plunged himself to
+      escape from the thoughts that caused his tortures, Djalma lay stretched
+      upon a divan, with his face buried in his hands, as if to shut out the
+      view of a too enchanting vision. Suddenly, without knocking at the door,
+      as usual, Faringhea entered the prince&rsquo;s apartment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the noise the half-caste made in entering Djalma started, raised his
+      head, and looked round him with surprise; but, on seeing the pale agitated
+      countenance of the slave, he rose hastily, and advancing towards him,
+      exclaimed, &ldquo;What is the matter, Faringhea!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After a moment&rsquo;s silence, and as if struggling with a painful feeling of
+      hesitation, Faringhea threw himself at the feet of Djalma, and murmured in
+      a weak, despairing, almost supplicating voice: &ldquo;I am very miserable. Pity
+      me, my good lord!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The tone was so touching, the grief under which the half-breed suffered
+      seemed to give to his features, generally fixed and hard as bronze, such a
+      heart-rending expression, that Djalma was deeply affected, and, bending to
+      raise him from the ground, said to him, in a kindly voice: &ldquo;Speak to me!
+      Confidence appeases the torments of the heart. Trust me, friend&mdash;for
+      my angel herself said to me, that happy love cannot bear to see tears
+      about him.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But unhappy love, miserable love, betrayed love&mdash;weeps tears of
+      blood,&rdquo; replied Faringhea, with painful dejection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of what love dost thou speak?&rdquo; asked Djalma, in surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I speak of my love,&rdquo; answered the half-caste, with a gloomy air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of your love?&rdquo; said Djalma, more and more astonished; not that the half
+      caste, still young, and with a countenance of sombre beauty, appeared to
+      him incapable of inspiring or feeling the tender passion, but that, until
+      now, he had never imagined him capable of conceiving so deep a sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; resumed the half-caste, &ldquo;you told me, that misfortune had made
+      me wicked, and that happiness would make me good. In those words, I saw a
+      presentiment, and a noble love entered my heart, at the moment when hatred
+      and treachery departed from it. I, the half-savage, found a woman,
+      beautiful and young, to respond to my passion. At least I thought so. But
+      I had betrayed you, my lord, and there is no happiness for a traitor, even
+      though he repent. In my turn, I have been shamefully betrayed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, seeing the surprise of the prince, the half-caste added, as if
+      overwhelmed with confusion: &ldquo;Do not mock me, my lord! The most frightful
+      tortures would not have wrung this confession from me; but you, the son of
+      a king, deigned to call the poor slave your friend!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And your friend thanks you for the confidence,&rdquo; answered Djalma. &ldquo;Far
+      from mocking, he will console you. Mock you! do you think it possible?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Betrayed love merits contempt and insult,&rdquo; said Faringhea, bitterly.
+      &ldquo;Even cowards may point at one with scorn&mdash;for, in this country, the
+      sight of the man deceived in what is dearest to his soul, the very life
+      blood of his life, only makes people shrug their shoulders and laugh.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But are you certain of this treachery?&rdquo; said Djalma, mildly. Then he
+      added, with visible hesitation, that proved the goodness of his heart:
+      &ldquo;Listen to me, and forgive me for speaking of the past! It will only be
+      another proof, that I cherish no evil memories, and that I fully believe
+      in your repentance and affection. Remember, that I also once thought, that
+      she, who is the angel of my life, did not love me&mdash;and yet it was
+      false. Who tells you, that you are not, like me, deceived by false
+      appearances?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my lord! could I only believe so! But I dare not hope it. My brain
+      wanders uncertain, I cannot come to any resolution, and therefore I have
+      recourse to you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But what causes your suspicions?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Her coldness, which sometimes succeeds to apparent tenderness. The
+      refusals she gives me in the name of duty. Yes,&rdquo; added the half-caste,
+      after a moment&rsquo;s silence, &ldquo;she reasons about her love&mdash;a proof, that
+      she has never loved me, or that she loves me no more.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On the contrary, she perhaps loves you all the more, that she takes into
+      consideration the interest and the dignity of her love.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30437m.jpg" alt="30437m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30437.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is what they all say,&rdquo; replied the half-caste, with bitter irony, as
+      he fixed a penetrating look on Djalma; &ldquo;thus speak all those who love
+      weakly, coldly; but those who love valiantly, never show these insulting
+      suspicions. For them, a word from the man they adore is a command; they do
+      not haggle and bargain, for the cruel pleasure of exciting the passion of
+      their lover to madness, and so ruling him more surely. No, what their
+      lover asks of them, were it to cost life and honor, they would grant it
+      without hesitation&mdash;because, with them, the will of the man they love
+      is above every other consideration, divine and human. But those crafty
+      women, whose pride it is to tame and conquer man&mdash;who take delight in
+      irritating his passion, and sometimes appear on the point of yielding to
+      it&mdash;are demons, who rejoice in the tears and torments of the wretch,
+      that loves them with the miserable weakness of a child. While we expire
+      with love at their feet, the perfidious creatures are calculating the
+      effects of their refusals, and seeing how far they can go, without quite
+      driving their victim to despair. Oh! how cold and cowardly are they,
+      compared to the valiant, true-hearted women, who say to the men of their
+      choice: &lsquo;Let me be thine to-day-and to-morrow, come shame, despair, and
+      death&mdash;it matters little! Be happy! my life is not worth one tear of
+      thine!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma&rsquo;s brow had darkened, as he listened. Having kept inviolable the
+      secret of the various incidents of his passion for Mdlle. de Cardoville,
+      he could not but see in these words a quite involuntary allusion to the
+      delays and refusals of Adrienne. And yet Djalma suffered a moment in his
+      pride, at the thought of considerations and duties, that a woman holds
+      dearer than her love. But this bitter and painful thought was soon effaced
+      from the oriental&rsquo;s mind, thanks to the beneficent influence of the
+      remembrance of Adrienne. His brow again cleared, and he answered the
+      half-caste, who was watching him attentively with a sidelong glance: &ldquo;You
+      are deluded by grief. If you have no other reason to doubt her you love,
+      than these refusals and vague suspicions, be satisfied! You are perhaps
+      loved better than you can imagine.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! would it were so, my lord!&rdquo; replied the half-caste, dejectedly, as
+      if he had been deeply touched by the words of Djalma. &ldquo;Yet I say to
+      myself: There is for this woman something stronger than her love&mdash;delicacy,
+      dignity, honor, what you will&mdash;but she does not love me enough to
+      sacrifice for me this something!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Friend, you are deceived,&rdquo; answered Djalma, mildly, though the words
+      affected him with a painful impression. &ldquo;The greater the love of a woman,
+      the more it should be chaste and noble. It is love itself that awakens
+      this delicacy and these scruples. He rules, instead of being ruled.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is true,&rdquo; replied the half-caste, with bitter irony, &ldquo;Love so rules
+      me, that this woman bids me love in her own fashion, and I have only to
+      submit.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Pausing suddenly, Faringhea hid his face in his hands, and heaved a deep
+      drawn sigh. His features expressed a mixture of hate, rage, and despair,
+      at once so terrible and so painful, that Djalma, more and more affected,
+      exclaimed, as he seized the other&rsquo;s hand: &ldquo;Calm this fury, and listen to
+      the voice of friendship! It will disperse this evil influence. Speak to
+      me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no! it is too dreadful!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Speak, I bid thee.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No! leave the wretch to his despair!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you think me capable of that?&rdquo; said Djalma, with a mixture of mildness
+      and dignity, which seemed to make an impression on the half caste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; replied he, hesitating; &ldquo;do you wish to hear more, my lord?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to hear all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then! I have not told you all&mdash;for, at the moment of making
+      this confession, shame and the fear of ridicule kept me back. You asked me
+      what reason I had to believe myself betrayed. I spoke to you of vague
+      suspicions, refusals, coldness. That is not all&mdash;this evening&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Go on!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This evening&mdash;she made an appointment&mdash;with a man that she
+      prefers to me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who told you so?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A stranger who pitied my blindness.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And suppose the man deceived you&mdash;or deceives himself?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He has offered me proofs of what he advances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What proofs?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will enable me this evening to witness the interview. &lsquo;It may be,&rsquo;
+      said he, &lsquo;that this appointment may have no guilt in it, notwithstanding
+      appearances to the contrary. Judge for yourself, have courage, and your
+      cruel indecision will be at an end.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what did you answer?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing, my lord. My head wandered as it does now and I came to you for
+      advice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, making a gesture of despair, he proceeded with a savage laugh:
+      &ldquo;Advice? It is from the blade of my kand-jiar that I should ask counsel!
+      It would answer: &lsquo;Blood! blood!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea grasped convulsively the long dagger attached to his girdle.
+      There is a sort of contagion in certain forms of passion. At sight of
+      Faringhea&rsquo;s countenance, agitated by jealous fury, Djalma shuddered&mdash;for
+      he remembered the fit of insane rage, with which he had been possessed,
+      when the Princess de Saint-Dizier had defied Adrienne to contradict her,
+      as to the discovery of Agricola Baudoin in her bed-chamber. But then,
+      reassured by the lady&rsquo;s proud and noble bearing, Djalma had soon learned
+      to despise the horrible calumny, which Adrienne had not even thought
+      worthy of an answer. Still, two or three times, as the lightning will
+      flash suddenly across the clearest sky, the remembrance of that shameful
+      accusation had crossed the prince&rsquo;s mind, like a streak of fire, but had
+      almost instantly vanished, in the serenity and happiness of his ineffable
+      confidence in Adrienne&rsquo;s heart. These memories, however, whilst they
+      saddened the mind of Djalma, only made him more compassionate with regard
+      to Faringhea, than he might have been without this strange coincidence
+      between the position of the half-caste and his own. Knowing, by his own
+      experience, to what madness a blind fury may be carried, and wishing to
+      tame the half-caste by affectionate kindness, Djalma said to him in a
+      grave and mild tone: &ldquo;I offered you my friendship. I will now act towards
+      you a friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But Faringhea, seemingly a prey to a dull and mute frenzy, stood with
+      fixed and haggard eyes, as though he did not hear Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter laid his hand on his shoulder, and resumed: &ldquo;Faringhea, listen
+      to me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; said the half-caste, starting abruptly, as from a dream,
+      &ldquo;forgive me&mdash;but&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;In the anguish occasioned by these cruel suspicions, it is not of your
+      kandjiar that you must take counsel&mdash;but of your friend.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To this interview, which will prove the innocence or the treachery of
+      your beloved, you will do well to go.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes!&rdquo; said the half-caste, in a hollow voice, and with a bitter
+      smile: &ldquo;I shall be there.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But you must not go alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you mean, my lord?&rdquo; cried the half-caste. &ldquo;Who will accompany
+      me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You, my lord?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes&mdash;perhaps, to save you from a crime&mdash;for I know how blind
+      and unjust is the earliest outburst of rage.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But that transport gives us revenge!&rdquo; cried the half-caste, with a cruel
+      smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faringhea, this day is all my own. I shall not leave you,&rdquo; said the
+      prince, resolutely. &ldquo;Either you shall not go to this interview, or I will
+      accompany you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The half-caste appeared conquered by this generous perseverance. He fell
+      at the feet of Djalma, pressed the prince&rsquo;s hand respectfully to his
+      forehead and to his lips, and said: &ldquo;My lord, be generous to the end!
+      forgive me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For what should I forgive you?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before I spoke to you, I had the audacity to think of asking for what you
+      have just freely offered. Not knowing to what extent my fury might carry
+      me, I had thought of asking you this favor, which you would not perhaps
+      grant to an equal, but I did not dare to do it. I shrunk even from the
+      avowal of the treachery I have cause to fear, and I came only to tell you
+      of my misery&mdash;because to you alone in all the world I could tell it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      It is impossible to describe the almost candid simplicity, with which the
+      half-breed pronounced these words, and the soft tones, mingled with tears,
+      which had succeeded his savage fury. Deeply affected, Djalma raised him
+      from the ground, and said: &ldquo;You were entitled to ask of me a mark of
+      friendship. I am happy in having forestalled you. Courage! be of good
+      cheer! I will accompany you to this interview, and if my hopes do not
+      deceive me, you will find you have been deluded by false appearances.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When the night was come, the half-breed and Djalma, wrapped in their
+      cloaks, got into a hackney-coach. Faringhea ordered the coachman to drive
+      to the house inhabited by Sainte-Colombe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0169" id="link2HCH0169">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXIV. AN EVENING AT SAINTE-COLOMBE&rsquo;S.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">L</span>eaving Djalma and Faringhea in the coach, on their way, a few words are
+      indispensable before continuing this scene. Ninny Moulin, ignorant of the
+      real object of the step he took at the instigation of Rodin, had, on the
+      evening before, according to orders received from the latter, offered a
+      considerable sum to Sainte-Colombe, to obtain from that creature (still
+      singularly rapacious) the use of her apartments for whole day.
+      Sainte-Colombe, having accepted this proposition, too advantageous to be
+      refused, had set out that morning with her servants, to whom she wished,
+      she said, in return for their good services, to give a day&rsquo;s pleasure in
+      the country. Master of the house, Rodin, in a black wig, blue spectacles,
+      and a cloak, and with his mouth and chin buried in a worsted comforter&mdash;in
+      a word, perfectly disguised&mdash;had gone that morning to take a look at
+      the apartments, and to give his instructions to the half-caste. The
+      latter, in two hours from the departure of the Jesuit, had, thanks to his
+      address and intelligence, completed the most important preparation and
+      returned in haste to Djalma, to play with detestable hypocrisy the scene
+      at which we have just been present.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      During the ride from the Rue de Clichy to the Rue de Richelieu, Faringhea
+      appeared plunged in a mournful reverie. Suddenly, he said to Djalma to a
+      quick tone: &ldquo;My lord, if I am betrayed, I must have vengeance.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Contempt is a terrible revenge,&rdquo; answered Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; replied the half-caste, with an accent of repressed rage. &ldquo;It is
+      not enough. The nearer the moment approaches, the more I feel I must have
+      blood.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Listen to me&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My lord, have pity on me! I was a coward to draw back from my revenge.
+      Let me leave you, my lord! I will go alone to this interview.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Faringhea made a movement, as if he would spring from the
+      carriage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma held him by the arm, and said: &ldquo;Remain! I wilt not leave you. If
+      you are betrayed, you shall not shed blood. Contempt will avenge and
+      friendship will console you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, my lord; I am resolved. When I have killed&mdash;then I will kill
+      myself,&rdquo; cried the half-caste, with savage excitement. &ldquo;This kandjiar for
+      the false ones!&rdquo; added he, laying his hand on his dagger. &ldquo;The poison in
+      the hilt for me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faringhea&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If I resist you, my lord, forgive me! My destiny must be accomplished.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Time pressed, and Djalma, despairing to calm the other&rsquo;s ferocious rage,
+      resolved to have recourse to a stratagem.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After some minutes&rsquo; silence, he said to Faringhea: &ldquo;I will not leave you.
+      I will do all I can to save you from a crime. If I do not succeed, the
+      blood you shed be on your own head. This hand shall never again be locked
+      in yours.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      These words appeared to make a deep impression on Faringhea. He breathed a
+      long sigh, and, bowing his head upon his breast, remained silent and full
+      of thought. Djalma prepared, by the faint light of the lamps, reflected in
+      the interior of the coach, to throw himself suddenly on the half-caste,
+      and disarm him. But the latter, who saw at a glance the intention of the
+      prince, drew his kandjiar abruptly from his girdle, and holding it still
+      in its sheath, said to the prince in a half-solemn, half-savage tone:
+      &ldquo;This dagger, in a strong hand, is terrible; and in this phial is one of
+      the most subtle poisons of our country.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He touched a spring, and the knob at the top of the hilt rose like a lid,
+      discovering the mouth of a small crystal phial concealed in this murderous
+      weapon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Two or three drops of this poison upon the lips,&rdquo; resumed the half caste,
+      &ldquo;and death comes slowly and peacefully, in a few hours, and without pain.
+      Only, for the first symptom, the nails turn blue. But he who emptied this
+      phial at a draught would fall dead, as if struck by lightning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Djalma; &ldquo;I know that our country produces such mysterious
+      poisons. But why lay such stress on the murderous properties of this
+      weapon?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To show you, my lord, that this kandjiar would ensure the success and
+      impunity of my vengeance. With the blade I could destroy, and by the
+      poison escape from human justice. Well, my lord! this kandjiar&mdash;take
+      it&mdash;I give it up to you&mdash;I renounce my vengeance&mdash;rather
+      than render myself unworthy to clasp again your hand!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He presented the dagger to the prince, who, as pleased as surprised at
+      this unexpected determination, hastily secured the terrible weapon beneath
+      his own girdle; whilst the half-breed continued, in a voice of emotion:
+      &ldquo;Deep this kandjiar, my lord&mdash;and when you have seen and heard all
+      that we go to hear and see&mdash;you shall either give me the dagger to
+      strike a wretch&mdash;or the poison, to die without striking. You shall
+      command; I will obey.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma was about to reply, when the coach stopped at the house inhabited
+      by Sainte-Colombe. The prince and the half-caste, well enveloped in their
+      mantles, entered a dark porch, and the door was closed after them.
+      Faringhea exchanged a few words with the porter, and the latter gave him a
+      key. The two Orientals soon arrived at Sainte-Colombe&rsquo;s apartments, which
+      had two doors opening upon the landing-place, besides a private entrance
+      from the courtyard. As he put the key into the lock, Faringhea said to
+      Djalma, in an agitated voice: &ldquo;Pity my weakness, my lord&mdash;but, at
+      this terrible moment, I tremble and hesitate. It were perhaps better to
+      doubt&mdash;or to forget!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, as the prince was about to answer, the half-caste exclaimed: &ldquo;No! we
+      must have no cowardice!&rdquo; and, opening the door precipitately, he entered,
+      followed by Djalma.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the door was again closed, the prince and the half-caste found
+      themselves in a dark and narrow passage. &ldquo;Your hand, my lord&mdash;let me
+      guide you&mdash;walk lightly,&rdquo; said Faringhea, in a low whisper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He extended his hand to the prince, who took hold of it, and they both
+      advanced silently through the darkness. After leading Djalma some
+      distance, and opening and closing several doors, the half-caste stopped
+      abruptly, and abandoning the hand which he had hitherto held, said to the
+      prince: &ldquo;My lord, the decisive moment approaches; let us wait here for a
+      few seconds.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      A profound silence followed these words of the half-caste. The darkness
+      was so complete, that Djalma could distinguish nothing. In about a minute,
+      he heard Faringhea moving away from him; and then a door was suddenly
+      opened, and as abruptly closed and locked. This circumstance made Djalma
+      somewhat uneasy. By a mechanical movement, he laid his hand upon his
+      dagger, and advanced cautiously towards the side, where he supposed the
+      door to be.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30445m.jpg" alt="30445m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30445.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly, the half-caste&rsquo;s voice struck upon his ear, though it was
+      impossible to guess whence it came. &ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; it said, &ldquo;you told me, you
+      were my friend. I act as a friend. If I have employed stratagem to bring
+      you hither, it is because the blindness of your fatal passion would
+      otherwise have prevented your accompanying me. The Princess de Saint
+      Dizier named to you Agricola Baudoin, the lover of Adrienne de Cardoville.
+      Listen&mdash;look&mdash;judge!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The voice ceased. It appeared to have issued from one corner of the room.
+      Djalma, still in darkness, perceived too late into what a snare he had
+      fallen, and trembled with rage&mdash;almost with alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Faringhea!&rdquo; he exclaimed; &ldquo;where am I? where are you? Open the door on
+      your life! I would leave this place instantly.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Extending his arms, the prince advanced hastily several steps, but he only
+      touched a tapestried wall; he followed it, hoping to find the door, and he
+      at length found it; but it was locked, and resisted all his efforts. He
+      continued his researches, and came to a fireplace with no fire in it, and
+      to a second door, equally fast. In a few moments, he had thus made the
+      circle of the room, and found himself again at the fireplace. The anxiety
+      of the prince increased more and more. He called Faringhea, in a voice
+      trembling with passion. There was no answer. Profound silence reigned
+      without, and complete darkness within. Ere long, a perfumed vapor, of
+      indescribable sweetness, but very subtle and penetrating, spread itself
+      insensibly through the little room in which Djalma was. It might be, that
+      the orifice of a tube, passing through one of the doors of the room,
+      introduced this balmy current. At the height of angry and terrible
+      thoughts, Djalma paid no attention to this odor&mdash;but soon the
+      arteries of his temples began to beat violently, a burning heat seemed to
+      circulate rapidly through his veins, he felt a sensation of pleasure, his
+      resentment died gradually away, and a mild, ineffable torpor crept over
+      him, without his being fully conscious of the mental transformation that
+      was taking place. Yet, by a last effort of the wavering will, Djalma
+      advanced once more to try and open one of the doors; he found it indeed,
+      but at this place the vapor was so strong, that its action redoubled, and,
+      unable to move a step further, Djalma was obliged to support himself by
+      leaning against the wall.(43)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then a strange thing happened. A faint light spread itself gradually
+      through an adjoining apartment, and Djalma now perceived, for the first
+      time, the existence of a little round window, in the wall of the room in
+      which he was. On the side of the prince, this opening was protected by a
+      slight but strong railing, which hardly intercepted the view. On the other
+      side a thick piece of plate-glass was fixed at the distance of two or
+      three inches from the railing in question. The room, which Djalma saw
+      through this window, and through which the faint light was now gradually
+      spreading, was richly furnished. Between two windows, hung with crimson
+      silk curtains, stood a kind of wardrobe, with a looking-glass front;
+      opposite the fireplace in which glowed the burning coals, was a long, wide
+      divan, furnished with cushions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In another second a woman entered this apartment. Her face and figure were
+      invisible, being wrapped in a long, hooded mantle, of peculiar form, and a
+      dark color. The sight of this mantle made Djalma start. To the pleasure he
+      at first felt succeeded a feverish anxiety, like the growing fumes of
+      intoxication. There was that strange buzzing in his ears which we
+      experience when we plunge into deep waters. It was in a kind of delirium
+      that Djalma looked on at what was passing in the next room. The woman who
+      had just appeared entered with caution, almost with fear. Drawing aside
+      one of the window curtains, she glanced through the closed blinds into the
+      street. Then she returned slowly to the fireplace, where she stood for a
+      moment pensive, still carefully enveloped in her mantle. Completely
+      yielding to the influence of the vapor, which deprived him of his presence
+      of mind&mdash;forgetting Faringhea, and all the circumstances that had
+      accompanied his arrival at this house&mdash;Djalma concentrated all the
+      powers of his attention on the spectacle before him, at which he seemed to
+      be present as in a dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly Djalma saw the woman leave the fireplace and advance towards the
+      looking-glass. Turning her face toward it, she allowed the mantle to glide
+      down to her feet. Djalma was thunderstruck. He saw the face of Adrienne de
+      Cardoville. Yes, Adrienne, as he had seen her the night before, attired as
+      during her interview with the Princess de Saint Dizier&mdash;the light
+      green dress, the rose-colored ribbons, the white head ornaments. A network
+      of white beads concealed her back hair, and harmonized admirably with the
+      shining gold of her ringlets. Finally, as far as the Hindoo could judge
+      through the railing and the thick glass, and in the faint light, it was
+      the figure of Adrienne, with her marble shoulders and swan-like neck, so
+      proud and so graceful. In a word, he could not, he did not doubt that it
+      was Adrienne de Cardoville. Djalma was bathed in a burning dew, his dizzy
+      excitement increased, and, with bloodshot eye and heaving bosom, he
+      remained motionless, gazing almost without the power of thought. The young
+      lady, with her back still turned towards Djalma, arranged her hair with
+      graceful art, took off the network which formed her head-dress, placed it
+      on the chimney-piece, and began to unfasten her gown; then, withdrawing
+      from the looking-glass, she disappeared for an instant from Djalma&rsquo;s view.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She is expecting Agricola Baudoin, her lover,&rdquo; said a voice, which seemed
+      to proceed from the wall of the dark room in which Djalma was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Notwithstanding his bewilderment, these terrible words, &ldquo;She is expecting
+      Agricola Baudoin, her lover,&rdquo; passed like a stream of fire through the
+      brain and heart of the prince. A cloud of blood came over his eyes, he
+      uttered a hollow moan, which the thickness of the glass prevented from
+      being heard in the next room, and broke his nails in attempting to tear
+      down the iron railing before the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having reached this paroxysm of delirious rage, Djalma saw the uncertain
+      light grow still fainter, as if it had been discreetly obscured, and,
+      through the vapory shadow that hung before him, he perceived the young
+      lady returning, clad in a long white dressing-gown, and with her golden
+      curls floating over her naked arms and shoulders. She advanced cautiously
+      in the direction of a door which was hid from Djalma&rsquo;s view. At this
+      moment, one of the doors of the apartment in which the prince was
+      concealed was gently opened by an invisible hand. Djalma noticed it by the
+      click of the lock, and by the current of fresh air which streamed upon his
+      face, for he could see nothing. This door, left open for Djalma, like that
+      in the next room, to which the young lady had drawn near, led to a sort of
+      ante-chamber communicating with the stairs, which some one now rapidly
+      ascended, and, stopping short, knocked twice at the outer door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here comes Agricola Baudoin. Look and listen!&rdquo; said the same voice that
+      the prince had already heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mad, intoxicated, but with the fixed idea and reckless determination of a
+      madman or a drunkard, Djalma drew the dagger which Faringhea had left in
+      his possession, and stood in motionless expectation. Hardly were the two
+      knocks heard before the young lady quitted the apartment, from which
+      streamed a faint ray of light, ran to the door of the staircase, so that
+      some faint glimmer reached the place where Djalma stood watching, his
+      dagger in his hand. He saw the young lady pass across the ante-chamber,
+      and approach the door of the staircase, where she said in a whisper: &ldquo;Who
+      is there?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is I&mdash;Agricola Baudoin,&rdquo; answered, from, without, a manly voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What followed was rapid as lightning, and must be conceived rather than
+      described. Hardly had the young lady drawn the bolt of the door, hardly
+      had Agricola Baudoin stepped across the threshold, than Djalma, with the
+      bound of a tiger, stabbed as it were at once, so rapid were the strokes,
+      both the young lady, who fell dead on the floor, and Agricola, who sank,
+      dangerously wounded, by the side of the unfortunate victim. This scene of
+      murder, rapid as thought, took place in the midst of a half obscurity.
+      Suddenly the faint light from the chamber was completely extinguished, and
+      a second after, Djalma felt his arm seized in the darkness by an iron
+      grasp, and the voice of Faringhea whispered: &ldquo;You are avenged. Come; we
+      can secure our retreat.&rdquo; Inert, stupefied at what he had done, Djalma
+      offered no resistance, and let himself be dragged by the half-caste into
+      the inner apartment, from which there was another way out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When Rodin had exclaimed, in his admiration of the generative power of
+      thought, that the word NECKLACE had been the germ of the infernal project
+      he then contemplated, it was, that chance had brought to his mind the
+      remembrance of the too famous affair of the diamond necklace, in which a
+      woman, thanks to her vague resemblance to Queen Marie Antoinette, being
+      dressed like that princess, and favored by the uncertainty of a twilight,
+      had played so skillfully the part of her unfortunate sovereign, as to make
+      the Cardinal Prince de Rohan, though familiar with the court, the complete
+      dupe of the illusion. Having once determined on his execrable design,
+      Rodin had sent Jacques Dumoulin to Sainte-Colombe, without telling him the
+      real object of his mission, to ask this experienced woman to procure a
+      fine young girl, tall, and with red hair. Once found, a costume exactly
+      resembling that worn by Adrienne, and of which the Princess de
+      Saint-Dizier gave the description to Rodin (though herself ignorant of
+      this new plot), was to complete the deception. The rest is known, or may
+      be guessed. The unfortunate girl, who acted as Adrienne&rsquo;s double, believed
+      she was only aiding in a jest. As for Agricola, he had received a letter,
+      in which he was invited to a meeting that might be of the greatest
+      importance to Mdlle. de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      (43) See the strange effect of hasheesh. To the effect of this is
+      attributed the kind of hallucination which seized on those unhappy
+      persons, whom the Prince of the Assassins (the Old Man of the Mountain)
+      used as the instruments of his vengeance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0170" id="link2HCH0170">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXV. THE NUPTIAL BED.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he mild light of a circular lamp of oriental alabaster, suspended from
+      the ceiling by three silver chains, spreads a faint lustre through the
+      bed-chamber of Adrienne de Cardoville.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The large ivory bedstead, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, is not at present
+      occupied, and almost disappears beneath snowy curtains of lace and muslin,
+      transparent and vapory as clouds. On the white marble mantlepiece, from
+      beneath which the fire throws ruddy beams on the ermine carpet, is the
+      usual basket filled with a bush of red camellias, in the midst of their
+      shining green leaves. A pleasant aromatic odor, rising from a warm and
+      perfumed bath in the next room, penetrates every corner of the
+      bed-chamber. All without is calm and silent. It is hardly eleven o&rsquo;clock.
+      The ivory door, opposite to that which leads to the bath-room, opens
+      slowly. Djalma appears. Two hours have elapsed since he committed a double
+      murder, and believed that he had killed Adrienne in a fit of jealous fury.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The servants of Mdlle. de Cardoville, accustomed to Djalma&rsquo;s daily visits,
+      no longer announced his arrival, and admitted him without difficulty,
+      having received no orders to the contrary from their mistress. He had
+      never before entered the bed-chamber, but, knowing that the apartment the
+      lady occupied was on the first floor of the house, he had easily found it.
+      As he entered that virgin sanctuary, his countenance was pretty calm, so
+      well did he control his feelings, only a slight paleness tarnished the
+      brilliant amber of his complexion. He wore that day a robe of purple
+      cashmere, striped with silver&mdash;a color which did not show the stains
+      of blood upon it. Djalma closed the door after him, and tore off his white
+      turban, for it seemed to him as if a band of hot iron encircled his brow.
+      His dark hair streamed around his handsome face. He crossed his arms upon
+      his bosom, and looked slowly about him. When his eyes rested on Adrienne&rsquo;s
+      bed, he started suddenly, and his cheek grew purple. Then he drew his hand
+      across his brow, hung down his head, and remained standing for some
+      moments in a dream, motionless as a statue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After a mournful silence of a few seconds&rsquo; duration, Djalma fell upon his
+      knees, and raised his eyes to heaven. The Asiatic&rsquo;s countenance was bathed
+      in tears, and no longer expressed any violent passion. On his features was
+      no longer the stamp of hate, or despair, or the ferocious joy of vengeance
+      gratified. It was rather the expression of grief at once simple and
+      immense. For several minutes he was almost choked with sobs, and tears ran
+      freely down his cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dead! dead!&rdquo; he murmured, in a half-stifled voice. &ldquo;She, who this morning
+      slept so peacefully in this chamber! And I have killed her. Now that she
+      is dead, what is her treachery to me? I should not have killed her for
+      that. She had betrayed me; she loved the man whom I slew&mdash;she loved
+      him! Alas! I could not hope to gain the preference,&rdquo; added he, with a
+      touching mixture of resignation and remorse; &ldquo;I, poor, untaught youth&mdash;how
+      could I merit her love? It was my fault that she did not love me; but,
+      always generous, she concealed from me her indifference, that she might
+      not make me too unhappy&mdash;and for that I killed her. What was her
+      crime? Did she not meet me freely? Did she not open to me her dwelling?
+      Did she not allow me to pass whole days with her? No doubt she tried to
+      love me, and could not. I loved her with all the faculties of my soul, but
+      my love was not such as she required. For that, I should not have killed
+      her. But a fatal delusion seized me and, after it was done, I woke as from
+      a dream. Alas! it was not a dream: I have killed her. And yet&mdash;until
+      this evening&mdash;what happiness I owed to her&mdash;what hope&mdash;what
+      joy! She made my heart better, nobler, more generous. All came from her,&rdquo;
+       added the Indian, with a new burst of grief. &ldquo;That remained with me&mdash;no
+      one could take from me that treasure of the past&mdash;that ought to have
+      consoled me. But why think of it? I struck them both&mdash;her and the man&mdash;without
+      a struggle. It was a cowardly murder&mdash;the ferocity of the tiger that
+      tears its innocent prey!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma buried his face in his hands. Then, drying his tears, he resumed,
+      &ldquo;I know, clearly, that I mean to die also. But my death will not restore
+      her to life!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He rose from the ground, and drew from his girdle Faringhea&rsquo;s bloody
+      dagger; then, taking the little phial from the hilt, he threw the blood
+      stained blade upon the ermine carpet, the immaculate whiteness of which
+      was thus slightly stained with red.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; resumed Djalma, holding the phial with a convulsive grasp, &ldquo;I know
+      well that I am about to die. It is right. Blood for blood; my life for
+      hers. How happens it that my steel did not turn aside? How could I kill
+      her?&mdash;but it is done&mdash;and my heart is full of remorse, and
+      sorrow, an inexpressible tenderness&mdash;and I have come here&mdash;to
+      die!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here, in this chamber,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;the heaven of my burning visions!&rdquo;
+       And then he added, with a heartrending accent, as he again buried his face
+      in his hands, &ldquo;Dead! dead!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well! I too shall soon be dead,&rdquo; he resumed, in a firmer voice. &ldquo;But, no!
+      I will die slowly, gradually. A few drops of the poison will suffice; and,
+      when I am quite certain of dying, my remorse will perhaps be less
+      terrible. Yesterday, she pressed my hand when we parted. Who could have
+      foretold me this?&rdquo; The Indian raised the phial resolutely to his lips. He
+      drank a few drops of the liquor it contained, and replaced it on a little
+      ivory table close to Adrienne&rsquo;s bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This liquor is sharp and hot,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;Now I am certain to die. Oh!
+      that I may still have time to feast on the sight and perfume of this
+      chamber&mdash;to lay my dying head on the couch where she has reposed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma fell on his knees beside the bed, and leaned against it his burning
+      brow. At this moment, the ivory door, which communicated with the
+      bath-room, rolled gently on its hinges, and Adrienne entered. The young
+      lady had just sent away her woman, who had assisted to undress her. She
+      wore a long muslin wrapper of lustrous whiteness. Her golden hair, neatly
+      arranged in little plaits, formed two bands, which gave to her sweet face
+      an extremely juvenile air. Her snowy complexion was slightly tinged with
+      rose-color, from the warmth of the perfumed bath, which she used for a few
+      seconds every evening. When she opened the ivory door, and placed her
+      little naked foot, in its white satin slipper, upon the ermine carpet,
+      Adrienne was dazzlingly beautiful. Happiness sparkled in her eyes, and
+      adorned her brow. All the difficulties relative to her union with Djalma
+      had now been removed. In two days she would be his. The sight of the
+      nuptial chamber oppressed her with a vague and ineffable languor. The
+      ivory door had been opened so gently, the lady&rsquo;s first steps were so soft
+      upon the fur carpet, that Djalma, still leaning against the bed, had heard
+      nothing. But suddenly a cry of surprise and alarm struck upon his ear. He
+      turned round abruptly. Adrienne stood before him.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30453m.jpg" alt="30453m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30453.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      With an impulse of modesty, Adrienne closed her nightdress over her bosom,
+      and hastily drew back, still more afflicted than angry at what she
+      considered a guilty attempt on the part of Djalma. Cruelly hurt and
+      offended, she was about to reproach him with his conduct, when she
+      perceived the dagger, which he had thrown down upon the ermine carpet. At
+      sight of this weapon, and the expression of fear and stupor which
+      petrified the features of Djalma, who remained kneeling, motionless, with
+      his body thrown back, hands stretched out, his eyes fixed and wildly
+      staring Adrienne, no longer dreading an amorous surprise, was seized with
+      an indescribable terror, and, instead of flying from the prince, advanced
+      several steps towards him, and said, in an agitated voice, whilst she
+      pointed to the kandjiar, &ldquo;My friend, why are you here? what ails you? why
+      this dagger?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma made no answer. At first, the presence of Adrienne seemed to him a
+      vision, which he attributed to the excitement of his brain, already (it
+      might be) under the influence of the poison. But when the soft voice
+      sounded in his ears&mdash;when his heart bounded with the species of
+      electric shock, which he always felt when he met the gaze of that woman so
+      ardently beloved&mdash;when he had contemplated for an instant that
+      adorable face, so fresh and fair, in spite of its expression of deep
+      uneasiness&mdash;Djalma understood that he was not the sport of a dream,
+      but that Mdlle. de Cardoville was really before his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, as he began fully to grasp the thought that Adrienne was not dead,
+      though he could not at all explain the prodigy of her resurrection, the
+      Hindoo&rsquo;s countenance was transfigured, the pale gold of his complexion
+      became warm and red, his eyes (tarnished by tears of remorse) shone with
+      new radiance, and his features, so lately contracted with terror and
+      despair, expressed all the phases of the most ecstatic joy. Advancing,
+      still on his knees, towards Adrienne, he lifted up to her his trembling
+      hands, and, too deeply affected to pronounce a word, he gazed on her with
+      so much amazement, love, adoration, gratitude, that the young lady,
+      fascinated by those inexplicable looks, remained mute also, motionless
+      also, and felt, by the precipitate beating of her heart, and by the
+      shudder which ran through her frame, that there was here some dreadful
+      mystery to be unfolded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At last, Djalma, clasping his hands together, exclaimed with an accent
+      impossible to describe, &ldquo;Thou art not dead!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Dead!&rdquo; repeated the young lady, in amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It was not thou, really not thou, whom I killed? God is kind and just!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And as he pronounced these words with intense joy, the unfortunate youth
+      forgot the victim whom he had sacrificed in error.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More and more alarmed, and again glancing at the dagger en which she now
+      perceived marks of blood&mdash;a terrible evidence, in confirmation of the
+      words of Djalma&mdash;Mdlle. de Cardoville exclaimed, &ldquo;You have killed
+      some one, Djalma! Oh! what does he say? It is dreadful!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are alive&mdash;I see you&mdash;you are here,&rdquo; said Djalma, in a
+      voice trembling with rapture. &ldquo;You are here&mdash;beautiful! pure! for it
+      was not you! Oh, no! had it been you, the steel would have turned back
+      upon myself.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have killed some one?&rdquo; cried the young lady, beside her with this
+      unforeseen revelation, and clasping her hands in horror. &ldquo;Why? whom did
+      you kill?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know. A woman that was like you&mdash;a man that I thought your
+      lover&mdash;it was an illusion, a frightful dream&mdash;you are alive&mdash;you
+      are here!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And the oriental wept for joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A dream? but no, it is not a dream. There is blood upon that dagger!&rdquo;
+       cried the young lady, as she pointed wildly to the kandjiar. &ldquo;I tell you
+      there is blood upon it!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes. I threw it down just now, when I took the poison from it, thinking
+      that I had killed you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The poison!&rdquo; exclaimed Adrienne, and her teeth chattered convulsively.
+      &ldquo;What poison?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I thought I had killed you, and I came here to die.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To die? Oh! wherefore? who is to die?&rdquo; cried the young lady, almost in
+      delirium.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I,&rdquo; replied Djalma, with inexpressible tenderness, &ldquo;I thought I had
+      killed you&mdash;and I took poison.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You!&rdquo; exclaimed Adrienne, becoming pale as death. &ldquo;You!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! it is not true!&rdquo; said the young lady, shaking her head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look!&rdquo; said the Asiatic. Mechanically, he turned towards the bed&mdash;towards
+      the little ivory table, on which sparkled the crystal phial.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a sudden movement, swifter than thought, swifter, it may be, than the
+      will, Adrienne rushed to the table, seized the phial, and applied it
+      eagerly to her lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Djalma had hitherto remained on his knees; but he now uttered a terrible
+      cry, made one spring to the drinker&rsquo;s side, and dragged away the phial,
+      which seemed almost glued to her mouth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No matter! I have swallowed as much as you,&rdquo; said Adrienne, with an air
+      of gloomy triumph.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For an instant, there followed an awful silence. Adrienne and Djalma gazed
+      upon each other, mute, motionless, horror-struck. The young lady was the
+      first to break this mournful silence, and said in a tone which she tried
+      to make calm and steady, &ldquo;Well! what is there extraordinary in this? You
+      have killed, and death most expiate your crime. It is just. I will not
+      survive you. That also is natural enough. Why look at me thus? This poison
+      has a sharp taste&mdash;does it act quickly! Tell me, my Djalma!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The prince did not answer. Shuddering through all his frame, he looked
+      down upon his hands. Faringhea had told the truth; a slight violet tint
+      appeared already beneath the nails. Death was approaching, slowly, almost
+      insensibly, but not the less certain. Overwhelmed with despair at the
+      thought that Adrienne, too, was about to die, Djalma felt his courage fail
+      him. He uttered a long groan, and hid his face in his hands. His knees
+      shook under him, and he felt down upon the bed, near which he was
+      standing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Already?&rdquo; cried the young lady in horror, as she threw herself on her
+      knees at Djalma&rsquo;s feet. &ldquo;Death already? Do you hide your face from me?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In her fright, she pulled his hands from before his face. That face was
+      bathed in tears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, not yet,&rdquo; murmured he, through his sobs. &ldquo;The poison is slow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Really!&rdquo; cried Adrienne, with ineffable joy. Then, kissing the hands of
+      Djalma, she added tenderly, &ldquo;If the poison is slow, why do you weep?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For you! for you!&rdquo; said the Indian, in a heart-rending tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Think not of me,&rdquo; replied Adrienne, resolutely. &ldquo;You have killed, and we
+      must expiate the crime. I know not what has taken place; but I swear by
+      our love that you did not do evil for evil&rsquo;s sake. There is some horrible
+      mystery in all this.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On a pretence which I felt bound to believe,&rdquo; replied Djalma, speaking
+      quickly, and panting for breath, &ldquo;Faringhea led me to a certain house.
+      Once there, he told me that you had betrayed me. I did not believe him,
+      but I know not what strange dizziness seized upon me&mdash;and then,
+      through a half-obscurity, I saw you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No&mdash;not you&mdash;but a woman resembling you, dressed like you, so
+      that I believed the illusion&mdash;and then there came a man&mdash;and you
+      flew to meet him&mdash;and I&mdash;mad with rage&mdash;stabbed her,
+      stabbed him, saw them fall&mdash;and so came here to die. And now I find
+      you only to cause your death. Oh, misery! misery! that you should die
+      through me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And Djalma, this man of formidable energy, began again to weep with the
+      weakness of a child. At sight of this deep, touching, passionate despair,
+      Adrienne, with that admirable courage which women alone possess in love,
+      thought only of consoling Djalma. By an effort of superhuman passion, as
+      the prince revealed to her this infernal plot, the lady&rsquo;s countenance
+      became so splendid with an expression of love and happiness, that the East
+      Indian looked at her in amazement, fearing for an instant that he must
+      have lost his reason.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No more tears, my adored!&rdquo; cried the young lady, exultingly. &ldquo;No more
+      tears&mdash;but only smiles of joy and love! Our cruel enemies shall not
+      triumph!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you say?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They wished to make us miserable. We pity them. Our felicity shall be the
+      envy of the world!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adrienne&mdash;bethink you&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I have all my senses about me. Listen to me, my adored! I now
+      understand it all. Falling into a snare, which these wretches spread for
+      you, you have committed murder. Now, in this country, murder leads to
+      infamy, or the scaffold&mdash;and to-morrow&mdash;to-night, perhaps&mdash;you
+      would be thrown into prison. But our enemies have said: &lsquo;A man like Prince
+      Djalma does not wait for infamy&mdash;he kills himself. A woman like
+      Adrienne de Cardoville does not survive the disgrace or death of her lover&mdash;she
+      prefers to die.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Therefore a frightful death awaits them both,&rdquo; said the black-robed men;
+      &ldquo;and that immense inheritance, which we covet&mdash;&lsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And for you&mdash;so young, so beautiful so innocent&mdash;death is
+      frightful, and these monsters triumph!&rdquo; cried Djalma. &ldquo;They have spoken
+      the truth!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;They have lied!&rdquo; answered Adrienne. &ldquo;Our death shall be celestial. This
+      poison is slow&mdash;and I adore you, my Djalma!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      She spoke those words in a low voice, trembling with passionate love, and,
+      leaning upon Djalma&rsquo;s knees, approached so near, that he felt her warm
+      breath upon his cheek. As he felt that breath, and saw the humid flame
+      that darted from the large, swimming eyes of Adrienne, whose half opened
+      lips were becoming of a still deeper and brighter hue, the Indian started&mdash;his
+      young blood boiled in his veins&mdash;he forgot everything&mdash;his
+      despair, and the approach of death, which as yet (as with Adrienne), only
+      showed itself in a kind of feverish ardor. His face, like the young
+      girl&rsquo;s, became once more splendidly beautiful.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my lover! my husband! how beautiful you are!&rdquo; said Adrienne, with
+      idolatry. &ldquo;Those eyes&mdash;that brow&mdash;those lips&mdash;how I love
+      them!&mdash;How many times has the remembrance of your grace and beauty,
+      coupled with your love, unsettled my reason, and shaken my resolves&mdash;even
+      to this moment, when I am wholly yours!&mdash;Yes, heaven wills that we
+      should be united. Only this morning, I gave to the apostolic man, that was
+      to bless our union, in thy name and mine, a royal gift&mdash;a gift, that
+      will bring joy and peace to the heart of many an unfortunate creature.
+      Then what have we to regret, my beloved? Our immortal souls will pass away
+      in a kiss, and ascend, full of love, to that God who is all love!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Adrienne!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Djalma!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The light, transparent curtains fell like a cloud over that nuptial and
+      funereal couch. Yes, funereal; for, two hours after, Adrienne and Djalma
+      breathed their last sigh in a voluptuous agony.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0171" id="link2HCH0171">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXVI. A DUEL TO THE DEATH.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>drienne and Djalma died on the 30th of May. The following scene took
+      place on the 31st, the eve of the day appointed for the last convocation
+      of the heirs of Marius de Rennepont. The reader will no doubt remember the
+      room occupied by M. Hardy, in the &ldquo;house of retreat,&rdquo; in the Rue de
+      Vaugirard&mdash;a gloomy and retired apartment, opening on a dreary little
+      garden, planted with yew-trees, and surrounded by high walls. To reach
+      this chamber, it was necessary to cross two vast rooms, the doors of
+      which, once shut, intercepted all noise and communication from without.
+      Bearing this in mind, we may go on with our narrative. For the last three
+      or four days, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny occupied this apartment. He had not chosen
+      it, but had been induced to accept it, under most plausible pretexts,
+      given him at the instigation of Rodin. It was about noon. Seated in an
+      arm-chair, by the window opening on the little garden, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      held in his hand a newspaper, in which he read as follows, under the head
+      of &ldquo;Paris:&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Eleven p.m.&mdash;A most horrible and tragical event has just excited the
+      greatest consternation in the quarter of the Rue de Richelieu. A double
+      murder has been committed, on the person of a young man and woman. The
+      girl was killed on the spot, by the stroke of a dagger; hopes are
+      entertained of saving the life of the young man. The crime is attributed
+      to jealousy. The officers of justice are investigating the matter. We
+      shall give full particulars tomorrow.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      When he had read these lines, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny threw down the paper and
+      remained in deep thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is incredible,&rdquo; said he, with bitter envy, in allusion to Rodin. &ldquo;He
+      has attained his end. Hardly one of his anticipations has been defeated.
+      This family is annihilated, by the mere play of the passions, good and
+      evil that he has known how to set in motion. He said it would be so. Oh! I
+      must confess,&rdquo; added Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with a jealous and hateful smile,
+      &ldquo;that Rodin is a man of rare dissimulation, patience, energy, obstinacy
+      and intelligence. Who would have told a few months ago, when he wrote
+      under my orders, a discreet and humble socius, that he had already
+      conceived the most audacious ambition, and dared to lift his eyes to the
+      Holy See itself? that, thanks to intrigues and corruption, pursued with
+      wondrous ability, these views were not so unreasonable? Nay, that this
+      infernal ambition would soon be realized, were it not that the secret
+      proceedings of this dangerous man have long been as secretly watched?&mdash;Ah!&rdquo;
+       sneered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, with a smile of irony and triumph, &ldquo;you wish to
+      be a second Sixtus V., do you? And, not content with this audacious
+      pretension, you mean, if successful, to absorb our Company in the Papacy,
+      even as the Sultan has absorbed the Janissaries. Ah! You would make us
+      your stepping-stone to power! And you have thought to humiliate and crush
+      me with your insolent disdain! But patience, patience: the day of
+      retribution approaches. I alone am the depository of our General&rsquo;s will.
+      Father Caboccini himself does not know that. The fate of Rodin is in my
+      hands. Oh! it will not be what he expects. In this Rennepont affair
+      (which, I must needs confess, he has managed admirably), he thinks to
+      outwit us all, and to work only for himself. But to-morrow&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny was suddenly disturbed in these agreeable reflections.
+      He heard the door of the next room open, and, as he turned round to see
+      who was coming, the door of the apartment in which he was turned upon its
+      hinges. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny started with surprise, and became almost purple.
+      Marshal Simon stood before him. And, behind the marshal, in the shadow of
+      the door, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny perceived the cadaverous face of Rodin. The
+      latter cast on him one glance of diabolical delight, and instantly
+      disappeared. The door was again closed, and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny and Marshal
+      Simon were left alone together. The father of Rose and Blanche was hardly
+      recognizable. His gray hair had become completely white. His pale, thin
+      face had not been shaved for some days. His hollow eyes were bloodshot and
+      restless, and had in them something wild and haggard. He was wrapped in a
+      large cloak, and his black cravat was tied loosely about his neck. In
+      withdrawing from the apartment, Rodin had (as if by inadvertence)
+      double-locked the door on the outside. When he was alone with the Jesuit,
+      the marshal threw back his cloak from his shoulders, and Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny
+      could see two naked swords, stuck through a silk handkerchief which served
+      him as a belt.
+    </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30461m.jpg" alt="30461m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30461.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny understood it all. He remembered how, a few days before,
+      Rodin had obstinately pressed him to say what he would do if the marshal
+      were to strike him in the face. There could be no doubt that he, who
+      thought to have held the fate of Rodin in his hands, had been brought by
+      the latter into a fearful peril; for he knew that, the two outer rooms
+      being closed, there was no possibility of making himself heard, and that
+      the high walls of the garden only bordered upon some vacant lots. The
+      first thought which occurred to him, one by no means destitute of
+      probability, was that Rodin, either by his agents at Rome, or by his own
+      incredible penetration, had learned that his fate depended on Father
+      d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and hoped therefore to get rid of him, by delivering him over
+      to the inexorable vengeance of the father of Rose and Blanche. Without
+      speaking a word, the marshal unbound the handkerchief from his waist, laid
+      the two swords upon the table, and, folding his arms upon his breast,
+      advanced slowly towards Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny. Thus these two men, who through
+      life had pursued each other with implacable hatred, at length met face to
+      face&mdash;they, who had fought in hostile armies, and measured swords in
+      single combat, and one of whom now came to seek vengeance for the death of
+      his children. As the marshal approached, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny rose from his
+      seat. He wore that day a black cassock, which rendered still more visible
+      the pale hue, which had now succeeded to the sudden flush on his cheek.
+      For a few seconds, the two men stood face to face without speaking. The
+      marshal was terrific in his paternal despair. His calmness, inexorable as
+      fate, was more impressive than the most furious burst of anger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children are dead,&rdquo; said he at last, in a slow and hollow tone. &ldquo;I
+      come to kill you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; cried Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, &ldquo;listen to me. Do not believe&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I must kill you,&rdquo; resumed the marshal, interrupting the Jesuit; &ldquo;your
+      hate followed my wife into exile, where she perished. You and your
+      accomplices sent my children to certain death. For twenty years you have
+      been my evil genius. I must have your life, and I will have it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My life belongs, first, to God,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, piously,
+      &ldquo;and then to who likes to take it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will fight to the death in this room,&rdquo; said the marshal; &ldquo;and, as I
+      have to avenge my wife and children, I am tranquil as to the result.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; answered Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, coldly, &ldquo;you forget that my profession
+      forbids me to fight. Once I accepted your challenge&mdash;but my position
+      is changed since then.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; said the marshal, with a bitter smile; &ldquo;you refuse to fight because
+      you are a priest?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir&mdash;because I am a priest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So that, because he is a priest, a wretch like you may commit any crime,
+      any baseness, under shelter of his black gown?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not understand a word of your accusations. In any case, the law is
+      open,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, biting his pale lips, for he felt deeply
+      the insult offered by the marshal; &ldquo;if you have anything to complain of,
+      appeal to that law, before which all are equal.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Marshal Simon shrugged his shoulders in angry disdain. &ldquo;Your crimes escape
+      the law&mdash;and, could it even reach you, that would not satisfy my
+      vengeance, after all the evil you have done me, after all you have taken
+      from me,&rdquo; said the marshal; and, at the memory of his children, his voice
+      slightly trembled; but he soon proceeded, with terrible calmness: &ldquo;You
+      must feel that I now only live for vengeance. And I must have such revenge
+      as is worth the seeking&mdash;I must have your coward&rsquo;s heart palpitating
+      on the point of my sword. Our last duel was play; this will be earnest&mdash;oh!
+      you shall see.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The marshal walked up to the table, where he had laid the two swords.
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny needed all his resolution to restrain himself. The
+      implacable hate which he had always felt for Marshal Simon, added to these
+      insults, filled him with savage ardor. Yet he answered, in a tone that was
+      still calm: &ldquo;For the last time, sir, I repeat to you, that my profession
+      forbids me to fight.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you refuse?&rdquo; said the marshal, turning abruptly towards him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I refuse.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Positively?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Positively. Nothing on earth should force me to it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, sir; nothing.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We shall see,&rdquo; said the marshal, as his hand fell with its full force on
+      the cheek of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jesuit uttered a cry of fury; all his blood rushed to his face, so
+      roughly handled; the courage of the man (for he was brave), his ancient
+      military ardor, carried him away; his eyes sparkled, and, with teeth
+      firmly set, and clenched fists, he advanced towards the marshal,
+      exclaiming: &ldquo;The swords! the swords!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      But suddenly, remembering the appearance of Rodin, and the interest which
+      the latter had in bringing about this encounter, he determined to avoid
+      the diabolical snare laid by his former socius, and so gathered sufficient
+      resolution to restrain his terrible resentment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To his passing fury succeeded a calm, full of contrition; and, wishing to
+      play his part out to the end, he knelt down, and bowing his head and
+      beating his bosom, repeated: &ldquo;Forgive me, Lord, for yielding to a movement
+      of rage! and, above all, forgive him who has injured me!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In spite of his apparent resignation, the Jesuit&rsquo;s voice was neatly
+      agitated. He seemed to feel a hot iron upon his cheek, for never before in
+      his life, whether as a soldier or a priest, had he suffered such an
+      insult. He had thrown himself upon his knees, partly from religious
+      mummery, and partly to avoid the gaze of the marshal, fearing that, were
+      he to meet his eye, he should not be able to answer for himself, but give
+      way to his impetuous feelings. On seeing the Jesuit kneel down, and on
+      hearing his hypocritical invocation, the marshal, whose sword was in his
+      hand, shook with indignation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Stand up, scoundrel!&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;stand up, wretch!&rdquo; And he spurned the
+      Jesuit with his boot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this new insult, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny leaped up, as if he had been moved
+      by steel springs. It was too much; he could bear no more. Blinded with
+      rage, he rushed to the able, caught up the other sword, and exclaimed,
+      grinding his teeth together: &ldquo;Ah! you will have blood. Well then! it shall
+      be yours&mdash;if possible!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And the Jesuit, still in all the vigor of manhood, his face purple, his
+      large gray eyes sparkling with hate, fell upon his guard with the ease and
+      skill of a finished swordsman.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At last!&rdquo; cried the marshal, as their blades were about to cross.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But once more reflection came to damp the fire of the Jesuit. He
+      remembered how this hazardous duel would gratify the wishes of Rodin,
+      whose fate was in his hands, and whom he hated perhaps even more than the
+      marshal. Therefore, in spite of the fury which possessed him, in spite of
+      his secret hope to conquer in this combat, so strong and healthy did he
+      feel himself, and so fatal had been the effects of grief on the
+      constitution of Marshal Simon, he succeeded in mastering his rage, and, to
+      the amazement of the marshal, dropped the point of his sword, exclaiming:
+      &ldquo;I am a minister of the Lord, and must not shed blood. Forgive ne, heaven!
+      and, oh! forgive my brother also.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then placing the blade beneath his heel, he drew the hilt suddenly towards
+      him, and broke the weapon into two pieces. The duel was no longer
+      possible. Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had put it out of his own power to yield to a
+      new burst of violence, of which he saw the imminent danger. Marshal Simon
+      remained for an instant mute and motionless with surprise and indignation,
+      for he also saw that the duel was now impossible. But, suddenly, imitating
+      the Jesuit, the marshal placed his blade also under his heel, broke it in
+      half, and picking up the pointed end, about eighteen inches in length tore
+      off his black silk cravat, rolled it round the broken part so as to form a
+      handle, and said to Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny: &ldquo;Then we will fight with daggers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Struck with this mixture of coolness and ferocity, the Jesuit exclaimed:
+      &ldquo;Is this then a demon of hell?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No; it is a father, whose children have been murdered,&rdquo; said the marshal,
+      in a hollow voice, whilst he fitted the blade to his hand, and a tear
+      stood in the eye, that instantly after became fierce and ardent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jesuit saw that tear. There was in this mixture of vindictive rage and
+      paternal grief something so awful, and yet so sacred, that for the first
+      time in his life Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny felt fear&mdash;cowardly, ignoble fear&mdash;fear
+      for his own safety. While a combat with swords was in question, in which
+      skill, agility, and experience are such powerful auxiliaries to courage,
+      his only difficulty had been to repress the ardor of his hate&mdash;but
+      when he thought of the combat proposed, body to body, face to face, heart
+      to heart, he trembled, grew pale, and exclaimed: &ldquo;A butchery with knives?&mdash;never!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      His countenance and the accent betrayed his alarm, so that the marshal
+      himself was struck with it, and fearing to lose his revenge, he cried:
+      &ldquo;After all, he is a coward! The wretch had only the courage or the vanity
+      of a fencer. This pitiful renegade&mdash;this traitor to his country&mdash;whom
+      I have cuffed, kicked&mdash;yes, kicked, most noble marquis!&mdash;shame
+      of your ancient house&mdash;disgrace to the rank of gentleman, old or new&mdash;ah!
+      it is not hypocrisy, it is not calculation, as I at first thought&mdash;it
+      is fear! You need the noise of war, and the eyes of spectators to give you
+      courage&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir&mdash;have a care!&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, stammering through his
+      clenched teeth, for rage and hate now made him forget his fear-&ldquo;Must I
+      then spit on you, to make the little blood you have left rise to your
+      face?&rdquo; cried the exasperated marshal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! this is too much! too much!&rdquo; said the Jesuit, seizing the pointed
+      piece of the blade that lay at his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not enough!&rdquo; said the marshal, panting for breath. &ldquo;There, Judas!&rdquo;
+       and he spat in his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If you will not fight now,&rdquo; added the marshal, &ldquo;I will beat you like a
+      dog, base child-murderer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      On receiving the uttermost insult which can be offered to an already
+      insulted man, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny lost all his presence of mind, forgot his
+      interests, his resolutions, his fears, forgot even Rodin&mdash;felt only
+      the frenzied ardor of revenge&mdash;and, recovering his courage, rejoiced
+      in the prospect of a close struggle, in which his superior strength
+      promised success over the enfeebled frame of the marshal for, in this kind
+      of brutal and savage combat, physical strength offers an immense
+      advantage. In an instant, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had rolled his handkerchief
+      round the broken blade, and rushed upon Marshal Simon, who received the
+      shock with intrepidity. For the short time that this unequal struggle
+      lasted&mdash;unequal, for the marshal had since some days been a prey to a
+      devouring fever, which had undermined his strength&mdash;the two
+      combatants, mute in their fury, uttered not a word or a cry. Had any one
+      been present at this horrible scene, it would have been impossible for him
+      to tell how they dealt their blows. He would have seen two heads&mdash;frightful,
+      livid, convulsed&mdash;rising, falling, now here, now there&mdash;arms,
+      now stiff as bars of iron, and now twisting like serpents&mdash;and, in
+      the midst of the undulation of the blue coat of the marshal and the black
+      cassock of the Jesuit, from time to time the sudden gleam of the steel. He
+      would have heard only a dull stamping, and now and then a deep breath. In
+      about two minutes at most, the two adversaries fell, and rolled one over
+      the other. One of them&mdash;it was Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny&mdash;contrived to
+      disengage himself with a violent effort, and to rise upon his knees. His
+      arms fell powerless by his side; and then the dying voice of the marshal
+      murmured: &ldquo;My children! Dagobert!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have killed him,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in a weak voice; &ldquo;but I feel&mdash;that
+      I am wounded&mdash;to death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaning with one hand on the ground, the Jesuit pressed the other to his
+      bosom. His black cassock was pierced through and through, but the blades,
+      which had served for the combat, being triangular and very sharp, the
+      blood instead of issuing from the wounds, was flowing inwards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! I die&mdash;I choke,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whose features were
+      already changing with the approach of death.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment, the key turned twice in the door, Rodin appeared on the
+      threshold, and, thrusting in his head, he said in a humble and discreet
+      voice: &ldquo;May I come in?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      At this dreadful irony, Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny strove to rise, and rush upon
+      Rodin; but he fell back exhausted; the blood was choking him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Monster of hell!&rdquo; he muttered, casting on Rodin a terrible glance of rage
+      and agony. &ldquo;Thou art the cause of my death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I always told you, my dear father, that your old military habits would be
+      fatal to you,&rdquo; answered Rodin with a frightful smile. &ldquo;Only a few days
+      ago, I gave you warning, and advised you take a blow patiently from this
+      old swordsman&mdash;who seems to have done with that work forever, which
+      is well&mdash;for the Scripture says: &lsquo;All they that take the sword shall
+      perish with the sword.&rsquo; And then this Marshal Simon might have had some
+      claim on his daughter&rsquo;s inheritance. And, between ourselves, my dear
+      father, what was I to do? It was necessary to sacrifice you for the common
+      interest; the rather, that I well knew what you had in pickle for me
+      to-morrow. But I am not so easily caught napping.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before I die,&rdquo; said Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, in a failing voice, &ldquo;I will unmask
+      you.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, no, you will not,&rdquo; said Rodin, shaking his head with a knowing air;
+      &ldquo;I alone, if you please, will receive your last confession.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh! this is horrible,&rdquo; moaned Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, whose eyes were closing.
+      &ldquo;May God have mercy on me, if it is not too late!&mdash;Alas! at this
+      awful moment, I feel that I have been a great sinner&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And, above all, a great fool,&rdquo; said Rodin, shrugging his shoulders, and
+      watching with cold disdain the dying moments of his accomplice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny had now but a few minutes more to live. Rodin perceived
+      it, and said: &ldquo;It is time to call for help.&rdquo; And the Jesuit ran, with an
+      air of alarm and consternation, into the courtyard of the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Others came at his cries; but, as he had promised, Rodin had only quitted
+      Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny as the latter had breathed his last sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That evening, alone in his chamber, by the glimmer of a little lamp, Rodin
+      sat plunged in a sort of ecstatic contemplation, before the print
+      representing Sixtus V. The great house-clock struck twelve. At the last
+      stroke, Rodin drew himself up in all the savage majesty of his infernal
+      triumph, and exclaimed: &ldquo;This is the first of June. There are no more
+      Renneponts!&mdash;Methinks, I hear the hour from the clock of St. Peter&rsquo;s
+      at Rome striking!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30469m.jpg" alt="30469m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30469.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0172" id="link2HCH0172">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXVII. A MESSAGE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">W</span>hile Rodin sat plunged in ambitious reverie, contemplating the portrait
+      of Sixtus V., good little Father Caboccini, whose warm embraces had so
+      much irritated the first mentioned personage, went secretly to Faringhea,
+      to deliver to him a fragment of an ivory crucifix, and said to him with
+      his usual air of jovial good-nature: &ldquo;His Excellency Cardinal Malipieri,
+      on my departure from Rome, charged me to give you this only on the 31st of
+      May.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The half-caste, who was seldom affected by anything, started abruptly,
+      almost with an expression of pain. His face darkened, and bending upon the
+      little father a piercing look, he said to him: &ldquo;You were to add
+      something.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; replied Father Caboccini; &ldquo;the words I was to add are these:
+      &lsquo;There is many a slip &lsquo;twixt the cup and the lip.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is well,&rdquo; said the other. Heaving a deep sigh, he joined the fragment
+      of the ivory crucifix to a piece already in his possession; it fitted
+      exactly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Father Caboccini looked at him with curiosity, for the cardinal had only
+      told him to deliver the ivory fragment to Faringhea, and to repeat the
+      above words. Being somewhat mystified with all this, the reverend father
+      said to the half-caste: &ldquo;What are you going to do with that crucifix?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing,&rdquo; said Faringhea, still absorbed in painful thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nothing?&rdquo; resumed the reverend father, in astonishment. &ldquo;What, then, was
+      the use of bringing it so far?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Without satisfying his curiosity, Faringhea replied: &ldquo;At what hour to
+      morrow does Father Rodin go to the Rue Saint Francois?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very early.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Before leaving home, he will go to say prayers in the chapel?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, according to the habit of our reverend fathers.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You sleep near him?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Being his socius, I occupy the room next to his.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is possible,&rdquo; said Faringhea, after a moment&rsquo;s silence, &ldquo;that the
+      reverend father, full of the great interests which occupy his mind, might
+      forget to go to the chapel. In that case, pray remind him of this pious
+      duty.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall not fail.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Pray do not fail,&rdquo; repeated Faringhea, anxiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Be satisfied,&rdquo; said the good little father; &ldquo;I see that you take great
+      interest in his salvation.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Great interest.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is very praiseworthy in you. Continue as you have begun, and you may
+      one day belong, completely to our Company,&rdquo; said Father Caboccini,
+      affectionately.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am as yet but a poor auxiliary member,&rdquo; said Faringhea, humbly; &ldquo;but no
+      one is more devoted to the Society, body and soul. Bowanee is nothing to
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bowanee! who is that, my good friend?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bowanee makes corpses which rot in the ground. The Society makes corpses
+      which walk about.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Ah, yes! Perinde ac cadaver&mdash;they were the last words of our great
+      saint, Ignatius de Loyola. But who is this Bowanee?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bowanee is to the Society what a child is to a man,&rdquo; replied the Asiatic,
+      with growing excitement. &ldquo;Glory to the Company&mdash;glory! Were my father
+      its enemy, I would kill my father. The man whose genius inspires me most
+      with admiration, respect, and terror&mdash;were he its enemy, I would
+      kill, in spite of all,&rdquo; said the half-caste, with an effort. Then, after a
+      moment&rsquo;s silence, he looked full in Caboccini&rsquo;s face, and added: &ldquo;I say
+      this, that you may report my words to Cardinal Malipieri, and beg him to
+      mention them to&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Faringhea stopped short. &ldquo;To whom should the cardinal mention your words?&rdquo;
+       asked Caboccini.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He knows,&rdquo; replied the half-caste, abruptly. &ldquo;Good night!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good-night, my friend! I can only approve of your excellent sentiments
+      with regard to our Company. Alas! it is in want of energetic defenders,
+      for there are said to be traitors in its bosom.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;For those,&rdquo; said Faringhea, &ldquo;we must have no pity.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said the good little father; &ldquo;we understand one another.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; said the half-caste. &ldquo;Do not, at all events, forget to remind
+      Father Rodin to go to chapel to-morrow morning.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will take care of that,&rdquo; said Father Caboccini.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two men parted. On his return to the house, Caboccini learned that a
+      courier, only arrived that night from Rome, had brought despatches to
+      Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0173" id="link2HCH0173">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER LXVIII. THE FIRST OF JUNE.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he chapel belonging to the house of the reverend fathers in the Rue de
+      Vaugirard, was gay and elegant. Large panes of stained glass admitted a
+      mysterious light; the altar shone with gold and silver; and at the
+      entrance of this little church, in an obscure corner beneath the organ
+      loft, was a font for holy water in sculptured marble. It was close to this
+      font, in a dark nook where he could hardly be seen, that Faringhea knelt
+      down, early on the 1st of June, as soon indeed as the chapel doors were
+      opened. The half-caste was exceedingly sad. From time to time he started
+      and sighed, as if agitated by a violent internal struggle. This wild,
+      untamable being, possessed with the monomania of evil and destruction,
+      felt, as may be imagined, a profound admiration for Rodin, who exercised
+      over him a kind of magnetic fascination. The half-caste, almost a wild
+      beast in human form, saw something supernatural in the infernal genius of
+      Rodin. And the latter, too sagacious not to have discovered the savage
+      devotion of this wretch, had made, as we have seen, good use of him, is
+      bringing about the tragical termination of the loves of Adrienne and
+      Djalma. But what excited to an incredible degree the admiration of
+      Faringhea, was what he knew of the Society of Jesus. This immense, occult
+      power, which undermined the world by its subterraneous ramifications, and
+      reached its ends by diabolical means, had inspired the half-caste with a
+      wild enthusiasm. And if anything in the world surpassed his fanatical
+      admiration for Rodin, it was his blind devotion to the Company of Ignatius
+      de Loyola, which, as he said, could make corpses that walk about. Hid in
+      the shadow of the organ-loft, Faringhea was reflecting deeply on these
+      things, when footsteps were heard, and Rodin entered the chapel,
+      accompanied by his socius, the little one-eyed father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whether from absence of mind, or that the shadow of the orange-loft
+      completely concealed the half-caste, Rodin dipped his fingers into the
+      font without perceiving Faringhea, who stood motionless as a statue,
+      though a cold sweat streamed from his brow. The prayer of Rodin was, as
+      may be supposed, short; he was in haste to get to the Rue Saint-Francois.
+      After kneeling down with Father Caboccini for a few seconds, he rose,
+      bowed respectfully to the altar, and returned towards the door, followed
+      by his socius. At the moment Rodin approached the font he perceived the
+      tall figure of the half-caste standing out from the midst of the dark
+      shadow; advancing a little, Faringhea bowed respectfully to Rodin, who
+      said to him, in a low voice; &ldquo;Come to me at two o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      So saying, Rodin stretched forth his hand to dip it into the holy water;
+      but Faringhea spared him the trouble, by offering him the sprinkling
+      brush, which generally stood in the font.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pressing between his dirty fingers the damp hairs of the brush, which the
+      half-caste held by the handle, Rodin wetted his thumb and forefinger, and,
+      according to custom, traced the sign of the cross upon his forehead. Then,
+      opening the door of the chapel, he went out, after again repeating to
+      Faringhea: &ldquo;Come to me at two o&rsquo;clock.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Thinking he would also make use of the sprinkling-brush, which, Faringhea,
+      still motionless, held with a trembling hand, Father Caboccini stretched
+      out his fingers to reach it, when the half-breed, as if determined to
+      confine his favors to Rodin, hastily withdrew the instrument. Deceived in
+      his expectation, Father Caboccini lost no time in following Rodin, whom he
+      was not to leave that day for a single moment, and, getting into a
+      hackney-coach with him, set out for the Rue Saint-Francois. It is
+      impossible to describe the look which the half breed fixed upon Rodin as
+      the latter quitted the chapel. Left alone in the sacred edifice, Faringhea
+      sank upon the stones, half kneeling, half crouching, with his face buried
+      in his hands. As the coach drew near the quarter of the Marais, in which
+      was situated the house of Marius de Rennepont, a feverish agitation, and
+      the devouring impatience of triumph, were visible on the countenance of
+      Rodin. Two or three times he opened his pocketbook, and read and arranged
+      the different certificates of death of the various members of the
+      Rennepont family; and from time to time he thrust his head anxiously from
+      the coach-window, as if he had wished to hasten the slow progress of the
+      vehicle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The good little father, his socius, did not take his eye off Rodin, and
+      his look had a strange and crafty expression. At last the coach entered
+      the Rue Saint-Francois, and stopped before the iron-studded door of the
+      old house, which had been closed for a century and a half. Rodin sprang
+      from the coach with the agility of a young man, and knocked violently at
+      the door, whilst Father Caboccini, less light of foot, descended more
+      prudently to the ground. No answer was returned to the loud knocking of
+      Rodin. Trembling with anxiety, he knocked again. This time, as he listened
+      attentively, he heard slow steps approaching. They stopped at some
+      distance from the door, which was not yet opened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is keeping one upon red-hot coals,&rdquo; said Rodin, for he felt as if
+      there was a burning fire in his chest. He again shook the door violently,
+      and began to gnaw his nails according to his custom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly the door opened, and Samuel, the Jew guardian, appeared beneath
+      the porch. The countenance of the old man expressed bitter grief. Upon his
+      venerable cheeks were the traces of recent tears, which he strove to dry
+      with his trembling hands, as he opened the door to Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who are you, gentlemen?&rdquo; said Samuel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am the bearer of a power of attorney from the Abbe Gabriel, the only
+      living representative of the Rennepont family,&rdquo; answered Rodin, hastily.
+      &ldquo;This gentleman is my secretary,&rdquo; added he, pointing to Father Caboccini,
+      who bowed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After looking attentively at Rodin, Samuel resumed: &ldquo;I recognize you, sir.
+      Please to follow me.&rdquo; And the old guardian advanced towards the house in
+      the garden, making a sign to the two reverend fathers to follow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That confounded old man kept me so long at the door,&rdquo; said Rodin to his
+      socius, &ldquo;that I think I have caught a cold in consequence. My lips and
+      throat are dried up, like parchment baked at the fire.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you not take something, my dear, good father? Suppose you were to
+      ask this man for a glass of water,&rdquo; cried the little one-eyed priest, with
+      tender solicitude.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; answered Rodin; &ldquo;it is nothing. I am devoured by impatience.
+      That is all.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Pale and desolate, Bathsheba, the wife of Samuel, was standing at the door
+      of the apartment she occupied with her husband, in the building next the
+      street. As the Jew passed before her, he said, in Hebrew: &ldquo;The curtains of
+      the Hall of Mourning?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are closed.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And the iron casket?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is prepared,&rdquo; answered Bathsheba, also in Hebrew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After pronouncing these words, completely unintelligible to Rodin and
+      Caboccini, Samuel and Bathsheba exchanged a bitter smile, notwithstanding
+      the despair impressed on their countenances.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ascending the steps, followed by the two reverend fathers, Samuel entered
+      the vestibule of the house, in which a lamp was burning. Endowed with an
+      excellent local memory, Rodin was about to take the direction of the Red
+      Saloon, in which had been held the first convocation of the heirs, when
+      Samuel stopped him, and said: &ldquo;It is not that way.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, taking the lamp, he advanced towards a dark staircase, for the
+      windows of the house had not been un-bricked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But,&rdquo; said Rodin, &ldquo;the last time, we met in a saloon on the ground
+      floor.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To-day, we must go higher,&rdquo; answered Samuel, as he began slowly to ascend
+      the stairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Where to? higher!&rdquo; said Rodin, following him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the Hall of Mourning,&rdquo; replied the Jew, and he continued to ascend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What is the Hall of Mourning?&rdquo; resumed Rodin, in some surprise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A place of tears and death,&rdquo; answered the Israelite; and he kept on
+      ascending through the darkness, for the little lamp threw but a faint
+      light around.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But,&rdquo; said Rodin, more and more astonished, and stopping short on the
+      stairs, &ldquo;why go to this place?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The money is there,&rdquo; answered Samuel, and he went on,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh? if the money is there, that alters the case,&rdquo; replied Rodin; and he
+      made haste to regain the few steps he had lost by stopping.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel continued to ascend, and, at a turn of the staircase, the two
+      Jesuits could see by the pale light of the little lamp, the profile of the
+      old Israelite, in the space left between the iron balustrade and the wall,
+      as he climbed on with difficulty above them. Rodin was struck with the
+      expression of Samuel&rsquo;s countenance. His black eyes, generally so calm,
+      sparkled with ardor. His features, usually impressed with a mixture of
+      sorrow, intelligence, and goodness, seemed to grow harsh and stern, and
+      his thin lips wore a strange smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not so very high,&rdquo; whispered Rodin to Caboccini, &ldquo;and yet my legs
+      ache, and I am quite out of breath. There is a strange throbbing too in my
+      temples.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      In fact, Rodin breathed hard, and with difficulty. To this confidential
+      communication, good little Father Caboccini, in general so full of tender
+      care for his colleague, made no answer. He seemed to be in deep thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will we soon be there?&rdquo; said Rodin, impatiently, to Samuel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are there,&rdquo; replied the Israelite.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And a good thing too,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good,&rdquo; said the Jew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stopping in the midst of a corridor, he pointed with the hand in which he
+      held the lamp to a large door from which streamed a faint light. In spite
+      of his growing surprise. Rodin entered resolutely, followed by Father
+      Caboccini and Samuel. The apartment in which these three personage, now
+      found themselves was very large. The daylight only entered from a
+      belvedere in the roof, the four sides of which had been covered with
+      leaden plates, each of which was pierced with seven holes, forming a
+      cross, thus:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+             *
+          * * *
+             *
+             *
+             *
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Now, the light being only admitted through these holes, the obscurity
+      would have been complete, had it not been for a lamp, which burned on a
+      large massive slab of black marble, fixed against one of the walls. One
+      would have taken it for a funeral chamber, for it was all hung with black
+      curtains, fringed with white. There was no furniture, save the slab of
+      black marble we have already mentioned. On this slab was an iron casket,
+      of the manufacture of the seventeenth century, admirably adorned with open
+      work, like lace made of metal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Addressing Rodin, who was wiping his forehead with his dirty handkerchief,
+      and looking round him with surprise, but not fear, Samuel said to him:
+      &ldquo;The will of the testator, however strange it may appear, is sacred with
+      me, and must be accomplished in all things.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; said Rodin; &ldquo;but what are we to do here?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will know presently, sir. You are the representative of the only
+      remaining heir of the Rennepont family, the Abbe Gabriel de Rennepont?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir, and here are my papers,&rdquo; replied Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To save time,&rdquo; resumed Samuel, &ldquo;I will, previous to the arrival of the
+      magistrate, go through the inventory of the securities contained in this
+      casket, which I withdrew yesterday from the custody of the Bank of
+      France.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The securities are there?&rdquo; cried Rodin, advancing eagerly towards the
+      casket.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; replied Samuel, &ldquo;as by the list. Your secretary will call them
+      over, and I will produce each in turn. They can then be replaced in the
+      casket, which I will deliver up to you in presence of the magistrate.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;All this seems perfectly correct,&rdquo; said Rodin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel delivered the list to Father Caboccini, and approaching the casket,
+      touched a spring, which was not seen by Rodin. The heavy lid flew open,
+      and, while Father Caboccini read the names of the different securities,
+      Samuel showed them to Rodin, who returned them to the old Jew, after a
+      careful examination. This verification did not last long, for this immense
+      fortune was all comprised, as we already know, in eight government
+      securities, five hundred thousand francs in bank-note, thirty five
+      thousand francs in gold, and two hundred and fifty francs in silver&mdash;making
+      in all an amount of two hundred and twelve millions, one hundred and
+      seventy-five thousand francs. When Rodin had counted the last of the five
+      hundred bank-notes, of a thousand francs each, he said, as he returned
+      them to Samuel: &ldquo;It is quite right. Two hundred and twelve millions, one
+      hundred and seventy-five thousand francs!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He was no doubt almost choked with joy, for he breathed with difficulty,
+      his eyes closed, and he was obliged to lean upon Father Caboccini&rsquo;s arm,
+      as he said to him in an altered voice: &ldquo;It is singular. I thought myself
+      proof against all such emotions; but what I feel is extraordinary.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      The natural paleness of the Jesuit increased so much, and he seemed so
+      much agitated with convulsive movements, that Father Caboccini exclaimed:
+      &ldquo;My dear father, collect yourself; do not let success overcome you thus.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Whilst the little one-eyed man was, attending to Rodin, Samuel carefully
+      replaced the securities in the iron casket. Thanks to his unconquerable
+      energy, and to the joy he felt at seeing himself so near the term of his
+      labors, Rodin mastered this attack of weakness, and drawing himself up,
+      calm and proud, he said to Caboccini: &ldquo;It is nothing. I did not survive
+      the cholera to die of joy on the first of June.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And, though still frightfully pale, the countenance of the Jesuit shone
+      with audacious confidence. But now, when Rodin appeared to be quite
+      recovered, Father Caboccini seemed suddenly transformed. Though short,
+      fat, and one-eyed, his features assumed on the instant so firm, harsh, and
+      commanding an expression, that Rodin recoiled a step as he looked at him.
+      Then Father Caboccini, drawing a paper from his pocket, kissed it
+      respectfully, glanced sternly at Rodin, and read as follows, in a severe
+      and menacing tone:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;On receipt of the present rescript, the Reverend Father Rodin will
+      deliver up all his powers to the Reverend Father Caboccini, who is alone
+      commissioned, with the Reverend Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, to receive the
+      inheritance of the Rennepont family, if, in His eternal justice, the Lord
+      should restore this property, of which our Company has been wronged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;&lsquo;Moreover, on receipt of the present rescript, the Reverend Father Rodin,
+      in charge of a person to be named by the Reverend Father Caboccini, shall
+      be conveyed to our house in the Town of Laval, to be kept in strict
+      seclusion in his cell until further orders.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then Father Caboccini handed the rescript to Rodin, that the latter might
+      read the signature of the General of the Company. Samuel, greatly
+      interested by this scene, drew a few steps nearer, leaving the casket
+      half-open. Suddenly, Rodin burst into a loud laugh&mdash;a laugh of joy,
+      contempt and triumph, impossible to describe. Father Caboccini looked at
+      him with angry astonishment; when Rodin, growing still more imperious and
+      haughty, and with an air of more sovereign disdain than ever, pushed aside
+      the paper with the back of his dirty hand and said: &ldquo;What is the date of
+      that scribble?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The eleventh of May,&rdquo; answered Father Caboccini in amazement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is a brief, that I received last night from Rome, under date of the
+      eighteenth. It informs me that I am appointed GENERAL OF THE ORDER. Read!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Father Caboccini took the paper, read it, and remained thunderstruck.
+      Then, returning it humbly to Rodin, he respectfully bent his knee before
+      him. Thus seemed the ambitious views of Rodin accomplished. In spite of
+      the hatred and suspicion of that party, of which Cardinal Malipieri was
+      the representative and the chief, Rodin, by address and craft, audacity
+      and persuasion, and in consequence of the high esteem in which his
+      partisans at Rome held his rare capacity, had succeeded in deposing his
+      General, and in procuring his own elevation to that eminent post. Now,
+      according to his calculation, aided by the millions he was about to
+      possess, it would be but one step from that post to the pontifical throne.
+      A mute witness of this scene, Samuel smiled also with an air of triumph,
+      as he closed the casket by means of the spring known only to himself. That
+      metallic sound recalled Rodin from the heights of his mad ambition to the
+      realities of life, and he said to Samuel in a sharp voice: &ldquo;You have
+      heard? These millions must be delivered to me alone.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He extended his hands eagerly and impatiently towards the casket, as if he
+      would have taken possession of it, before the arrival of the magistrate.
+      Then Samuel in his turn seemed transfigured, and, folding his arms upon
+      his breast, and drawing up his aged form to its full height, he assumed a
+      threatening and imposing air. His eyes flashed with indignation, and he
+      said in a solemn tone: &ldquo;This fortune&mdash;at first the humble remains of
+      the inheritance of the most noble of men, whom the plots of the sons of
+      Loyola drove to suicide&mdash;this fortune, which has since become royal
+      in amount, thanks to the sacred probity of three generations of faithful
+      servants&mdash;this fortune shall never be the reward of falsehood,
+      hypocrisy and murder. No! the eternal justice of heaven will not allow
+      it.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On murder? what do you mean, sir?&rdquo; asked Rodin, boldly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Samuel made no answer. He stamped his foot, and extended his arm slowly
+      towards the extremity of the apartment. Then Rodin and Father Caboccini
+      beheld an awful spectacle. The draperies on the wall were drawn aside, as
+      if by an invisible hand. Round a funeral vault, faintly illumined-by the
+      bluish light of a silver lamp, six dead bodies were ranged upon black
+      biers, dressed in long black robes. They were: Jacques Rennepont&mdash;Francois
+      Hardy&mdash;Rose and Blanche Simon&mdash;Adrienne and Djalma. They
+      appeared to be asleep. Their eyelids were closed, their hands crossed over
+      their breasts. Father Caboccini, trembling in every limb, made the sign of
+      the cross, and retreating to the opposite wall, buried his face in his
+      hands. Rodin on the contrary, with agitated countenance, staring eyes, and
+      hair standing on end, yielding to an invincible attraction, advanced
+      towards those inanimate forms. One would have said that these last of the
+      Renneponts had only just expired. They seemed to be in the first hour of
+      the eternal sleep.(44)
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Behold those whom thou host slain!&rdquo; cried Samuel, in a voice broken with
+      sobs. &ldquo;Yea! your detestable plots caused their death&mdash;and, as they
+      fell one by one, it was my pious care to obtain possession of their poor
+      remains, that they may all repose in the same sepulchre. Oh!&mdash;cursed&mdash;cursed&mdash;cursed&mdash;be
+      thou who has killed them! But their spoils shall escape thy murderous
+      hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Rodin, still drawn forward in spite of himself, had approached the funeral
+      couch of Djalma. Surmounting his first alarm, the Jesuit, to assure
+      himself that he was not the sport of frightful dream, ventured to touch
+      the hands of the Asiatic&mdash;and found that they were damp and pliant,
+      though cold as ice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Jesuit drew back in horror. For some seconds, he trembled
+      convulsively. But, his first amazement over, reflection returned, and,
+      with reflection came that invincible energy, that infernal obstinacy of
+      character, that gave him so much power. Steadying himself on his legs,
+      drawing his hand across his brow, raising his head, moistening his lips
+      two or three times before he spoke&mdash;for his throat and mouth grew
+      ever drier and hotter, without his being able to explain the cause&mdash;he
+      succeeded in giving to his features an imperious and ironical expression,
+      and, turning towards Samuel, who wept in silence, he said to him, in a
+      hoarse, guttural voice: &ldquo;I need not show you the certificates of their
+      death. There they are in person.&rdquo; And he pointed with his bony hand to the
+      six dead bodies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words of his General, Father Caboccini again made the sign of the
+      cross, as if he had seen a fiend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my God!&rdquo; cried Samuel; &ldquo;Thou hast quite abandoned this man. With what
+      a calm look he contemplates his victims!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come, sir!&rdquo; said Rodin, with a horrid smile; &ldquo;this is a natural waxwork
+      exhibition, that is all. My calmness proves my innocence&mdash;and we had
+      best come at once to business. I have an appointment at two o&rsquo;clock. So
+      let us carry down this casket.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      He advanced towards the marble slab. Seized with indignation and horror,
+      Samuel threw himself before him, and, pressing with all his might on a
+      knob in the lid of the casket&mdash;a knob which yielded to the pressure&mdash;he
+      exclaimed: &ldquo;Since your infernal soul is incapable of remorse, it may
+      perhaps be shaken by disappointed avarice.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What does he say?&rdquo; cried Rodin. &ldquo;What is he doing?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Look!&rdquo; said Samuel, in his turn assuming an air of savage triumph. &ldquo;I
+      told you, that the spoils of your victims should escape your murderous
+      hands.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Hardly had he uttered these words, before through the open-work of the
+      iron casket rose a light cloud of smoke, and an odor as of burnt paper
+      spread itself through the room. Rodin understood it instantly. &ldquo;Fire!&rdquo; he
+      exclaimed, as he rushed forward to seize the casket. It had been made fast
+      to the heavy marble slab.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, fire,&rdquo; said Samuel. &ldquo;In a few minutes, of that immense treasure
+      there will remain nothing but ashes. And better so, than that it should
+      belong to you or yours. This treasure is not mine, and it only remains for
+      me to destroy it&mdash;since Gabriel de Rennepont will be faithful to the
+      oath he has taken.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Help! water! water!&rdquo; cried Rodin, as he covered the casket with his body,
+      trying in vain to extinguish the flames, which, fanned by the current of
+      air, now issued from the thousand apertures in the lid; but soon the
+      intensity of the fire diminished, a few threads of bluish smoke alone
+      mounted upwards&mdash;and then, all was extinct.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The work was done! Breathless and faint, Rodin leaned against the marble
+      slab. For the first time in his life, he wept; large tears of rage rolled
+      down his cadaverous cheeks. But suddenly, dreadful pains, at first dull,
+      but gradually augmenting in intensity, seized on him with so much fury,
+      though he employed all his energy to struggle against them, that he fell
+      on his knees, and, pressing his two hands to his chest, murmured with an
+      attempt to smile: &ldquo;It is nothing. Do not be alarmed. A few spasms&mdash;that
+      is all. The treasure is destroyed&mdash;but I remain General of the Order.
+      Oh! I suffer. What a furnace!&rdquo; he added, writhing in agony. &ldquo;Since I
+      entered this cursed house, I know not what ails me. If&mdash;I had not
+      lived on roots&mdash;water&mdash;bread&mdash;which I go myself to buy&mdash;I
+      should think&mdash;I was poisoned&mdash;for I triumph&mdash;and Cardinal
+      Malipieri has long arms. Yes&mdash;I still triumph&mdash;for I will not
+      die&mdash;this time no more than the other&mdash;I will not die!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, as he stretched out his arms convulsively, he continued: &ldquo;It is fire
+      that devours my entrails. No doubt, they have tried to poison me. But
+      when? but how?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      After another pause, Rodin again cried out, in a stifled voice: &ldquo;Help!
+      help me, you that stand looking on&mdash;like, spectres!&mdash;Help me, I
+      say!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      Horror-struck at this dreadful agony, Samuel and Father Caboccini were
+      unable to stir.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Help!&rdquo; repeated Rodin, in a tone of strangulation, &ldquo;This poison is
+      horrible.&mdash;But how&mdash;&rdquo; Then, with a terrific cry of rage, as if a
+      sudden idea had struck him, he exclaimed: &ldquo;Ha! Faringhea&mdash;this
+      morning&mdash;the holy water&mdash;he knows such subtle poisons. Yes&mdash;it
+      is he&mdash;he had an interview with Malipieri. The demon!&mdash;Oh! it
+      was well played. The Borgias are still the same. Oh! it is all over. I
+      die. They will regret me, the fools!&mdash;Oh! hell! hell! The Church
+      knows not its loss&mdash;but I burn&mdash;help!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      They came to his assistance. Quick steps were heard upon the stairs, and
+      Dr. Baleinier, followed by the Princess de Saint-Dizier, appeared at the
+      entrance of the Hall of Mourning. The princess had learned vaguely that
+      morning the death of Father d&rsquo;Aigrigny, and had come to question Rodin
+      upon the subject. When this woman, entering the room, suddenly saw the
+      frightful spectacle that offered itself to her view&mdash;when she saw
+      Rodin writhing in horrible agony, and, further on, by the light of the
+      sepulchral lamp, those six corpses&mdash;and, amongst them, her own niece,
+      and the two orphans whom she had sent to meet their death&mdash;she stood
+      petrified with horror, and her reason was unable to withstand the shock.
+      She looked slowly round her, and then raised her arms on high, and burst
+      into a wild fit of laughter. She had gone mad. Whilst Dr. Baleinier
+      supported the head of Rodin, who expired in his arms, Faringhea appeared
+      at the door; remaining in the shade, he cast a ferocious glance at the
+      corpse of the Jesuit. &ldquo;He would have made himself the chief of the Company
+      of Jesus, to destroy it,&rdquo; said he; &ldquo;with me, the Company of Jesus stands
+      in the place of Bowanee. I have obeyed the cardinal!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      (44) Should this appear incredible, we would remind the reader of the
+      marvellous discoveries in the art of embalming&mdash;particularly Dr.
+      Gannal&rsquo;s.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_EPIL2" id="link2H_EPIL2">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      EPILOGUE.
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0174" id="link2HCH0174">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER I. FOUR YEARS AFTER.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">F</span>our years had elapsed, since the events we have just related, when
+      Gabriel de Rennepont wrote the following letter to Abbe Joseph
+      Charpentier, curate of the Parish of Saint-Aubin, a hamlet of Sologne:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Springwater Farm, &ldquo;June 2d, 1836.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Intending to write to you yesterday, my bear Joseph, I seated myself at
+      the little old black table, that you will remember well. My window looks,
+      you know, upon the farmyard, and I can see all that takes place there.
+      These are grave preliminaries, my friend, but I am coming to the point. I
+      had just taken my seat at the table, when, looking from the window, this
+      is what I saw. You, my dear Joseph, who can draw so well, should have been
+      there to have sketched the charming scene. The sun was sinking, the sky
+      serene, the air warm and balmy with the breath of the hawthorn, which,
+      flowering by the side of a little rivulet, forms the edge which borders
+      the yard. Under the large pear-tree, close to the wall of the barn, sat
+      upon the stone bench my adopted father, Dagobert, that brave and honest
+      soldier whom you love so much. He appeared thoughtful, his white head was
+      bowed on his bosom; with absent mind, he patted old Spoil-sport, whose
+      intelligent face was resting on his master&rsquo;s knees. By his side was his
+      wife, my dear adopted mother, occupied with her sewing; and near them, on
+      a stool, sat Angela, the wife of Agricola, nursing her last-born child,
+      while the gentle Magdalen, with the eldest boy in her lap, was occupied in
+      teaching him the letters of the alphabet. Agricola had just returned from
+      the fields, and was beginning to unyoke his cattle, when, struck, like me,
+      no doubt, with this picture, he stood gazing on it for a moment, with his
+      hand still leaning on the yoke, beneath which bent submissive the broad
+      foreheads of his two large black oxen. I cannot express to you, my friend,
+      the enchanting repose of this picture, lighted by the last rays of the
+      sun, here and there broken by the thick foliage. What various and touching
+      types! The venerable face of the soldier&mdash;the good, loving
+      countenance of my adopted mother&mdash;the fresh beauty of Angela, smiling
+      on her little child&mdash;the soft melancholy of the hunchback, now and
+      then pressing her lips to the fair, laughing cheek of Agricola&rsquo;s eldest
+      son&mdash;and then Agricola himself, in his manly beauty, which seems to
+      reflect so well the valor and honesty of his heart! Oh, my Friend! in
+      contemplating this assemblage of good, devoted, noble, and loving beings,
+      so dear to each other, living retired in a little farm of our poor
+      Sologne, my heart rose towards heaven with a feeling of ineffable
+      gratitude. This peace of the family circle&mdash;this clear evening, with
+      the perfume of the woods and wild flowers wafted on the breeze&mdash;this
+      deep silence, only broken by the murmur of the neighboring rill&mdash;all
+      affected me with one of these passing fits of vague and sweet emotion,
+      which one feels but cannot express. You well know it, my friend, who, in
+      your solitary walks, in the midst of your immense plains of flowering
+      heath, surrounded by forests of fir trees, often feel your eyes grow
+      moist, without being able to explain the cause of that sweet melancholy,
+      which I, too, have often felt, during those glorious nights passed in the
+      profound solitudes of America.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But, alas! a painful incident disturbed the serenity of the picture.
+      Suddenly I heard Dagobert&rsquo;s wife say to him: &lsquo;My dear&mdash;you are
+      weeping!&rsquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;At these words, Agricola, Angela, and Magdalen gathered round the
+      soldier. Anxiety was visible upon every face. Then, as he raised his head
+      abruptly, one could see two large tears trickle down his cheek to his
+      white moustache. &lsquo;It is nothing, my children,&rsquo; said he, in a voice of
+      emotion &lsquo;it is nothing. Only, to-day is the first of June&mdash;and this
+      day four years&mdash;&rsquo; He could not complete the sentence; and, as he
+      raised his hands to his eyes, to brush away the tears, we saw that he held
+      between his fingers a little bronze chain, with a medal suspended to it.
+      That is his dearest relic. Four years ago, almost dying with despair at
+      the loss of the two angels, of whom I have so often spoken to you, my
+      friend, he took from the neck of Marshal Simon, brought home dead from a
+      fatal duel, this chain and medal which his children had so long worn. I
+      went down instantly, as you may suppose, to endeavor to soothe the painful
+      remembrances of this excellent man; gradually, he grew calmer, and the
+      evening was passed in a pious and quiet sadness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You cannot imagine, my friend, when I returned to my chamber, what cruel
+      thoughts came to my mind, as I recalled those past events, from which I
+      generally turn away with fear and horror. Then I saw once more the victims
+      of those terrible and mysterious plots, the awful depths of which have
+      never been penetrated thanks to the death of Father d&rsquo;A. and Father R.,
+      and the incurable madness of Madame de St.-D., the three authors or
+      accomplices of the dreadful deeds. The calamities occasioned by them are
+      irreparable; for those who were thus sacrificed to a criminal ambition,
+      would have been the pride of humanity by the good they would have done.
+      Ah, my friend! if you had known those noble hearts; if you had known the
+      projects of splendid charity, formed by that young lady, whose heart was
+      so generous, whose mind so elevated, whose soul so great! On the eve of
+      her death, as a kind of prelude to her magnificent designs, after a
+      conversation, the subject of which I must keep secret, even from you, she
+      put into my hands a considerable sum, saying, with her usual grace and
+      goodness: &lsquo;I have been threatened with ruin, and it might perhaps come.
+      What I now confide to you will at least be safe&mdash;safe&mdash;for those
+      who suffer. Give much&mdash;give freely&mdash;make as many happy hearts as
+      you can. My happiness shall have a royal inauguration!!&rsquo; I do not know
+      whether I ever told you, my friend, that, after those fatal events, seeing
+      Dagobert and his wife reduced to misery, poor &lsquo;Mother Bunch&rsquo; hardly able
+      to earn a wretched subsistence, Agricola soon to become a father, and
+      myself deprived of my curacy, and suspended by my bishop, for having given
+      religious consolations to a Protestant, and offered up prayers at the tomb
+      of an unfortunate suicide&mdash;I considered myself justified in employing
+      a small portion of the sum intrusted to me by Mdlle. de Cardoville in the
+      purchase of this farm in Dagobert&rsquo;s name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, my friend, such is the origin of my fortune. The farmer to whom
+      these few acres formerly belonged, gave us the rudiments of our
+      agricultural education, and common sense, and the study of a few good
+      practical books, completed it. From an excellent workman, Agricola has
+      become an equally excellent husbandman; I have tried to imitate him, and
+      have put my hand also to the plough there is no derogation in it, for the
+      labor which provides food for man is thrice hallowed, and it is truly to
+      serve and glorify God, to cultivate and enrich the earth He has created.
+      Dagobert, when his first grief was a little appeased, seemed to gather new
+      vigor from this healthy life of the fields; and, during his exile in
+      Siberia, he had already learned to till the ground. Finally, my dear
+      adopted mother and sister, and Agricola&rsquo;s good wife, have divided between
+      them the household cares; and God has blessed this little colony of
+      people, who, alas! have been sorely tried by misfortune, and who now only
+      ask of toil and solitude, a quite, laborious, innocent life, and oblivion
+      of great sorrows. Sometimes, in our winter evenings, you have been able to
+      appreciate the delicate and charming mind of the gentle &lsquo;Mother Bunch,&rsquo;
+      the rare poetical imagination of Agricola, the tenderness of his mother,
+      the good sense of his father, the exquisite natural grace of Angela. Tell
+      me, my friend, was it possible to unite more elements of domestic
+      happiness? What long evenings have we passed round the fire of crackling
+      wood, reading, or commenting on a few immortal works, which always warm
+      the heart, and enlarge the soul! What sweet talk have we had, prolonged
+      far into the night! And then Agricola&rsquo;s pastorals, and the timid literary
+      confidences of Magdalen! And the fresh, clear voice of Angela, joined to
+      the deep manly tones of Agricola, in songs of simple melody! And the old
+      stories of Dagobert, so energetic and picturesque in their warlike spirit!
+      And the adorable gayety of the children, in their sports with good old
+      Spoil-sport, who rather lends himself to their play than takes part in it&mdash;for
+      the faithful, intelligent creature seems always to be looking for
+      somebody, as Dagobert says&mdash;and he is right. Yes, the dog also
+      regrets those two angels, of whom he was the devoted guardian!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not think, my friend, that our happiness makes us forgetful. No, no;
+      not a day passes without our repeating, with pious and tender respect,
+      those names so dear to our heart. And these painful memories, hovering
+      forever about us, give to our calm and happy existence that shade of mild
+      seriousness which struck you so much. No doubt, my friend, this kind of
+      life, bounded by the family circle, and not extending beyond, for the
+      happiness or improvement of our brethren, may be set down as selfish; but,
+      alas! we have not the means&mdash;and though the poor man always finds a
+      place at our frugal table, and shelter beneath our roof, we must renounce
+      all great projects of fraternal action. The little revenue of our farm
+      just suffices to supply our wants. Alas! when I think over it,
+      notwithstanding a momentary regret, I cannot blame my resolution to keep
+      faithfully my sacred oath, and to renounce that great inheritance, which,
+      alas! had become immense by the death of my kindred. Yes, I believe I
+      performed a duty, when I begged the guardian of that treasure to reduce it
+      to ashes, rather than let it fall into the hands of people, who would have
+      made an execrable use of it, or to perjure myself by disputing a donation
+      which I had granted freely, voluntarily, sincerely. And yet, when I
+      picture to myself the realization of the magnificent views of&mdash;my
+      ancestor&mdash;an admirable Utopia, only possible with immense resources&mdash;and
+      which Mdlle. de Cardoville hoped to carry into execution, with the aid of
+      M. Francois Hardy, of Prince Djalma, of Marshal Simon and his daughters,
+      and of myself&mdash;when I think of the dazzling focus of living forces,
+      which such an association would have been, and of the immense influence it
+      might have had on the happiness of the whole human race&mdash;my
+      indignation and horror, as an honest man and a Christian, are excited
+      against that abominable Company, whose black plots nipped in their bud all
+      those great hopes, which promised so much for futurity. What remains now
+      of all these splendid projects? Seven tombs. For my grave also is dug in
+      that mausoleum, which Samuel has erected on the site of the house in the
+      Rue Neuve-Saint-Francois, and of which he remains the keeper&mdash;faithful
+      to the end!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I had written thus far, my friend, when I received your letter. So, after
+      having forbidden you to see me, your bishop now orders that you shall
+      cease to correspond with me. Your touching, painful regrets have deeply
+      moved me, my friend. Often have we talked together of ecclesiastical
+      discipline, and of the absolute power of the bishops over, us, the poor
+      working clergy, left to their mercy without remedy. It is painful, but it
+      is the law of the church, my friend, and you have sworn to observe it.
+      Submit as I have submitted. Every engagement is binding upon the man of
+      honor! My poor, dear Joseph! would that you had the compensations which
+      remained to me, after the rupture of ties that I so much value. But I know
+      too well what you must feel&mdash;I cannot go on I find it impossible to
+      continue this letter, I might be bitter against those whose orders we are
+      bound to respect. Since it must be so, this letter shall be my last.
+      Farewell, my friend! farewell forever. My heart is almost broken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;GABRIEL DE RENNEPONT.&rdquo; <a name="link2HCH0175" id="link2HCH0175">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      CHAPTER II. THE REDEMPTION.
+    </h2><p class="pfirst"><span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">D</span>ay was about to dawn. A rosy light, almost imperceptible, began to
+      glimmer in the east; but the stars still shone, sparkling with radiance,
+      upon the azure of the zenith. The birds awoke beneath the fresh foliage of
+      the great woods; and, with isolated warblings, sang the prelude of their
+      morning-concert. A light mist rose from the high grass, bathed in
+      nocturnal dew, while the calm and limpid waters of a vast lake reflected
+      the whitening dawn in their deep, blue mirror. Everything promised one of
+      those warm and joyous days, that belong to the opening of summer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Half-way up the slope of a hill, facing the east, a tuft of old, moss
+      grown willows, whose rugged bark disappeared beneath the climbing branches
+      of wild honeysuckle and harebells, formed a natural harbor; and on their
+      gnarled and enormous roots, covered with thick moss, were seated a man and
+      a woman, whose white hair, deep wrinkles, and bending figures, announced
+      extreme old age. And yet this woman had only lately been young and
+      beautiful, with long black hair overshadowing her pale forehead. And yet
+      this man had, a short time ago, been still in the vigor of his age. From
+      the spot where this man and woman were reposing, could be seen the valley,
+      the lake, the woods, and, soaring above the woods, the blue summit of a
+      high mountain, from behind which the sun was about to rise. This picture,
+      half veiled by the pale transparency of the morning twilight, was
+      pleasing, melancholy, and solemn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my sister!&rdquo; said the old man to the woman, who was reposing with him
+      beneath the rustic arbor formed by the tuft of willow-trees; &ldquo;oh, my
+      sister! how many times during the centuries in which the hand of the Lord
+      carried us onward, and, separated from each other, we traversed the world
+      from pole to pole&mdash;how many times we have witnessed this awakening of
+      nature with a sentiment of incurable grief!&mdash;Alas! it was but another
+      day of wandering&mdash;another useless day added to our life, since it
+      brought death no nearer!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But now what happiness, oh, my brother! since the Lord has had mercy on
+      us, and, with us, as with all other creatures, every returning day is a
+      step nearer to the grave. Glory to Him! yes, glory!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Glory to Him, my sister! for since yesterday, when we again met, I feel
+      that indescribable languor which announces the approach of death.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Like you, my brother, I feel my strength, already shaken, passing away in
+      a sweet exhaustion. Doubtless, the term of our life approaches. The wrath
+      of the Lord is satisfied.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my sister! doubtless also, the last of my doomed race, will, at the
+      same time, complete our redemption by his death; for the will of heaven is
+      manifest, that I can only be pardoned, when the last of my family shall
+      have disappeared from the face of the earth. To him, holiest amongst the
+      holiest&mdash;was reserved the favor of accomplishing this end he who has
+      done so much for the salvation of his brethren!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, yes, my brother! he who has suffered so much, and without
+      complaining, drunk to the dregs the bitter cup of woe&mdash;he, the
+      minister of the Lord, who has been his Master&rsquo;s image upon earth&mdash;he
+      was fitted for the last instrument of this redemption!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, for I feel, my sister, that, at this hour, the last of my race,
+      touching victim of slow persecution, is on the point of resigning his
+      angelic soul to God. Thus, even to the end, have I been fatal to my doomed
+      family. Lord, if Thy mercy is great, Thy anger is great likewise!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Courage and hope, my brother! Think how after the expiration cometh
+      pardon, and pardon is followed by a blessing. The Lord punished, in you
+      and your posterity, the artisan rendered wicked by misfortune and
+      injustice. He said to you: &lsquo;Go on! without truce or rest&mdash;and your
+      labor shall be vain&mdash;and every evening, throwing yourself on the hard
+      ground, you shall be no nearer to the end of your eternal course!&rsquo;&mdash;And
+      so, for centuries, men without pity have said to the artisan: &lsquo;Work! work!
+      work! without truce or rest&mdash;and your labor shall be fruitful for all
+      others, but fruitless for yourself&mdash;and every evening, throwing
+      yourself on the hard ground, you shall be no nearer to happiness and
+      repose; and your wages shall only suffice to keep you alive in pain,
+      privation, and poverty!&rsquo;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas! alas! will it be always thus?&rdquo;
+     </p>
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/30491m.jpg" alt="30491m"  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/30491.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;No, no, my brother! and instead of weeping over your lost race, rejoice
+      for them&mdash;since their death was needed for your redemption, and in
+      redeeming you, heaven will redeem the artisan, cursed and feared by those&mdash;who
+      have laid on him the iron yoke. Yes, my brother! the time draweth nigh&mdash;heaven&rsquo;s
+      mercy will not stop with us alone. Yes, I tell you; in us will be rescued
+      both the WOMAN and the SLAVE of these modern ages. The trial has been
+      hard, brother; it has lasted throughout eighteen centuries; but it will
+      last no longer. Look, my brother! see that rosy light, there in the east,
+      gradually spreading over the firmament! Thus will rise the sun of the new
+      emancipation&mdash;peaceful, holy, great, salutary, fruitful, filling the
+      world with light and vivifying heat, like the day-star that will soon
+      appear in heaven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, yes, my sister! I feel it. Your words are prophetic. We shall close
+      our heavy eyes just as we see the aurora of the day of deliverance&mdash;a
+      fair, a splendid day, like that which is about to dawn. Henceforth I will
+      only shed tears of pride and glory for those of my race, who have died the
+      martyrs of humanity, sacrificed by humanity&rsquo;s eternal enemies&mdash;for
+      the true ancestors of the sacrilegious wretches, who blaspheme the name of
+      Jesus by giving it to their Company, were the false Scribes and Pharisees,
+      whom the Saviour cursed!&mdash;Yes! glory to the descendants of my family,
+      who have been the last martyrs offered up by the accomplices of all
+      slavery and all despotism, the pitiless enemies of those who wish to
+      think, and not to suffer in silence&mdash;of those that would feign enjoy,
+      as children of heaven, the gifts which the Creator has bestowed upon all
+      the human family. Yes, the day approaches&mdash;the end of the reign of
+      our modern Pharisees&mdash;the false priests, who lend their sacrilegious
+      aid to the merciless selfishness of the strong against the weak, by daring
+      to maintain in the face of the exhaustless treasures of the creation, that
+      God has made man for tears, and sorrow, and suffering&mdash;the false
+      priests, who are the agents of all oppression, and would bow to the earth,
+      in brutish and hopeless humiliation, the brow of every creature. No, no!
+      let man lift his head proudly! God made him to be noble and intelligent
+      free and happy.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my brother! your words also are prophetic. Yes, yes! the dawn of that
+      bright day approaches, even as the dawn of the natural day which, by the
+      mercy of God, will be our last on earth.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The last, my sister; for a strange weakness creeps over me, all matter
+      seems dissolving in me, and my soul aspires to mount to heaven.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Mine eyes are growing dim, brother; I can scarcely see that light in the
+      east, which lately appeared so red.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sister! it is through a confused vapor that I now see the valley&mdash;the
+      lake&mdash;the woods. My strength fails me.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blessed be God, brother! the moment of eternal rest is at hand.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, it comes, my sister! the sweetness of the everlasting sleep takes
+      possession of my senses.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, happiness! I am dying&mdash;&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These eyes are closing, sister!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are then forgiven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Forgiven!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh, my brother! may this Divine redemption extend to all those who suffer
+      upon the earth!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Die in peace, my sister! The great day has dawned&mdash;the sun is rising&mdash;behold!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blessed be God!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Blessed be God!&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      And at the moment when those two voices ceased forever, the sun rose
+      radiant and dazzling, and deluged the valley with its beams.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To M. C&mdash;P&mdash;.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To you, my friend, I dedicated this book. To inscribe it with your name,
+      was to assume an engagement that, in the absence of talent, it should be
+      at least conscientious, sincere, and of a salutary influence, however
+      limited. My object is attained. Some select hearts, like yours, my friend,
+      have put into practice the legitimate association of labor, capital, and
+      intelligence, and have already granted to their workmen a proportionate
+      share in the profits of their industry. Others have laid the foundations
+      of Common Dwelling-houses, and one of the chief capitalists of Hamburg has
+      favored me with his views respecting an establishment of this kind, on the
+      most gigantic scale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for the dispersion of the members of the Company of Jesus, I have taken
+      less part in it than other enemies of the detestable doctrines of Loyola,
+      whose influence and authority were far greater than mine.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Adieu, my friend. I could have wished this work more worthy of you; but
+      you are indulgent, and will at least give me credit for the intentions
+      which dictated it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Believe me, Yours truly,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      EUGENE SUE.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Paris, 25th August, 1845. Paris, 25th August, 1845.
+    </p>
+<div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+
+
+<h1>ILLUSTRATIONS BY GUSTAVE DORE</h1>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d10006m.jpg" alt="d10006m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d10006.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d10058m.jpg" alt="d10058m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d10058.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d10084m.jpg" alt="d10084m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d10084.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d10110m.jpg" alt="d10110m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d10110.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d10136m.jpg" alt="d10136m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d10136.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d10162m.jpg" alt="d10162m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d10162.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d20006m.jpg" alt="d20006m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d20006.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d20056m.jpg" alt="d20056m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d20056.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d20082m.jpg" alt="d20082m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d20082.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d20108m.jpg" alt="d20108m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d20108.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d20134m.jpg" alt="d20134m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d20134.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d20160m.jpg" alt="d20160m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d20160.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+<div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+
+<h2>PORTRAITS BY GUSTAVE DORE</h2>
+
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30006m.jpg" alt="d30006m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30006.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30056m.jpg" alt="d30056m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30056.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30106m.jpg" alt="d30106m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30106.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30204m.jpg" alt="d30204m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30204.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30278m.jpg" alt="d30278m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30278.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30352m.jpg" alt="d30352m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30352.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30473m.jpg" alt="d30473m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30473.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d30596m.jpg" alt="d30596m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d30596.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d40006m.jpg" alt="d40006m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d40006.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d40104m.jpg" alt="d40104m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d40104.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d40202m.jpg" alt="d40202m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d40202.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d40524m.jpg" alt="d40524m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d40524.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50006m.jpg" alt="d50006m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50006.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50080m.jpg" alt="d50080m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50080.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50154m.jpg" alt="d50154m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50154.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50252m.jpg" alt="d50252m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50252.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50302m.jpg" alt="d50302m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50302m.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50400m.jpg" alt="d50400m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50400m.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50474m.jpg" alt="d50474m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50474m.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+<div class="fig">
+      <img src="images/d50500m.jpg" alt="d50500m "  /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h5>
+      <a href="images/d50500m.jpg"><i>Original</i></a>
+    </h5>
+
+
+
+
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+
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+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </p>
+  </body>
+</html>
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author	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 05:21:42 -0700
committer	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 05:21:42 -0700
commit	0fdb58e983ca810e001d72e328c0b32f20a5483d (patch)
tree	5609b286c35541f18adf2b0b902370db24fc1b95 /3350-h